"[10] Eggen said to the legislature, "I would beg an answer from the members opposite, although I can see that many of them are wearing bright pink earplugs that their premier is handing out to all of them right now.
"[10] In her June 20 written statement Christine Myatt, Kenney's press secretary, said that it "was a harmless and light-hearted attempt to boost government caucus morale after being forced to listen to the NDP's insults, lies and over-the-top rhetoric for hours on end.
[4] On May 7, MLA Deron Bilous said "there is no way Kenney's government can balance the budget by 2022 while cutting corporate taxes and without slashing public services.
"[11] According to the Edmonton Journal, "[u]nion leaders have called the bill an "egregious attack" on the collective bargaining rights of 180,000 Alberta workers, including government employees, nurses, teachers, health professionals and others.
"[13] Those who opposed the bill, including the official opposition, the Alberta New Democratic Party, led by former-Premier Rachel Notley,[14] were concerned that it would result in public sector contracts not being honoured by the province.
[7] The bill affects the contracts of teachers, nurses, "social workers, hospital support staff, prison guards, conservation officers, toxicologists, restaurant inspectors, therapists and sheriffs"[7] and other public service employees.