Alberta MLA Says People Are Using CERB Money For ‘Cheezies’ & Drugs (VIDEO)
An Alberta MLA is under fire after suggesting that people are unwilling to get back to work and are instead spending their CERB money on junk food and watching TV. He made these claims at a town hall he hosted on Facebook on Tuesday, September 22.
Shane Getson, Lac Ste. Anne-Parkland UCP MLA, talked about being concerned for businesses who are having a tough time filling jobs.
The MLA blamed the issue on the flow of "funny money" from the government, which he believes is keeping people at home instead of looking for work.
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They make more on CERB, eating cheezies and watching cartoons, I guess.
Shane Getson
Getson followed by saying he believes CERB is contributing to the rise in drug addictions across the province.
"Now all of a sudden, you’ve got that population that has all this extra cash and now their addiction levels are going through the roof."
A snippet of the town hall was tweeted out by opposition leader Rachel Notley on Tuesday, September 28.
"People accessed CERB because their workplaces shut down or they had to isolate," said Notely on Twitter.
In a statement to Narcity, Getson accused the NDP of taking his comments out of context for political gain.
"The context was that a local business owner had raised concerns about not being able to hire workers despite being able to operate," added Getson.
The Alberta NDP is calling for a public apology from both the MLA and Premier Jason Kenney.
More than a million Albertans applied for the CERB according to Statistics Canada.