The Weekly Roundup - April 21, 2023
There’s just one full work week left before an election is called in Alberta on Monday, May 1. Some cynics might view it as the last week left for the UCP government to hold announcements using taxpayer dollars before fully shifting into campaign mode.
That’s not to say the UCP government isn’t putting out policy on substantive issues; just this week, Alberta’s new Emissions Reduction and Energy Development Plan was unveiled (you can read New West’s analysis of the plan here) and a position paper on reforming equalization was released. The position paper comes at a time when Ottawa is looking to lock in the equalization payment formula as part of their omnibus budget legislation.
Following the Calgary Economic Development’s annual Report to the Community (where in the end UCP Leader Danielle Smith and NDP Leader Rachel Notley took questions separately from Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek), Notley acknowledged that although the campaign has yet to officially be called, both parties are now in campaign mode.
Below, you’ll find the top federal and provincial stories of the week.
Top Federal Stories of the Week
More than 120,000 members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada have been on strike since Wednesday and are causing service disruptions across the country as a result including on matters important to Canadians like tax filing, passport and immigration applications. As it turns out, only 35 per cent of the membership cast a ballot in the strike vote. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has reiterated that his party would not support return-to-work legislation to end the strike.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the quiet part out loud when he told NATO officials that Canada will never meet the defense spending target of 2 per cent, according to a recent Washington Post report. The opposition Conservative party has pounced on the story, saying that Canada needs to step up and pull its own weight among allies.
Imperial Oil president and CEO Brad Corson was brought before a House of Commons Committee studying the company’s leak from a tailings pond in northern Alberta on Thursday. The executive’s appearance comes at a time when recent polling by Nanos shows that Canadians believe the importance of oil and gas to Canada’s economy is increasing and that the federal and provincial governments do a poor job cooperating on the energy file.
Top Alberta Stories of the Week
Both campaigns are going to have very full war chests for the upcoming campaign. This week, the UCP shared that it raised $4 million in the first three months of 2023, the most successful fundraising quarter in the party’s history. With both parties raising around $7 million in 2022, there is a lot of money to spend on campaigning come May. For context in 2019, both the UCP and NDP had around $5.5 million in expenses and transfers issued.
The UCP have to be hoping that any candidate troubles are now behind them after their Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo candidate was disqualified after facing a $300,000 defamation lawsuit from another party member. A new candidate will be appointed for the party in the constituency. The current MLA for the riding is the UCP’s Tany Yao.
In a move that’s sure to be popular with many suburban families in vote-rich Calgary, UCP Leader Smith made a campaign commitment to $10-a-day daycare by 2026. The childcare agreement signed by the UCP in 2021 has already reduced fees for Alberta parents by half to an average of close to $15-a-day.
Upcoming Events Calendar
May 1, 2023: The Alberta provincial campaign is anticipated to be called
May 29, 2023: The next Alberta Provincial General Election is scheduled to be held