The Weekly Roundup - May 8, 2023
The Alberta election was kicked off a week ago today, and while much of week one featured traditional media availabilities, policy announcements and supporter events, both the UCP and NDP have since had to change gears due to the wide-reaching scope of wildfires in the province.
You’d be forgiven for being tired of the term “unprecedented” after the terms overuse during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the wildfires that have caused the evacuation of nearly 30,000 Albertans and a provincial state of emergency during a general election has put party leaders Danielle Smith and Rachel Notley into an unprecedented scenario of striking the correct balance of responding to the provincial emergency while continuing to put out their message to prospective voters.
Both Smith and Notley have faced natural disasters during their time in office, with Smith being MLA for High River during the 2013 floods and Notley as Premier during the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire. In a show of collaboration, the two leaders met on Saturday to discuss the ongoing wildfire situation and to meet with evacuees in Edmonton. Some local campaigns have also been paused due to the wildfire by UCP and NDP candidates alike.
Below, you’ll find the top federal and provincial stories of the week.
Top Federal Stories of the Week
Justin Trudeau isn’t going anywhere. That’s the big headline to come out of the governing Liberal party’s convention held this weekend in Ottawa. In the Liberal Party Leader’s keynote speech Thursday evening, he committed to leading the party into the next election. The news has to be music to Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre’s ears, who will be up against a well known adversary that much of the Canadian electorate has grown weary of come next election (not currently scheduled for another two years). The Liberal convention came on the heels of news the Conservatives out-fundraising the Liberals by nearly $5 million in the first quarter of 2023.
News that CPC MP Michael Chong’s family was the target of alleged Chinese state interference sent shockwaves through the House of Commons last week. The question of who knew what, and when, continues to be a primary focus for the CPC heading into this week in the House of Commons. The Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Melanie Joly have said that all options are on the table regarding the decision of whether to expel a diplomat in response to the alleged targeting. The CPC has an opposition motion set to be debated later today on interference by the People's Republic of China that would call on the government to expel all PRC diplomats involved in foreign interference.
Bill C-21, the Liberal’s much-maligned firearms legislation, will again come to the forefront this week with the government putting forward a motion that would see the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security expand the scope of their study and also implement time limits for discussion of amendments and clause-by-clause consideration of the bill at committee. The motion would see the contentious piece of legislation pushed through committee and the House in a matter of days.
Top Alberta Stories of the Week
Much of the incumbent UCP’s framing in week one of the campaign was tied to jobs, the economy and affordability, and that is likely with good reason. Pocketbook issues will have a real impact for the suburban and exurban ridings around Calgary that the UCP are looking to hold onto. The NDP also discussed jobs and the economy as well as health care and trust in leadership in week one.
So far, both the UCP and NDP are playing to their strengths this campaign. The UCP are utilizing a secondary tour of strong candidates to make announcements and not making their leader Danielle Smith available to the media daily. A recent case study for not making a leader available everyday can be found in Doug Ford’s successful 2018 and 2022 campaigns where the tactic was used to limit the risk of slip-ups from media overexposure. While the popularity of the NDP brand in Alberta is tied to their leader Rachel Notley (just look at their campaign signs this go around), the generational strength of conservatism in Alberta, and in turn the UCP brand, polls stronger than their leader Danielle Smith and they are campaigning accordingly.
As was expected, Calgary was a large focus for both the UCP and NDP campaigns in week one. With the “three legged stool” of Alberta politics (Edmonton, Calgary and the rest of the province), Calgary is where the election will be decided. The UCP are in a position of largely trying to hold onto Calgary seats they already have in Calgary, while the NDP are looking to flip seats. Look to both campaigns to put out further policy in their platforms to directly address voters in battleground Calgary. You can watch New West CEO Monte Solberg break down week one of the campaign, including battleground Calgary here.
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May 29, 2023: The next Alberta Provincial General Election will be held