The Weekly Roundup-August 29,2022
Alberta garnered national attention in the worst possible way late last week when Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland faced harassment when leaving Grande Prairie City Hall. Rhetoric and distrust in the federal Liberal government has been ratcheted up to unprecedented levels following the COVID-19 pandemic, so-called freedom convoy and both federal CPC candidates and provincial UCP candidates fanning the flames of discontent.
You can expect to see a very healthy Q1 fiscal update from Treasury Board and Finance Minister Jason Nixon on Wednesday, with the minister telling the Calgary Herald’s Chris Varcoe that the update will include royalty revenues among “the highest numbers that we have seen” as a province. How to spend (and save) those dollars is likely to come up in this week’s UCP leadership debate.
Below, you’ll find a summary of recent activity in the UCP leadership race and other government announcements made since our last edition.
UCP Leadership Race Tracker
We’ll be using this section to apprise you of any major platform announcements, endorsements or other items of note related to leadership contestants. You can click through to their websites using the hyperlinks below.
With official numbers released from the UCP, membership has climbed to 123,915 members, up from the almost 60,000 the party had in June and raising nearly a million dollars for the Party in membership dues.
The second and final official leadership debate in the UCP race will take place Tuesday night in Edmonton from 6 to 8 p.m. You can catch the livestream here. You can expect much of the attention to once again be on Danielle Smith, with particularly Leela Aheer, Rajan Sawhney and Rebecca Schulz having little to lose in directing their time towards attacking her policies.
You can read New West’s Matt Solberg on why autonomy for Alberta has shaped up to be such a compelling message to UCP members during the leadership race here.
Leela Aheer: Aheer has been the victim of an ugly alleged cyber attack taking control of some of her social media channels this week. RCMP are investigating.
Brian Jean: Jean responded to Danielle Smith’s sovereignty oped (linked below) with one of his own, calling the legislation legal virtue signalling.
Todd Loewen: Loewen took aim at federal plans to cut nitrogen fertilizer use in a new video.
Rajan Sawhney: Sawhney launched a “refreshed” website, removing reference to her previous campaign chair Angela Pitt and releasing some new policies and videos.
Danielle Smith: Smith penned an oped calling sovereignty a constitutional right, drawing many comparisons between Alberta and Quebec’s perceived places in confederation.
Rebecca Schulz: Schulz released agricultural policy, promising a new expenditure tax credit and taking aim at the federal fertilizer cap.
Travis Toews: Toews also penned an oped responding to Danielle Smith’s, stating that the Sovereignty Act would send the province into economic chaos.
Government of Alberta Announcements
On one of his final trips as Premier, Jason Kenney is in South Korea this week to meet with government and industry leaders while promoting Alberta’s energy industry.
Beginning today, Albertans can book COVID-19 vaccine boosters for children aged five to 11.
The Land Use Secretariat, on behalf of the government, has launched the Lower Athabasca Regional Plan 10-Year Review.
Due to the vacancy left by Doug Schweitzer resigning from cabinet, Tanya Fir will become the Minister for Jobs, Economy and Innovation while continuing to serve as the Associate Minister of Red Tape Reduction.
Energy Minister Sonya Savage is in Norway to promote Alberta’s role in meeting global energy demand in a low-carbon future
Cancer surgeries in Alberta are now at nearly 115 per cent of pre-pandemic volumes, with an increased number completed within clinically recommended time.
Eligible groups and organizations working to prevent and reduce crime can now apply for $5.2 million in Alberta Crime Prevention grants to fund their projects and initiatives.
The Sir Winston Churchill Society of Calgary, in partnership with Alberta’s government, will unveil a statue of Winston Churchill in downtown Calgary in spring 2023.
Upcoming Events Calendar
August 30, 2022: Official UCP Leadership Debate (Edmonton)
September 10, 2022: New CPC Leader announced
October 6, 2022: New UCP Leader announced at BMO Centre (Calgary)
October 21-23, 2022: UCP AGM at River Cree Resort
October 31, 2022: Alberta Legislature Session resumes