The Weekly Roundup-September 13, 2022
Queen Elizabeth II died September 8 at the age of 96. Prince Charles is now King Charles III and has been officially proclaimed as Head of State in Canada. Statements were issued by Alberta’s Lieutenant Governor, Premier and Speaker and books of condolence are available at provincial buildings and government centres across the province. Queen Elizabeth II will be laid to rest on Monday September 19, and it remains to be seen whether the day will be declared a statutory holiday in Canada.
As the government of Alberta is now in a 10-day mourning period, it will be a quiet week for government announcements and other communications.
The Conservative Party of Canada had a difficult task of striking the right tone with their leadership race results announced Saturday night in Ottawa following so close to the Queen’s passing but ultimately succeeded. Pierre Poilievre dominated the race and won on the first ballot with 68 per cent of the vote. In his first speech to Caucus following his win on Monday morning, Poilievre said his key focus will be on holding the Liberal government to account for their failings on the economy and inflation. You can listen to New West Partner Michael Solberg on what comes next for the CPC here.
In an effort to rein in inflation, the Bank of Canada hiked its interest rate last week by another three-quarters of a percentage point to 3.25 per cent, the highest level for the bank’s rate since 2008.
Below, you’ll find a recap of the UCP leadership race and 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.
The past week has been anything but quiet for the UCP leadership race. Four leadership contestants (Leela Aheer, Brian Jean, Rajan Sawhney and Travis Toews) held a news conference late last week to slam Danielle Smith’s Sovereignty Act and the damage the proposed legislation poses to the province and to party unity. The four, who are all sitting MLAs, also floated that the legislature could reject the legislation should it be introduced. Smith responded to the newser saying she still believed in the plan.
Leela Aheer: No updates to report.
Brian Jean: Jean was busy touting a new poll released by Leger that found decided voters favour the UCP (44%) over the NDP (41%) and according to the preferential ballot results calculated by Leger, among UCP supporters, Brian Jean would win the UCP leadership race with 53% of the vote. Of course those results should be taken with a big ol’ grain of salt given the poll didn’t survey actual party members, but it was sure to give Jean and his camp a much needed boost in the final month of the campaign.
Todd Loewen: No updates to report.
Rajan Sawhney: No updates to report.
Danielle Smith: In a Mainstreet poll commissioned by the Western Standard, Smith led with 44 per cent of support of those surveyed (though they identified as UCP supporters or UCP leaning, the survey is not representative of actual UCP members). Smith also highlighted her fundraising prowess, sharing that she has raised over $1 million as of this week.
Rebecca Schulz: No updates to report.
Travis Toews: Toews has focused his messaging to “voting Travis Toews #1 on your UCP Leadership ballot”.
Government of Alberta Announcements
The UCP government is expanding the Alberta Chief Firearms Office and patriating more administrative firearms authority to Alberta.
Alberta is intervening in a constitutional challenge of federal legislation that has unilaterally labelled plastic as a “toxic substance.”
As part of the Alberta Surgical Initiative, expanded contracts with chartered surgical facilities in central and southern Alberta will reduce wait times and deliver about 2,600 more surgeries.
A memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed by Education Minister Adriana LaGrange, the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, the Mikisew Cree First Nation and the Fort Chipewyan Métis with a commitment to work towards establishing a community-based education authority that incorporates Indigenous knowledge, wisdom, tradition and culture directly into the school curriculum.
Associate Minister of Natural Gas and Electricity Dale Nally issued a statement on the future of hydrogen blending in Alberta.
A new Premier’s Council on Skills was announced and is composed of 11 industry stakeholders. The Council will help Alberta’s government better understand the challenges, opportunities and changing needs of Alberta’s workforce.
Upcoming Events Calendar
September 10, 2022: New CPC Leader announced
September 24, 2022: Join the Canada Strong and Free Network (CSFN), formerly known as the Manning Centre, in Red Deer, where Premier Jason Kenney will deliver some of his final remarks in conversation with the Hub’s Sean Speer. CSFN's President Jamil Jivani and Alberta Proud's Lindsay Wilson will also host a UCP leadership showcase featuring Danielle Smith, Travis Toews, Rebecca Schultz, Rajan Sawhney and Todd Loewen. Register here.
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