Comments that our provincial election campaign is being drawn into a “less than civil place” may be true, but it is not because of Jason Kenney and the United Conservative Party – the UCP’s platform and campaign remain focused on addressing Alberta’s very serious economic issues. Rather, less than helpful rhetoric is happening because social issues are at the core of the NDP’s campaign strategy and they are taking every possible opportunity to pull the election campaign into divisive boogeyman conversations. In fairness to the NDP, what are their other options?
Improving healthcare? Nope. Our healthcare costs top provincial spending but we have a bloated bureaucracy, higher than average wait times, Albertans going outside the province to get care, and a system that undervalues the knowledge and experience of front line workers.
Supporting rural Albertans? That would be difficult. One could argue rural Albertans are the most affected by a carbon tax. There’s also been an increase in rural crime, dishonest consultation about converting public use lands to sterilized areas (Bighorn)… oh, and let’s not forget Bill 6.
Fiscal management? 90. Billion. Dollars. Enough said.
Education? No way. Alberta kids are falling behind their peers in other jurisdictions by several measures. They’re also forced to learn an ideological curriculum. And the NDP have stepped in to remove well-meaning parents from being informed and making decisions about their own children.
“Social Licence” for market access? Standing up for Alberta? Yeah, right. The NDP’s Climate Leadership Plan has been their biggest failure of all and now, we the taxpayer, own a pipeline that should be under construction at this very moment with private funding. We should be benefiting from job creation and increased royalties, but instead we are paying a carbon tax, watching capital investment flee, and keeping Trans Mountain Pipeline on life support with our tax dollars.
I urge all Albertans to look past the personal attacks and empty rhetoric during the upcoming election. No matter how many different ways the NDP try to say otherwise, having conservative values does NOT make you a bad person. Trying to address social issues in isolation of the total picture is foolhardy and simply will not happen in a sustainable way until we fix our economy; the way to achieve both goals currently is through the United Conservative movement.
While the NDP will take a divisive approach, we will repair our beautiful Alberta by addressing the provincial debt, ensuring our voices are heard loud and clear across the country, and by getting Albertans back to work. In other words: Unity.
Mikayla Houghton
