It’s Beginning to Feel a Lot Like Election Season
Alberta’s next election isn’t scheduled until May 29th, 2023 but things are already starting to heat up. Next week’s provincial budget is expected to deliver a surplus – a miraculous feat when you consider last year’s budget – you know the one released less than 12 months ago predicting a staggering $18.2 billion deficit. Rumblings are that the United Conservative Party is opening up nomination contests in Calgary soon and the Alberta NDP is busy putting together its platform. We’re also only 7 weeks away from Premier Jason Kenney’s leadership review vote, which may or may not, finally settle the infighting and palace intrigue that has plagued the UCP since the beginning of COVID.
Buckle up. It’s going to be an interesting political ride for the next 15 months. Here are some key political items we’re following this week.
A Sworn Adversary Soon to Take an Oath of Office?
“Beware the ides of March,” Julius Caesar was warned before his old pal Brutus did him the dirty on March 15, two thousand some years ago. As a student of history, surely Premier Kenney knew that calling a byelection for that same date, one in which his avowed leadership rival Brian Jean is sure to win, would draw some Shakespearean comparisons. Yet, that is the date revealed today for the race to fill the Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche seat vacated last summer by former MLA, and now MP, Laila Goodridge. It’s very unlikely that Brian Jean, should he win on March 15, will take a seat in the legislature before April 9, the date reserved for Premier Kenney’s leadership review. It may not matter though, as Jean has made it clear that he will be using his byelection platform to continue his campaign against the Premier’s leadership.
Meanwhile, Jason Kenney has begun to stand up the team that will organize on his behalf in advance of the April 9th vote. His Chief of Staff, Pam Livingston, has taken a leave of absence from the Premier’s office, to campaign full time. Sources tell us that cabinet ministers will be expected to hustle on the Premier’s behalf.
The Ides of March may introduce a challenger to the Premier’s caucus but it will be another three weeks before we know his political fate. It’s clear now though, that the unofficial leadership campaign has begun.
With a Swing in Her Step, Rachel Notley Woos Corporate Calgary
Former Premier-maybe-again-Premier Rachel Notley virtually presented to the Calgary Chamber of Commerce this week. In keeping with the times, she promised to ease up on the criticisms of Jason Kenney and the UCP “because you don’t need to file a freedom of information request to know what I think about the government” and instead focused on presenting her economic plan for Calgary in the next election. Highlights included the following:
The NDP would reinstate cancelled tech tax credits (Alberta Investor Tax Credit and the Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit)
Match City of Calgary funding up to $100 m to support office conversation and storefront revitalization in Calgary’s downtown
Create an Innovation District in downtown Calgary and bring a bigger post-secondary footprint to the core to cluster with entrepreneurs, start-ups, business incubators, and accelerators
On energy, the former Premier cited $750 billion in investments globally in low carbon technology last year and pledged that her government would not ignore the transition but lead the charge on energy transformation by leveraging the Calgary’s existing expertise to create jobs in transition technologies
Rachel Notley has some pep in her step and her party has done a lot of work to build out some of their economic platform…the question remains though, will Calgarians get behind the NDP’s economic message and plans? Like everything else from now until May 2023…we shall see.