Alberta Votes Day Twelve

May 12, 2023

Latest Polls 

Overview 

Week two of the election comes to a close with few surprises. Next week will mark the halfway point for the campaign and, on Thursday, will see the only leaders’ debate of this campaign. That debate next week has added significance given what’s seen as a close race between the two parties. Today’s announcements consisted of a criticism from the UCP at anti-oil and gas sector comments made by NDP candidates over the years. Meanwhile, NDP leader Rachel Notley appeared on Global News Morning today. She highlighted the NDP’s views on healthcare, her recently released plan for Calgary, and her hesitation on Calgary’s arena deal. When asked about paying for her campaign promises, Notley said they would release a costed platform in the next few days, and that the NDP would increase corporate taxes. 

The ongoing wildfire situation remains a top issue with over 16,000 Albertans evacuated and worsening conditions expected over the weekend. According to the Government of Alberta’s Wildfire Status Dashboard, as of this afternoon there are 76 active wildfires, 23 of which are designated as out of control. 

Today 

  • UCP Leader Danielle Smith was in Grande Prairie today in her capacity as Premier. She held an Emergency Cabinet update on the wildfire situation, surveyed the Fire Zone, and held strategy meetings with local officials and Indigenous leaders. Wildfires are expected to worsen over the weekend with warm temperatures. 
  • NDP leader Rachel Notley appeared on Global News Morning this morning, answering questions on a range of topics from health to the NDP’s Calgary commitments.  
  • Former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi and former Calgary councillor and past mayoral candidate Jeromy Farkas appeared together on CBC’s Calgary Eyeopener this morning. While the two former municipal politicians frequently locked horns at Calgary City Hall, they seemed to find agreement in their criticisms of the UCP leader. 
  • The UCP launched a new attack ad against the NDP leader and an accompanying microsite, NDPlies.ca aimed at fact-checking NDP claims. A similar NDP site, cantafforducp.ca, went online earlier.  
  • UCP Candidates RJ Sigurdson (Highwood), Devin Dreeshen (Innisfail-Sylvan Lake), and Chantelle de Jonge (Chestermere-Strathmore) held an announcement highlighting information on NDP candidates. The press conference highlighted comments from NDP candidate Kevin Van Tighem (Livingstone-Macleod) concerning the energy sector. In his book, he refers to Albertans as ‘entitled, grabby, resource exploiters’. They also mentioned comments from incumbent NDP candidate Janis Irwin (Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood) saying she believes Extinction Rebellion’s opposition to the oil and gas sector should be taught in classrooms. 
  • The NDP promised to get rid of the current paper health cards and replace them with plastic cards. UCP Candidate Dale Nally responded saying the UCP have a similar plan in place, but details have not been announced to date.

In the News 

Campaign Announcements 

UCP 

NDP 

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