Trust and ethics central issues in fast-paced, pointed Alberta leaders' debate
The debate happened in the shadow of an investigation from Alberta's ethics commissioner
Trust and ethics were key themes in a fast-paced, pointed debate between the leaders of Alberta's two largest political parties Thursday.
UCP Leader Danielle Smith was forced to respond to repeated jabs from NDP Leader Rachel Notley about remarks she made before she became premier in October 2022 about making people pay for doctors visits and suggesting people who received a COVID vaccine fell for the "charms of a tyrant," specifically referencing Adolf Hitler.
Smith deflected those criticisms by pivoting to Notley's record when she was premier from 2015 to 2019. She said the NDP government ran up Alberta's debt and introduced a provincial carbon tax they didn't campaign on.
"I know Ms. Notley likes to show grainy videos of things I said while I was on radio," Smith said.
"And the reason she does that is she doesn't want to run on her record. And the reason she doesn't want to run on her record is it was an absolute disaster."
Notley immediately responded to Smith's "grainy video" remark.
"We had high definition 18 months ago when those videos of you arguing for people to pay for their health care came out," she retorted. "We had high definition a week ago when your deputy premier said that he thought people should pay to use the emergency room."
WATCH | Here's the debate in five minutes:
The debate happened in the shadow of an investigation from Alberta's ethics commissioner, released just hours earlier. It found Smith had contravened the Conflicts of Interest Act in her interactions with the minister of justice and attorney general in relation to criminal charges faced by Calgary street preacher Artur Pawlowski.
Smith said the report determined that she didn't contact Crown prosecutors directly, and continued to demand the NDP and CBC apologize for saying she had.
Notley tried capitalizing on the Pawlowksi matter and Smith's past statements by insisting Albertans could not trust the UCP leader.
"This is just not how our province should be run. Every day is a new drama," Notley said in her pitch to Albertans. "You just don't need to put up with this. Enough is enough."
"So my offer to you is stable, predictable, thoughtful leadership that you can count on."
Smith said when the NDP leader was in office, she didn't fix the problems with health care and education that Smith is trying to remedy now. She also warned that the NDP promise to raise the tax rate for large corporations from eight to 11 per cent would hurt Alberta's economy.
"I am running on my record," Smith said. "Ms. Notley is running away from hers."
Education, health care questions
The debate has the potential to be a turning point in the election campaign. Polls suggest support for the two parties is a statistical tie, with about 17 to 18 per cent of respondents saying they are still undecided about who to vote for on May 29. Those voters could potentially make the difference in some very close races.
Rules limiting the debate to parties with seats in the legislature meant Smith and Notley were the only two leaders on the debate stage. The discussion moved quickly, lacking cross-talk and interjections from other political leaders.
Questions focused on several issues most important to Albertans: health care, affordability and the economy.
Smith said Notley built up health-care bureaucracy instead of fixing issues during her time as premier. But the UCP leader said recent reforms to end ambulance shortages and tackle surgery wait times are working.
"If we continue at this rate, we will have completely eliminated our surgical backlog by this time next year, and be the first province in the country to do so," Smith said.
She also repeated that she would never make Albertans pay out of pocket for health care.
Notley responded that the health-care system is still in trouble, and Albertans are tired of the UCP saying everything is fixed.
People are still waiting 15 hours in the emergency room in Calgary, she said. Rural Albertans still need to travel hundreds of kilometres for care because their local hospital lacks the staff to function properly, she added.
The leaders also responded to one question on education submitted by a viewer who wanted to know how the leaders would deal with enrolment increases, staff burnout, larger class sizes and more complex student needs.
Smith said the last three years was difficult on children due to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. She said the UCP government is putting more money into mental health supports for students.
But Notley said the problems were caused by how the UCP made cuts to education: laying off thousands of educational assistants, not funding school boards for a growing number of students and ending the program that helped young children with disabilities in their first years of elementary school.
"The stress wasn't COVID," Notley said. "The stress is this government."
Thursday was the first and only debate between the two leaders. The question is whether Smith and Notley's performances changed anyone's mind or helped undecided voters finally settle on a candidate.
Calgary-based pollster Janet Brown has identified a group of voters she calls political orphans — people who don't really like either party. She said she thinks they may have watched to figure out who might be "the lesser of two evils."
"Both (leaders) tried to present themselves in a really positive way," Brown said Thursday.
"It'll be up to voters to decide: am I confident enough that Notley won't mess up the economy? Am I confident enough that Smith won't mess up health care?"
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