Alberta election: Calgary Chamber of Commerce rates party platforms

The PCs are mostly on point, the Wildrose is vague and hard to evaluate, the NDP isn't quite the socialist threat some would have us believe, the Liberals are short on ideas, and the Alberta Party is interesting but not as "precise or robust" as some of the others.

Those are the findings of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, which spent time analyzing each party's platform in order to evaluate "their sensitivity to the needs of the Calgary business community."

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"We wanted to highlight the elements of each party platform that would help support a vibrant, competitive economy," said Justin Smith, director of policy for the Calgary Chamber in a press release.

"Albertans should make sure that one of the lenses they look through, when deciding who to vote for, is the economy."

The PCs

The chamber says the Progressive Conservative Party basically has an advantage, in terms of the depth of its policies, thanks to the budget it tabled in the legislature prior to the writ being dropped. 

What it likes from the PCs:

• Holding the line on business taxes.
• Move to a more progressive income tax.
• Promises to save more in the Heritage Fund.
• Promises to continue investing in infrastructure.

It wasn't all rosy, however. The chamber has concerns with:

• The aggregate cost of tax and fee increases on Alberta households.
• A vague economic diversification strategy.
• "Sizeable" cuts to education.

The Wildrose

When it comes to the Wildrose, the chamber says its platform is "high on promise, but severely light on detail, making it exceedingly difficult to evaluate the feasibility of their proposals."

Still, the chamber is optimistic on these fronts:

• Pushing for a well-funded Independent Budget Officer.
• Specific health-care performance metrics.
• A "clear, sustainable funding plan for our cities."

The biggest issues for the chamber are:

• Big assumptions — and vague outcomes — on how they will slay the deficit.
• No real, long-term plan for Heritage Fund savings.

The NDP

The chamber already had some nice things to say about Alberta's party of the left on the weekend, and while it's concerned about tax increases on businesses, the chamber found some rays of hope. Namely:

• It's the only party talking about challenge in the agricultural sector.
• Looking for efficiencies in the power grid.
• Proper funding for the Office of the Auditor General.
• In-province refining and upgrading (dependent on further evaluation by the chamber).

That said, the chamber is still concerned about some of the socialist principles of the party and how that's reflected in these policies:

• 20 per cent increase to the corporate tax rate.
• Reviewing royalty rates for oil and gas.
• The NDP's Job Creation Tax Credit and its effect on the labour market.

The Liberals

A common theme throughout the campaign could be summed up as "where are the Liberals?" The chamber continues that theme by saying the Liberal platform is "the least comprehensive from a policy perspective, particularly when it comes to issues affecting the Calgary business community."

The highlights include:

• Ensuring municipalities have predictable, adequate, sustainable funding.
• Streamlined and consistent linear and industrial taxation.

As for the issues, the chamber is not a fan of:

• 20 per cent increase to the corporate tax rate.
• No funding strategy for sweeping promises on education, health, childcare and seniors care.

The Alberta Party

The chamber makes sure to include the caveat that the Alberta Party is lacking province-wide party infrastructure and a federal parent party, therefore its platform is not "as precise or robust as some of the others."

It likes:

• $100 million in additional funding for the Alberta Enterprise Fund.
• Phasing out Alberta's small business tax.
• Regulatory competitiveness and efficiency.
• Push for big city charters and increased municipal autonomy.

On the other hand, the chamber is concerned with:

• Incurring increased debt.
• 10 per cent increase to the corporate tax rate.