Alberta will always have a special place for me. It is standing on the high prairie watching the beauty and contortions of the Northern Lights. It is making love in the greyness of a summer night. It is in the thrill of a horse carrying you across open lands. It is jumping off the government pier into the aptly named Cold Lake. It is dinner at one of the best restaurants in Canada in Edmonton. It is the fun of the Stampede in Calgary.
And it is one silly woman trying to spoil things. She is an expert on publicity and she uses her knowledge to the fullest. She is not as smart politically. She is a libertarian and a hardliner. Premier Danielle Smith is on a short rein. She has to make the most of the time before the upcoming provincial election. That means there will be more foolishness to come.
I’m putting my hopes on the return of Rachel Notley. The provincial NDP leader gave Alberta some of the best leadership in the last 35 years. And the lady is loaded with common sense. That is a rare commodity in Alberta politics.
But five months is time enough for things to change. And it is plenty of time for attitudes to change. There is a volatility to Alberta politics that can make for fast changes in attitude—probably less in rural ridings than urban.
Public opinion polls at this stage don’t matter much but the concerns of Albertans are not going to go away too quickly. Inflation hurts us all. There is a concern that it is continuing despite the lowering of gasoline prices at the pumps. That lower pump price spells less money from the bitumen that can be shipped out of the province.
The issues for the united conservative government over the next five months are the issues that are at top of mind for Albertans of all political persuasions. These are the basics of healthcare and education. These are the provincial issues that need attention and that the UCP has let drift away from them. These are not issues that can be easily blamed on the federal government. The financial aspects are the same for all provinces. It is an issue that can be best solved through making friends. That is not something at which the UCP excels.
-30-
Copyright 2022 © Peter Lowry
Complaints, comments, criticisms and compliments can be sent to: