Danielle Smith addressing her supporters

By Aidan Boelsgaard

Danielle Smith rallies supporters in Medicine Hat ahead of byelection

Oct 30, 2022 | 4:29 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Danielle Smith held a rally Sunday afternoon with a little more than one week left in the Brooks-Medicine Hat byelection.

The rally comes on the heels of an appearance by Smith in Brooks on Saturday that followed much the same agenda, and saw a similar turnout.,During her speech to the estimated 250 peoplem she talked about key priorities she is focusing on if she is elected Nov. 8, including the Alberta Sovereignty Act.

Smith said, “I can tell you this scares Ottawa more than just a little bit because Alberta is going to start talking to Ottawa from a place of strength, we are proud Canadians but we also want to be treated fairly.”

On affordability, Smith took aim at the riding cost of gasoline and diesel costs, electricity and home heating in the fall and winter.

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“I have asked Rachel Notley to have a conversation with her and {federal} NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh to plead with him to stop the 300 per cent increase in the carbon tax,” Smith said, without mention the carbon rebate that rises alongside it.

Smith also spoke about health-care, saying it’s an important issue everywhere she goes.

“We need a health-care system that respects the dignity of the person. Most importantly, our seniors and most vulnerable. What I’ve seen lately when you read stories, things like hospital floor medicine, the backing of the patients in the hallways, the backing of the patients into the back of ambulance’s, ambulance’s leaving our community and not returning for the course of a shift. That is just unacceptable.”

Gaston Dostie, a supporter of Smith who was at the rally Sunday, says “I really like that Danielle Smith being the premier can represent our corner of the province. Medicine Hat has often felt like it’s a forgotten corner.”

He added he feels that this is important for other forgotten communities to know that the premier is for the whole of Alberta, and not just the cities.

The crowd at the UCP Danielle Smith rally on Oct. 30, 2022. (Photo Courtesy Aidan Boelsgaard)

Another supporter, Ken Straarup, feels he most agrees with Smith’s promises to improve the health-care system, saying “we have may too much top heavy management, rather than where it needs to be at the nurses level.”

Smith runs against the NDP’s Gwendoline Dirk, the Independence Party’s Bob Blayone, Alberta Party’s Barry Morishita and the Wildrose Independence Party’s Jeevan Mangat in the Nov. 8 byelection.