CHAT News File Photo

By Chris Brown

UCP MLAs jumping ship something to watch ahead of election

Mar 27, 2023 | 4:26 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – The spring sitting of the Alberta legislature ended last week putting the provincial election next up on the political calendar.

The sitting wrapped up with barbs, insults and attacks tossed back and forth between parties and the departure of two high-profile cabinet ministers from the United Conservative Party fold.

Finance Minister Travis Toews and Environment Minister Sonya Savage both announced on Friday they would not be seeking re-election.

Toews finished second to Danielle Smith in last year’s UCP leadership race. Savage was bumped from energy to the environment portfolio when Smith announced her cabinet.

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Political scientist Jim Groom of Medicine Hat College says their decisions are possibly a reflection on the premier’s leadership and something to watch.

“If we see that there’s others dropping out before the writ is dropped and we see it sort of as a common approach then that will indicate a bit of a pattern. But at this stage I don’t really think it is,” he says. “It’s pretty individual. Toews as I mentioned was thinking of getting out anyway. I think that’s pretty consistent. Savage, I think there was an issue there. If others have issues then we’ll see some of them dropping at that point but we’d need that in order to see a pattern and I don’t see the pattern yet.”

The final days and weeks of the legislature sitting also provided a window into likely strategies the governing UCP and opposition NDP will use to win over voters in the next two months.

Groom says the UCP is going to be hammering NDP Leader Rachel Notley for her support of Ottawa. He says to a large extent this is an election between Edmonton’s UCP and the Liberal government in Ottawa.

“If they can link Notley to the Trudeau Liberals and that’s what they’re trying to do and it seems to be a successful approach, campaign approach for Alberta and I think they’re going to replicate that again,” Groom says, noting Jason Kenney successfully used that tactic in 2019.

On the other side, Groom says the NDP will have to keep the voters’ focus on the party’s strengths.

“Health care, support for health-care workers those sorts of things. Support for education and teachers. They really have to run with that aspect.”

In dark grey are the UCP MLAs who are not running for re-election. (Graphic Courtesy Lynnette Schneider)

Groom says it will be a competitive election with polls showing the UCP and NDP neck and neck.

The provincial election is scheduled for May 29.