Danielle Smith: UCP Brooks-Medicine Hat

I married my husband, David in 2006 and together we own and operate a restaurant. I’m the proud stepmother of David’s son. My husband and I live in High River with my two dogs, Caine and Colt.

Why did you decide to run in this election?

As most people know, I’ve spent the last 20+ years in a number of different roles, before re-entering politics, I had extensive experience in the media and in business, most recently as the President of the Alberta Enterprise Group. I was a radio host with Corus Entertainment for six years.

All of these roles have given me the opportunity to meet and listen to thousands of Albertans. Once I recognized the prospect of a leadership position in the UCP, I had to put my name forward.

I want to use all the things I learned from the past to move Alberta forward into the best province it can be.

What do you believe is the biggest issue facing the constituency right now?

I’ve spoken with many constituents and I’m hearing a lot of the same thing. Help with our affordability crisis and better access to healthcare including lab services, maternity clinics and more family doctors.

How do you plan on addressing that issue or issues?

Our government is proud of our record of keeping taxes low and providing Albertans with the opportunity to grow and thrive. Our government is focused on making sure Albertans always have a good paying job also keep their hard-earned money in their family’s pockets. Some ways we’ve assisted with affordability is by introducing our fuel-tax exemption and electricity rebates – saving Albertan’s more money at the pumps and to heat their homes. We also introduced targeted affordability payments to help those who need it the most – including seniors and our most vulnerable I’m also happy to announce our new commitment to lower personal taxes.

On the healthcare front. People across Canada are feeling the impacts of healthcare. That’s why when I was first elected last fall, I took immediate action to work efficiently on better outcomes for Albertans. Our continued focus will be ensuring every Albertan has access to a family doctor, shorter EMS and emergency wait times. That’s why we also signed a renewed the party’s public health guarantee. Under this public health care guarantee, the UCP is committed to all Albertans that under no circumstances will any Albertan ever have to pay out of pocket for access to their family doctor or to get the medical treatment that they need.

Stay tuned more to come on this.

If elected, at the end of your first term, what do you hope to have accomplished?

One of my very first focuses once I was elected was reforming healthcare so Albertans can have access to high-quality no matter where they live. By the end of our first term, I hope we’ve been able to provide real change in healthcare.

I also want to continue to watch Albertans prosper with high-quality job and a thriving economy. I want Albertans and Canadians to look at our as the place they want to move and raise their family.

If you could have dinner with three people living or dead who would you choose and why?

There are so many to choose from. I would go with Author, Oscar Wilde, Economist, Friedrich Hayek, and Ralph Klein.

Bonus answer. My parents. I love my Sunday dinners with my family.

Oilers or Flames?

I’m laughing while I’m writing this because I get this question so often. My real answer is both.

by Submitted

Danielle Smith: UCP Brooks-Medicine Hat

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