Politicians spread across province as campaign continues for Alberta election

WATCH ABOVE: Alberta’s political parties all say they have the best plan to get everyone back to work. Tom Vernon reports.

EDMONTON – Alberta’s political leaders will be spread across the province Thursday as they campaign for the May 5 provincial election.

NDP Leader Rachel Notley is in Lethbridge for a second day and will make a policy announcement after staging a rally on Wednesday night where she paid tribute to the city’s “small-town charm.”

Wildrose Leader Brian Jean starts the day in Edmonton with a news conference to provide further details of his party’s financial plan, then heads north to attend the opening of the campaign office in Fort McMurray.

READ MORE: Wildrose pounces on Prentice for PST proposition

Conservative Leader Jim Prentice focuses on agriculture with a busy day that starts in Innisfail, followed by a quick visit to Red Deer, another quick visit to a Drumheller-area farm, and then wraps up with an appearance in Olds.

Liberal Leader David Swann is in Calgary attending the awarding of the 2015 Calgary Peace Price to retired Lt.-General Romeo Dallaire.

Wednesday was the first full day of the campaign, and Notley predicted a breakthrough in Calgary, where the NDP hasn’t held a seat for 22 years.

READ MORE: Alberta New Democrats looking for breakthrough in PC fortress of Calgary

Notley told about 200 supporters at a rally that the ruling Conservative government has used up its political capital and the latest budget puts all of the financial burden on the backs of working Albertans.

She promised an NDP government would get the province off the roller coaster of up and down oil prices created by a Tory government that never saved for a rainy day.

Prentice kicked off his campaign by visiting his hometown of Grande Cache and the coal mine where he and his father worked for years after his family moved to Alberta from Ontario.

READ MORE: Prentice returns to roots, tours coal mine in Grande Cache

Prentice emphasized his proposed budget is the best solution to getting Alberta off day-to-day dependence on oil prices.

However, he came under criticism from Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi for spending millions to hold an early provincial election after refusing to restore funding for more child death investigations.

“I don’t think I would’ve called an election now,” said Nenshi, who urged Calgarians to get engaged in the campaign.

“What I’m hearing from Calgarians over and over again is they’re not happy about his election, they’re not happy about spending up to $30 million on the election,” he said. “But they are not convinced that there are really good options and choices for them.”

Liberal Leader David Swann also criticized the early election call and blamed it for the fact his party has just 31 candidates so far in the province’s 87 ridings.

READ MORE: Alberta Liberals have just 31 candidates, blame Prentice early election call

The province, by law, was not supposed to have an election until the spring of 2016. But Prentice called it for May 5, saying he needs a mandate to pass his budget.

The NDP and the PCs have full slates of candidates while the Wildrose has 65 candidates despite losing almost all of its caucus in a mass floor-crossing.

Wildrose Leader Brian Jean released his party’s priority issues, including cuts to spending, a balanced budget by 2017, improvements to health care and education, and making government more
accountable.

Jean also took exception to Prentice’s comments that Wildrose is the “extreme right” and the NDP the “extreme left.”

“I think that it’s not very helpful and I think it’s ridiculous,” said Jean, who was a member of the federal

Conservative caucus along with Prentice for several years.

“I have 10 years of history in Ottawa and no one would suggest I’m an extremist, but if low taxes and balanced budgets is extremist, I guess most Albertans are extremists because I think that’s what Albertans want.”