While touring a Calgary brewery Thursday, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley was asked what advice she had for Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall’s successor.
“I believe the advice I would give to the new premier is look at the facts. Look at the data. Look at the reporting on economic activity, and reconsider the approach they’ve taken up until now.” Notley replied.
Notley added that Alberta’s unemployment rate is decreasing and is seeing greater recovery from the resource downturn.
Wall was quick offer a rebuttal on Facebook saying: “maybe don’t listen to an NDP premier who imposed a carbon tax on her oil dependent economy and is presiding over a $10 billion deficit.”
READ MORE: Alberta Premier Rachel Notley offers advice to next Saskatchewan premier
The spat continued into Friday when Notley was asked about Wall’s reply at a media event.
“What we clearly see is almost every economic forecaster is saying Alberta has led economic growth and will lead economic growth,” Notley said.
Get daily National news
“So I remain pretty convinced that Alberta’s economic prospects are significantly more robust and much more optimistic than those that are associated with provinces that have embarked on austerity agendas.”
During an economic recovery, like the one Saskatchewan and Alberta are currently facing, Notley said there will always be debate between different ideologies and its part of a healthy democracy.
Wall responded through a statement late Friday afternoon.
“I don’t think I really have anything further to say about Premier Notley. She should really concern herself with running her own province,” Wall said.
“I actually should be thanking her for helping all of our MLAs on the west side of the province get a huge increase in their margins of victory in the 2016 election.”
Economic Stewardship
Both premiers do make factual arguments about the successes seen by their respective economies. University of Regina associate economics professor Jason Childs said neither really has that much to do with that success.
“Politicians are really just economic cheerleaders who’ve deluded themselves into thinking they’re carrying the ball,” he said.
“Neither one is responsible for their whole economic performance. The best they can do is not get in the way.”
Childs said Alberta was struck with a heavier blow by the resource downturn, which makes economic successes, like job growth, more noticeable.
“Keep in mind the unemployment rate in Alberta is higher than it is in Saskatchewan. So yeah, you’re growing faster but you’re still in a deeper hole,” Childs said.
From Childs’ perspective, neither economy is a catastrophe, but both have a lot of room to improve. This latest, and potentially final argument between the two premiers, is just a distraction.
“Politically they’re winners, economically they’re both losers because it doesn’t matter. You’re arguing over ‘I wore my green jacket so the Riders won’ or ‘I wore my red jacket so the Stamps won’,” he quipped.
Comments