One of Alberta’s political leaders was in Lethbridge, sharing his party’s views with local residents.
Alberta Liberal Party Leader David Khan was the speaker at Thursday’s Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA) event.
He spoke about a number of topics including political action committees, the budget and the energy sector.
Khan doesn’t agree with plans by the NDP and United Conservative Party to try to boost the province’s oil and gas industry.
He said both Premier Rachel Notley’s and UCP Leader Jason Kenny’s ideas are Hail Marys, and that there is no silver bullet to pump up the price of oil.
“OPEC is meeting this coming week and looks like they’re signaling production cuts. So the price generally should be going up. Notley’s plan is a year too late. Kenny’s plan, very uncertain and doesn’t even seem to be supported by all of industry,” Khan said.
When asked about his plan, Khan pointed to getting the Trans Mountain pipeline built and First Nation consultations.
Khan’s visit comes about six months before the provincial election, although a date for the election has not yet been set.
He is hoping to gain more seats in Edmonton and is targeting both Lethbridge ridings, noting there is support for the party in the city.
“I would love to see a minority government. I’m a big proponent of proportional representation and having coalitions and compromises and teamwork in the legislature and the diversity of opinions. I really hope that we can make some big inroads back into the legislature,” he said.
The party only has one member in the Legislature – David Swann representing Calgary-Mountain View.
Khan said the party is working on finding candidates across the province.