Alberta election: What promises has the Liberal Party made?

Albertans are heading to the polls for a spring election on Tuesday, April 16.

As a way of helping you make an informed decision on election night, Global News is keeping track of all the promises made by the main parties vying for your vote.

Here is a closer look at the promises made by the Alberta Liberal Party:

Health care

• March 26: Make abortion more accessible, particularly in rural areas
• March 26: Provide free birth control for those who do not have access
• March 26: Support trans health-care needs by funding medical procedures for transgender Albertans, and fully fund hormone treatments
• March 31: Build 2,200 new long-term beds over the next four years, invest $150 million into home care and assisted living, invest $100 million into preventative care, and create a preventative care task force
• April 1: $50-million funding for an affordable dental care program, lift restrictions on dentists being able to offer promotions or special pricing

To see where the parties stand on health care, click here.

Education

• Feb. 15: Ban seclusion rooms in Alberta classrooms
• March 20: Put a cap on classroom sizes, beginning with K-3 classes
• March 21: Improve child welfare, education and justice for Indigenous people if his party were to win the April 16 election
• April 3: Increase science, technology, engineering and math graduates in Alberta by 25 per cent

To see where the parties stand on education, click here.

Infrastructure

• March 15: Double the funding for new affordable housing over the next five years. The part said it would commit an additional $50 million toward repairing and upgrading existing facilities
• March 22: The defunct Energy East pipeline to New Brunswick should be restarted, a federal bill overhauling environmental reviews should be amended and the NDP’s plan to ship more oil by rail should be nixed

To see where the parties stand on infrastructure, click here.

Spending, taxes and the economy

• March 22: The defunct Energy East pipeline to New Brunswick should be restarted, a federal bill overhauling environmental reviews should be amended and the NDP’s plan to ship more oil by rail should be nixed
• March 26: Close the gender pay gap with the use of Gender-Based Analysis Plus (“GBA+”) budgeting
• March 27: Amend Municipal Government Act to formally recognize municipalities and their councils, to become a new order of government
• March 27: Create an equitable cannabis revenue-sharing model
• March 27: Give urban municipalities a veto over oil and gas drilling within their boundaries
• March 28: Increase the tax-free limit to $57,250 to eliminate personal income tax for most Albertans
• March 28: Lower the corporate income tax rate from 12 per cent to 10 per cent
• March 28: Implement a revenue-neutral eight per cent sales tax
• March 29: Consult with Albertans and experts before launching a basic income pilot project for low-income couples or individuals
• April 3: $80 million to help out-of-work Albertans train for new job opportunities
• April 3: Propose “concrete amendments” to Bill C-69
• April 3: Exempt small business startups from income tax for their first three years

To see where the parties stand on spending, taxes and the economy, click here.

Carbon tax

• Create a revenue-neutral carbon tax

To see where the parties stand on the carbon tax click here.

Crime/violence

• March 26: Increase funding for women’s shelters
• March 26: Enact Clare’s Law, to allow police to disclose criminal records for potentially abusive partners
• March 26: Implement mandatory sexual assault, harassment and consent training for all police officers and judges
• April 15: Invest $10M to hire more police officers
• April 15: Create $100 refundable tax credit for home security
• April 15: Separate offices of attorney general and justice
• April 15: Create task forces on family law reforms and reducing court wait times

Electoral reform

• March 27: Move away from a “first-past-the-post” electoral system toward a “more democratic mixed member proportional representation,” which would see voters cast ballots twice
• March 27: Ban union, corporate and foreign donations to political action committees and cap individual donations to PACs at $4,000 a year per person

Promises will be tracked throughout the election campaign, so be sure to check back here for an updated party platform.