NDP's Notley vows to repeal sovereignty act, lower costs for consumers, keep Canada pension (2023)

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Four days out from election day, Rachel Notley laid out the top legislative priorities if the NDP forms government on Monday.

At the same time, UCP Leader Danielle Smith and other candidates continued to highlight the party’s successes in health care, while warning of the consequences of the NDP’s plan to raise the corporate tax rate.

On Thursday, during a news conference at High Park with the Calgary Tower as her backdrop, Notley unveiled the first three steps her party would take in the legislature.

Bill 1 would address a number of affordability measures, including a cap on electricity rates, insurance rates and post-secondary tuition. Bill 2 would repeal the sovereignty act and Bill 3 would remove the possibility of leaving the Canada Pension Plan for a new provincial plan.

Notley also highlighted controversial and sometimes offensive remarks from her UCP rival.

“You and I share Alberta’s mainstream values, Danielle Smith does not,” she said. “I’ve been going all across this province listening to Albertans and I’m becoming more and more confident that we are going to win this election.”

A new poll from Marc Henry’s ThinkHQ on Thursday showed the NDP opening a lead in Calgary.

Other potential legislative pieces include previously announced protection for the Eastern Slopes of the Rockies and provincial parks.

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“It’s about moving forward on the priorities that Albertans have been repeatedly telling us they want us to get to work on right away.”

Notley said on average, Albertans will save $450 from changes to utilities, $450 in changes to insurance while there will be a $500 per child activity tax credit. She touted potentially thousands of dollars in savings for college and university students, and increases for those receiving income support.

Notley says the potential of leaving the CPP is one of the top issues among senior voters who are concerned about stability.

The UCP has promised any move to replace the pension plan would only be done after a referendum.

“It is clear Albertans are worried about their retirement security,” she said. “They do not trust the UCP to play around with their retirement security. There is no need for there to be a referendum that is manipulated by the UCP after an election.”

She also reiterated the party’s priorities for fixing health care and increasing education funding and supports.

Smith on air

Smith did not make any open media stops on Thursday, but did make a 15-minute appearance on Shaye Ganam on QR Radio.

She largely talked about improvements to health care since she took office, including improvements to EMS, eliminating the COVID surgical backlog and the recent hiring blitz for medical staff. She called improving health care her No. 1 priority when she returned to politics.

On Wednesday, 190 Calgary ER doctors penned a letter calling on the next provincial government to address massive staff shortages, citing 42 residency vacancies and 650,000 Albertans without a family doctor.

Smith said it continues to be a work in progress from when she won the party leadership to now being seven months in.

“It’s not perfect, but we are moving in the right direction and we’re going to continue to,” said Smith, noting the next priority is addressing primary care.

She also took aim at the NDP promise to raise the corporate income tax rate from eight per cent to 11 per cent.

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“Business people who suggest that they would leave because of this — frankly, I don’t exactly know where they would go,” Notley said Wednesday, noting the rate would remain the lowest in Canada.

Smith said the flow would be to the south.

“Right now, we have only seven jurisdictions in the United States that have a better tax environment than we do,” she said. “Under Ms. Notley’s increase, we would end up having 17 other jurisdictions that would be better than us. And we’ve seen this before. We saw dollars leaving here, going to Texas, going to two other American states. And that is the reason why it’s so risky to change course.”

UCP candidates Brian Jean and Rebecca Schulz also held a news conference in Calgary to reiterate their message that the UCP is a better choice when it comes to the economy.

They say the proposal by the NDP to raise corporate taxes would hurt the province’s economy.

— With files by Michael Rodriguez, Postmedia

jaldrich@postmedia.com

Twitter: @JoshAldrich03