Alberta’s dependency on fossil fuels, the Fort McMurray power line, education, the public service and gay/straight alliances were hot topics during Wednesday’s election forum.
The hour-long event held at the Westlock Legion saw incumbent Maureen Kubinec go up against hopefuls Glenn van Dijken from the Wildrose and the NDP’s Tristan Turner as they continue their push to win the Barrhead-Mornville-Westlock riding.
More than 100 politically-engaged residents from across the region attended the forum to hear from, and then question, the people who want to represent us.
In her opening statement Kubinec said that the government listened to voters and used the party’s budget backflip on charitable donations as an example.
“Since the start of this campaign I have door-knocked on hundreds of doors,” she said. “I have heard you, we have heard you, loud and clear.
“There is one budget choice in particular that you’re not good with. You have been telling all of us, consistently across the province, that you don’t like the proposed reduction to the taxable benefit to charitable donations.
“So premier Prentice reversed that choice, admitted a mistake and a PC government will return that charitable donation benefit to 20 per cent.”
Van Dijken stayed mostly on message throughout the forum, focusing his attacks on the government for what he sees as wasteful spending and lack of power in the regions.
“The PCs have squandered a decade of high-energy prices and without the proper structures to control spending the PCs have created this so-called fiscal mess,” he said.
“Alberta now spends $2,000 more per capita than our neighbors to the west. That should tell everyone we have a spending problem. We do not have a revenue problem at this time.”
“It’s time to push back, it’s time to stand up, and say we need to fix the wasteful spending that’s occurring in Edmonton.”
Tristan Turner from the NDP focused on his party’s policies.
Talking points included what he sees as a looming crisis in education and creating employment opportunities in the province.
“The Alberta NDP is the only party here with a job creation strategy,” Turner said. “The Alberta NDP will introduce a new job creator tax credit that will cover up to 10 per cent of new hires.
“What that will do is incentivize businesses to make investments in their communities, here in Westlock, and across the province.
“This plan will create tens of thousands of jobs. It’ll ensure that if an Albertan is looking for work, they can find a good, decent paying job here in their communities.”
When the candidates were directly questioned on the issue of the Fort McMurray power line, both van Dijken and Turner failed to address it.
The $1.43 billion Fort McMurray West 500-kV Transmission Project is a power line that runs from Wabamun to Fort McMurray, either past Barrhead or Westlock.
Kubinec was fatalistic about the project and urged people to engage with the process as managed by ATCO and the provincial regulator.
“It is something that is likely going to go through our constituency, be it east or west,” she said.
A question about school board funding provided an opportunity for the hopefuls to attack the government on cuts to education and board autonomy.
Both the NDP and Wildrose would reverse funding freezes and support school board autonomy.
“Centralized systemizing is largely about power and control,” van Dijken said. “Wildrose believes that best decisions are made closer to the frontlines.”
Kubinec defended the planned cuts to education as ‘efficiency savings’ saying that all government departments has been asked to find them and that it wouldn’t impact frontline services.
“We have school boards in Alberta with about $480 million in reserve,” she said. “What we’re asking boards to do is transition to a new reality where 2.7 per cent needs to be reduced out of the non-teaching budget.”
In a rare moment of unity both van Dijken and Turner acknowledged incumbent Kubinec’s and the PCs stance on Bill 10 and gay/straight alliances was the right way to go, even if Turner did claim it was because of the NDP.
“The first bill I did not vote for because there was no consultation there,” Kubinec said. “The second bill … I didn’t feel it was the right one.
“Then when Bill 10 came forward there was a lot of controversy. Premier Prentice pushed the pause button, said, ‘no, we’re going to go and consult some more,’ which is exactly what happened. That’s listening to the people and the bill that was brought fourth is the right balance.”
Van Dijken said that Wildrose supported Bill 10. “I’ll give Maureen credit,” he said. “She did vote against the initial legislation and brought in the consultation that was necessary.”
