Swann sketches out the Liberal vision for Alberta
They have 30 confirmed candidates, limited support in rural ridings and just $ 150,000 in their campaign war chest.
But the leader of the Alberta Liberals maintains his party could reclaim its status as official Opposition and secure as many as 15 seats in the upcoming provincial election.
“In my view, we need a strong opposition,” David Swann said Tuesday in Calgary during the Liberals’ campaign launch.
Flanked by four other Calgary Liberal candidates, Swann laid out the party’s vision for Alberta: a two- per- cent tax hike for corporations, elimination of small business taxes, a progressive tax scheme, stable funding for municipalities and rebuilding trust with Albertans.
The governing Tories, he said, have “betrayed the trust of Albertans for 30 years” by not providing a stable budget, an adequate base funding for essential services and no clear commitment to the environment.
Swann compared the PC government to a misguided woodpecker, perched atop a lamppost, fruitlessly hammering away at the steel with nothing to show.
“It reminded me so much of this Tory government — making a lot of noise, looking good and taking nothing home to Albertans,” he added.
But analysts believe the Liberals could have a tough time selling their message outside urban centres, where most of their supporters — and candidates — reside.
To date, the party has nominated candidates in just over one- third of the province’s 87 ridings. A “bestcase scenario” would see the Liberals capture 12 to 15 seats this election, mostly in urban centres like Calgary and Edmonton, Swann said.
“We don’t have any meaningful presence in the rural ridings unfortunately,” said the Calgary-Mountain View MLA.
Support for the Liberals plummeted in the 2012 election when many party supporters cast a ballot for the PCs in a bid to prevent Wildrose from forming government. Two recent polls suggest support for the party, provincially, hovers around 14 per cent.
The Liberals had five seats in the last sitting of the legislature, but three of those MLAs — Raj Sherman, Kent Hehr and Darshan Kang — are not seeking re- election.
That leaves the Liberals with only two incumbents, Swann and Edmonton MLA Laurie Blakeman.
“It’s kind of astonishing,” said Lori Williams, associate policy professor at Mount Royal University. “They’re in jeopardy. As small as they are, they’re at risk of shrinking.”
Williams said the party appears to be suffering from a “lack of unity,” particularly on whether the Liberals should merge or co- operate with other centre- left parties.
Swann described the Liberals’ finances as the best in years, but acknowledged the party has only about $ 150,000 to run this campaign.