‘Fighting for you’: Notley
The NDP will unveil a series of energy-diversification strategies in the coming weeks to get more value for Alberta’s resources.
Premier Rachel Notley revealed the move during her speech Sunday at the Alberta NDP convention at the Westin in Edmonton, but let slip precious little about what the programs will look like.
The premier’s speech to 1,200 party faithful was broad-reaching. To cheers and applause, she listed changes her government has made to worker safety laws, protecting LGBTQ kids in schools, affordable child care and diversifying the economy.
She also highlighted what she sees as a stark choice ahead of the 2019 election; specifically, the chasm between the New Democrat and United Conservative parties.
“We will certainly challenge our opposition on their vision, because we don’t think it’s the right vision,” Notley said.
Her government resisted calls to cut programs when Alberta’s coffers fell off the fiscal cliff, she said, and that means “classrooms are no longer being sacrificed to pay for another CEO pay raise.”
Despite tough economic challenges, Notley said, “the sun never sets on the Alberta dream — we are just too stubborn for that.”
Notley told media afterwards there’s no question she sees the election as a “fundamental choice” between two major parties.
Indeed, the words “UCP” and its leader “Jason Kenney” were uttered numerous times throughout the weekend.
Opposition house leader Jason Nixon, who attended the convention as an observer, said that demonstrates Kenney is “living in the NDP’s mind rent-free.”
“It shows the NDP are scared right now, and fear for their campaign and their chances,” he told media.
LIMITED DISSENT AS POLICIES PASS
The convention policy book listed 92 resolutions for the party to debate over the course of the weekend. Notley said a good number of them will inform next year’s election platform but, in the end, delegates only managed to sift through around 20.
A significant number of resolutions revolved around health care — expanding medicare and establishing a national pharmacare program, for example, improving emergency room transfers, and legislating safe staffing levels for health care workers.
Education was another focus. Delegates passed resolutions including opposition to private school education vouchers, enforcing laws around gay-straight alliances in schools, modernizing the K-12 curriculum and expanding affordable child care.
Delegates also voted for resolutions to increase AISH and seniors’ benefits, introduce funding and supports to fight racism against Indigenous Albertans, make global energy transition a key issue in the next election, and outlaw union and corporate donations in municipal elections.
Rural Alberta got a look in too, through resolutions to develop and execute a solid broadband strategy and improve public safety in rural areas.
Delegates also passed two emergency resolutions — to support the Canadian Union of Postal Workers in its strike action and thank MLAs for visiting Canada Post picket lines, and to blast ties between Conservatives and political action committees.
The second one was titled “Keeping corruption out of our elections.” Edmonton-South West MLA Thomas Dang begged delegates to support the motion.
“Conservatives have not changed,” he said, accusing the UCP of trying to “bring back the days of them hiring their buddies.”
That resolution and many of the others passed unanimously.
That didn’t impress Nixon, who dismissed the NDP convention as a “campaign rally ” with nothing but “feel-good resolutions.”
Notley closed her speech with a war cry for party faithful, saying the NDP’s job is not yet done.
“I’m in it for everyone, and I’m fighting for you,” she said.