Of all people, you know the importance of a healthy democracy.

We went into the last election with great candidates, the best policy, and a team that worked hard to present a choice to Albertans.

What we did not have was money.  Our election warchest was, literally, empty.

That meant no polling or public opinion research, a very small campaign team, and almost no advertising to get our message out.  It is no wonder many Albertans don’t see an alternative to this government, even though they want a change.  And it is no wonder there was a record low voter turnout.

If we want an alternative to this government, then we must fund that alternative.

I am asking you to make a donation to your party, the Alberta Liberals, and to please consider joining the Decore Fund, which provides predictable, stable funding for ongoing work.

Democracy has a price.  We each need to do our part to make sure it stays alive.

Sincerely,

Kevin Taft
Leader, Alberta Liberals

We did make a difference, and we will continue to make a difference.

There is value in managing our province’s affairs in a way that will enable future generations to enjoy the same prosperity that we do. There is value in providing safety to the vulnerable. There is value in protecting our natural environment. There is value in the intangibles that make life beautiful. 

We continue to press on because we know deep down that there is more to Alberta than meets the eye. We’re a dynamic society of vibrant people who want the best future for ourselves, our children and our province. We know that Albertans value people, and that Albertans see the best in people. The Alberta Liberals see the best in people.

We will remain strong in our values, and we will continue work towards the Alberta that we believe in. Our time will come, because it must.

His address to the crowd highlighted the Alberta Liberal action plan for health care, education, ethics and fiscal responsibility.  Taft vowed to persist in holding Ed Stelmach to account as the leader of the Official Opposition in the Legislature.

“Losing the election does not mean the Alberta Liberals are wrong about the issues.  We are right, and we need the courage and persistence to stay on those issues,” Taft said to applause.

“Our new and smaller caucus has important work to do, starting now, and we will apply our best efforts to getting that work done on behalf of Albertans.”

Taft thanked the Alberta Liberal candidates and supporters for their time and hard work during their recent spirited and principled provincial election campaign.

“I thank from the bottom of my heart all the Albertans who actually stood up and were counted Monday in Alberta.”

While the results were disappointing for the Alberta Liberals, Taft singled out the low participation rate in the election as something that needs to change.

“The biggest disappointment of all, from the perspective of democracy, was that only 42% of voters bothered to turn out.”

“When you work it through, Ed Stelmach and the Tories have formed a government with the support of about 23% of voters, getting 86% of the seats in the legislature and 100% of the power.”

“That is just wrong.  It needs to be fixed through electoral reform; and an Alberta Liberal government would be doing just that,” said Taft.

“Ed Stelmach is already being told by the media that he and the Tories are invincible.  Their sense of entitlement—already bloated out of proportion—will be greater than ever.”

“With this election, the Tories believe they have told us we don’t count.  Let me tell you, and let me tell Ed Stelmach and the Tories, and let me tell the world: the Alberta Liberals do count.”

“We fought the best campaign we could fight, and achieved more than we see in these results,” said Taft. “We won’t know the true value of the work we’ve done for years, but it is real.”

“The Alberta Liberals will continue to fight. We’ll stand proud in the legislature, ready to hold this government to account. There will be no free ride.”

Taft congratulated the other leaders and thanked all the candidates and volunteers that supported them throughout the election campaign.

“I also thank the voters who came out on election day, in the belief that a single vote can make a difference,” said Taft. “I especially thank the voters of Edmonton-Riverview for electing me to a third term. It’s an honour to represent you.”

“We have made commitments to Albertans—on health care, on the environment, on education, on the economy—and I intend to push for each of them, with all my might.”

“Fortunately, I won’t be working alone. I’ve got a great team with me, and we’re ready to roll up our sleeves and get to work come tomorrow morning.”

“Thank you Alberta for your support – I look forward to standing up for the best interests and the priorities of Albertans as we move forward into the next Alberta.”

“We are the party that will bring vision and balance to Alberta’s future, and that’s worth fighting for,” said Taft.

“It’s time,” said Taft. “We’ve been saying it through this entire campaign, and on Monday—together—we will translate those words into action: It’s time for a new government.”

“Ed Stelmach expects Albertans to wait four years for the end of health care premiums. He expects Albertans to wait until 2050 before taking serious steps to address climate change. When it comes to affordable housing, he expects us to wait. When it comes to spiralling electricity and auto insurance rates, he expects us to wait. And when it comes to hospital emergency rooms and surgical procedures, he really expects us to wait.”

“Well, we’ve had enough waiting. We’ve had 37 years of waiting. We need a new government.”

“On Tuesday morning, we will wake up to the Next Alberta. We’ll wake up to a province where public health care is stronger than ever, where we lead the planet in protecting the environment, where we protect jobs and the economy, where we make our communities safer, and where we save and invest our money for the future.”

“We’ll wake up to a new government. An Alberta Liberal government.”

“Ed Stelmach himself was quoted yesterday saying that the Liberals will be successful. We agree.”

“We will be successful because of all the ways we’re different from the Tories. Alberta has changed. The world has changed, but Ed Stelmach and the Tory government have not. Like Rip Van Winkle, they’ve been asleep for decades. It’s time to move on, Alberta! We need a new government!”

Taft told the enthusiastic crowd that the Alberta Liberals are the only party in this election poised to form a new government that acts on Albertans’ needs and priorities.

“Our opponents know what the people and the experts have been saying,” said Taft. “The Alberta Liberals are the strongest on the environment, we’re the strongest on health care, we’re the strongest on education, we’re the strongest on jobs and the economy, we’re the strongest on saving for the future. Not the Greens, not the NDP.”

“Not the Conservatives.”

On top of that, Taft reminded the crowd of the Alberta Liberal commitment to Edmonton and Alberta.

Taft said the Alberta Liberals will:

• Super-charge Edmonton’s post-secondary institutions, making them true, permanent world leaders.
• Expand the Cross Cancer Institute and increase training spaces for health care professionals.
• Strengthen arts and culture by tripling funding to the Alberta Foundation for the Arts and establishing an Alberta arts festival.
• Get the 23rd Avenue interchange built.
• Create a new royalty regime that gives Albertans their fair share while also protecting jobs, the environment and the economy.
• Place a three-year moratorium on school closures to review the flawed school closure process.
• Enact a big cities charter, giving Edmonton the constitutional power it needs to chart its own course.

“It’s time for the next Alberta – it’s time for a new government.”

“It’s time,” said Taft. “We’ve been saying it through this entire campaign, and on Monday—together—we will translate those words into action: It’s time for a new government.”

“Ed Stelmach expects Albertans to wait four years for the end of health care premiums. He expects Albertans to wait until 2050 before taking serious steps to address climate change. When it comes to affordable housing, he expects us to wait. When it comes to spiralling electricity and auto insurance rates, he expects us to wait. … And when it comes to hospital emergency rooms and surgical procedures, he really expects us to wait.”

“Well, we’ve had enough waiting. We’ve had 37 years of waiting. We need a new government.”

“On Tuesday morning, we will wake up to the Next Alberta. We’ll wake up to a province where public health care is stronger than ever, where we lead the planet in protecting the environment, where we protect jobs and the economy, where we make our communities safer, and where we save and invest our money for the future.”

“We’ll wake up to a new government. An Alberta Liberal government.”

“Ed Stelmach himself was quoted yesterday saying that the Liberals will be successful. We agree.”

“We will be successful because of all the ways we’re different from the Tories. Alberta has changed. The world has changed, but Ed Stelmach and the Tory government have not. Like Rip Van Winkel, they’ve been asleep for decades. It’s time to move on, Alberta! We need a new government!”

Taft told the enthusiastic crowd that the Alberta Liberals are the only party in this election poised to form a new government that acts on Albertans’ needs and priorities.

“Our opponents know what the people and the experts have been saying,” said Taft. “The Alberta Liberals are the strongest on the environment, we’re the strongest on health care, we’re the strongest on education, we’re the strongest on jobs and the economy, we’re the strongest on saving for the future. Not the Greens, not the NDP.”

“Not the Conservatives.”

On top of that, Taft reminded the crowd of the Alberta Liberal commitment to Calgary and Alberta.

Taft said the Alberta Liberals will:

• Build the long-delayed new facility for the Tom Baker Cancer Centre, along with the South Health Campus.
• Get the South West Calgary Ring Road built.
• Establish Mount Royal University.
• Create a new royalty regime that gives Albertans their fair share while also protecting jobs, the environment and the economy.
• Build schools in the Calgary communities that need them—without resorting to P3s—and protect and improve the schools we already have.
• Enact a big cities charter, giving Calgary the constitutional power it needs to chart its own course.
• Bring the Legislature back to Albertans. It belongs to them.

“Nothing changes unless we change government,” said Taft. “Albertans have a chance to change the future.”

“It’s time for the next Alberta – it’s time for a new government.”

“On the 26th day of this election campaign, I’m here to talk about the need for change – for the next Alberta,” said Taft. “I’m here to talk about the need for a government that listens to citizens, instead of tuning them out.”

“It’s time for a government that will listen to its people, that will put money back into education and health care, that will spend wisely and save wisely, that will protect our environment,” said Taft. “After 37 years of Tory rule, it’s time for a change so we can get the job done right.”

Taft says an Alberta Liberal government will support the upgrading of the Red Deer Airport, protect the Red Deer River basin, boost affordable housing and reduce homelessness, put more police officers on the street, and ensure that government agencies are accountable, transparent and fair. 

The Alberta Liberals will also provide Red Deer residents with better access to their legislators by taking the Legislative Assembly on the road for two weeks each year to a different community outside Edmonton.

“The people of Red Deer have been taken for granted for far too long – it’s time for this region to regain its voice in the provincial Legislature,” said Taft. “You have a chance to shape the foundations of this province by voting for a new government.”

Taft notes that the Alberta Liberal platform has been getting solid reviews all over the province. The Alberta Medical Association gave our health care policies top marks out of all the other parties, and the Conservation Voters of Alberta said our environment platform is the strongest.

“Nothing changes unless we change government,” said Taft. “Albertans have a chance to send a message, to change the future.”

“It’s time for the next Alberta – it’s time for a new government.”

Taft made the announcement as he finished off a day-long visit to northern Alberta communities today.

Taft said the Alberta Liberals will ensure Fort McMurray and Wood Buffalo get the number of MLAs they deserve, whether that is two or three.

“This region needs voices in the legislature that represent the scale and strength of the area,” said Taft.

“Fort McMurray has been struggling to keep up with the rapid pace of growth for years,” said Taft. “Schools are deteriorating, highway driving conditions are unsafe, a major shortage of health professionals is causing a strain on health services, and the shortage of affordable housing has reached a crisis. A pipeline goes out of this region, and a garden hose brings government services back.”

“Fort McMurray is a thriving economic hub of this province, and residents deserve to be represented,” said Taft.

Taft said the strains on the public services and on the infrastructure of Fort McMurray are caused by the government’s failure to plan for the economic boom.

“This region is a prime example of how the Tories’ lack of planning has let Albertans down,” said Taft. “Because the Tories didn’t properly plan for development, we have a region that is bursting at the seams and playing catch up on all major infrastructure projects.”

Earlier in the day, Taft also visited the Wabasca-Desmarais area, where he talked to residents about Alberta Liberal plans to address shortages of health care professionals, to expand Friendship Centres and re-instate a provincial government department dedicated to Aboriginal Affairs, among other initiatives.

Throughout the day, Taft spoke to northern Alberta residents about the need for better planning and predictable, sustainable funding to allow communities to keep up with the pace of growth.

Taft said increased representation for Fort McMurray in the provincial Legislature will allow the region to address critical, long-neglected needs, and will ensure that the area can be better equipped to keep up with the pace of growth.

Taft said the Alberta Liberals will improve the quality of life for Northern Albertans by also:

• Responsibly managing the pace of oil sands development, based on a cumulative environmental impacts framework.
• Supporting value added growth in Alberta to a sustainable level. Instead of sending bitumen out of the country like Ed Stelmach’s government, the Alberta Liberals will partner with neighbouring provinces for upgrading.
• Ensuring adequate funding for rural health services to reflect the special challenges and higher costs of delivering those services in sparsely population regions.
• Implementing a comprehensive baseline health study of the residents of Fort Chipewyan and surrounding areas to assess the extent and cause of any environment-based health concerns.
• Conducting health impact assessments for all new major developments.
• Requiring mandatory watershed management planning and creating a provincial inventory of water.
• Increasing the number of affordable housing units and protecting renters from exorbitant increases.
• Creating a land-use strategy to balance industrial interests with those of communities and the environment.
• Reinstating a government ministry devoted to Aboriginal Affairs and doubling provincial funding for Friendship Centres.
• Super-charging post-secondary institutions, including Fort McMurray’s Keyano College.

“This government has had the gas pedal to the floor for 10 years, and it is time to ease up a bit and deal with the problems that Albertans are facing due to this overheated economy,” said Taft. “It’s not a matter of touching the brakes – it’s about driving the speed limit, to enable healthy, productive communities to keep up with and benefit from this growth.”

“Fort McMurray residents shouldn’t have to suffer any longer for this government’s failure to plan,” said Taft. “It’s time for a new government. We need a new government.”

Alberta Liberal Leader Kevin Taft is in Northern Alberta today, visiting the communities of Grande Cache, Grande Prairie, Wabasca-Desmaris and Fort McMurray.

“People here say that a pipeline goes out and a garden hose comes back. Industrial activity in this area generates massive wealth for the entire province, but Northern Albertans are left holding the bag as they deal with the strains of a booming economy,” Taft said.

“The Tories have done nothing to solve the affordable housing crisis, fix health care or protect the environment. With the same old government, Northern Albertans will keep suffering from the same old problems. It’s time for a change — we need a new government.”

In Grande Cache, Taft said, “You shouldn’t have to risk your life every time you use Highway 40. The Tories’ three-year capital plan does not include Highway 40 improvements. Yet Stelmach said during this campaign that it does — it sounds like typical Tory project management: promise repeatedly, never deliver. An Alberta Liberal government needs to look under the hood to find the government’s estimates, but we will improve and widen Highway 40.”

Taft recommitted today to an additional $81 million towards building a new hospital in Grande Prairie. This funding was included in the Alberta Liberal costing announcement of February 22.

“Accessibility woes have plagued the health care system in Grande Prairie for too long. A new hospital has been needed here for a long time, and we’ll provide the funding to get this vital project completed,” Taft said.

“Our platform has been getting solid reviews all over the province. The Alberta Medical Association gave our health care policies top marks out of all the other parties, and the Conservation Voters of Alberta said our environment platform is the strongest. Protect the environment and you protect the economy. And, we’re the only party to have released a platform on K-12 education,” Taft said.

The Alberta Liberals will improve the quality of life for Northern Albertans by also:

• Increasing the number of affordable housing units and protect renters from exorbitant increases.
• Creating a land-use strategy to balance industrial interests with those of communities and the environment.
• Reinstating a government ministry devoted exclusively to Aboriginal Affairs and doubling provincial funding for Friendship Centres.
• Ensuring adequate funding for rural health services to reflect the higher costs of delivering health care in rural areas.
• Working closely with industry and forest-area communities to make sure forestry remains a vital, thriving part of Alberta.
• Protecting Northern Alberta’s water by requiring watershed management planning and creating a provincial inventory of surface and ground water.
• Super-charging Alberta’s post-secondary institutions, including Grande Prairie Regional College.

“Too many schools are needlessly or prematurely closed, which has a huge impact on families, students and teachers,” said Taft. “The Alberta Liberals will ensure that we can develop an improved process that works for both parents and school board trustees.”

Speaking outside an Edmonton school, Taft said the Alberta Liberals will build on their reputation as “the education party” by addressing long-neglected needs in the education system and providing students with the tools they need for the best education possible.

“The Alberta Liberals have always supported the valuable role that schools play in their neighbourhoods,” said Taft. “One of the key initiatives in our platform is to enable a ‘community schools’ program. By allowing schools to be converted into centres offering health care, after-school care and social services, we will not only be supporting our students, teachers and parents, we will be supporting our communities.”

Taft said the Alberta Liberal Action Plan for Education will start by honouring the deal to fund the unfunded portion of the teacher’s pension fund.

The plan will also eliminate school fees for essential school supplies.

“Parents and students shouldn’t be forced to fundraise for basics like text books and paper,” said Taft. “The Alberta Liberals will ensure that our students have the resources they need for the best education possible, and that our teachers are supported in their incredibly valuable work.”

“Alberta spends more per capita than almost any other province, yet thousands of children are going to school hungry, our infrastructure is so deteriorated that school roofs are leaking or in danger of caving in, and the high school graduation rate is among the lowest in the country,” said Taft. “This is unacceptable. Our students will form the next Alberta, and if we don’t help them to get the best education possible, then we are squandering our future.”

All of the funding for education was included in the Alberta Liberal Party’s costing announcement last Friday. Through a Core Program Review and better use of the Sustainability Fund, the Alberta Liberals will reallocate $255 million in operating funding to support public education and over $500 million in capital dollars to get needed schools built in Calgary, Edmonton and other communities across the province.

The plan will also help to put at-risk children on a path to success, through initiatives such as:

• Introducing a province-wide school nutrition program so that children at risk of hunger have a healthy meal each day.
• Establishing a full-day kindergarten program and a junior kindergarten program, starting with at-risk children.
• Reducing class sizes, working towards the Alberta Learning Commission’s target ratios for class sizes.

“The Alberta Liberals will make sure that every child has the tools they need to do their best in school, regardless of their economic background,” said Taft. “This plan will help to ensure our students are able to achieve the brightest future possible.”

According to the C.D. Howe Institute report, After the Oil Rush: A Blueprint for Alberta’s Long-term Happiness:

Of particular concern for Alberta is that high energy prices and rapidly flowing resource revenues mask the province’s underlying fiscal position, undercut attempts at spending restraint, and risk leaving the province unprepared, either for market downturns or for an inevitable, eventual slowing of resource production.

With regards to the Tories’ past spending patterns, the report goes on to highlight that:

In the last five years, total spending increased above planned spending growth by an average of 6.3 percent annually. Not surprisingly, overall spending in the last 10 years has nearly doubled.

Ed Stelmach’s only plan is a surplus plan, meaning that they wait until they have extra money before setting any of it aside for savings.  Any personal financial advisor will tell you that this is the worst way to plan for the future.

And the financials on Stelmach’s election platform costing confirms the Tories have no plan. Despite making promises totaling over $7 billion, the Tories provide no indication of how they plan to pay for their promises. “Where’s the money coming from? It sounds like the Tories believe surpluses will last forever,” noted Leblanc.

Leblanc emphasized that the Alberta Liberals expect the Tories to continue their tradition of mismanagement and ad-hoc policy making when they announce further details of some new royalty scheme during the last days of the campaign.

“Hopefully, Stelmach will finally come clean with Albertans about the unintended consequences of his new royalty regime. That Stelmach is expected to come out with details in the campaign’s final days highlights the lack of any fiscal prudence, foresight, or management skill on the part of the Tories,” said Leblanc.

The Alberta Liberals have been clear on royalties. Albertans deserve their fair share. That is why royalties will increase by the 20% recommended by the Royalty Review Panel. Sectors of the oil and gas industry that can more easily afford increased royalties will pay more, while struggling sectors will get a break.

The Alberta Liberals are also the only party in this campaign with a comprehensive, sustainable and fiscally responsible savings plan. Under the Alberta Liberal’s Funding Alberta Future plan, an Alberta Liberal Government would immediately pay Albertans first by channeling 30% of resource revenue collected into four endowment funds. 

If our plan was implemented when first introduced, fiscal stability could have been assured through a vibrant Heritage Fund worth well over $100 billion by 2020.

It’s time to get the job done right. It’s time for a change.

“The Legislative Assembly is the heart of our democratic process,” said Taft. “It is where our elected representatives are empowered to debate and make decisions of enormous importance affecting every aspect of life in Alberta.”

“We can’t move the actual Legislature building around the province, but we can move the Legislative Assembly. We’ll spend two weeks out of every year in a different community in the province, to reconnect Albertans to their democratically elected representatives,” Taft said.

Taft said an Alberta Liberal government will convene the first out-of-Legislature session in Lethbridge. It will also be convened in cities such as Medicine Hat, Red Deer, Calgary, Fort McMurray and Grande Prairie.

Taft believes this initiative will help restore real democracy in Alberta after 37 years of a Tory government that has become unaccountable and insulated from the public.

“For many, many years now this Tory government has worked to marginalize the Legislative Assembly. The Legislative Assembly, the exact place where voters should be most able to hold their representatives to account, has become a rubber stamp,” said Taft.

“Debates that should have occurred in the Assembly, in full public view, have been shifted to the backrooms.  Decisions that should have been determined in the Assembly are now almost always made before the Assembly has a chance to even consider them.”

“The Legislative Assembly, the exact place where voters should be most able to hold their representatives to account, has become a rubber stamp.”

Taft said if the citizens of the province had a greater opportunity to see what happens inside the Legislature, they would demand better. 

“I want the Legislative Assembly of Alberta to once again belong to the people who elect its members,” said Taft.

Backgrounder: Legislature on the Road
Speaking Notes: Moving the Legislature to Albertans

The Alberta Liberal Party formally demanded today that Elections Alberta Chief Electoral Officer Lorne Gibson assert the authority given him by the Election Act and ensure impartiality in the conduct of Alberta’s election on March 3rd, 2008.

Section 4(1) (a) of the Election Act (2000) states the Chief Electoral Officer shall:

“enforce on the part of all election officers fairness and impartiality in the conduct of their duties and compliance with this Act…”

Sun Media reported today that Linda Brown, who was appointed by Order in Council as Returning Officer in Edmonton-Castle Downs, is the former executive assistant to PC MLA Thomas Lukaszuk.

In 2004, Lukazuk won the election over Alberta Liberal Chris Kibermanis by three votes on an appeal of a judicial recount after losing the unofficial count, the official count, and a judicial recount. The two candidates are again running against each other this election. If there is any constituency in which every vote does indeed count, this is it.

“The legislation is quite clear that the Chief Electoral Officer has the authority and responsibility to make sure elections, including this election, are free and fair and administered by impartial returning officers. The CEO has the duty and responsibility to ensure impartiality, without regard to any instruction from the government or fear of retaliation,” said Glenn Rollans, Co-Chair of the Alberta Liberal campaign.

The demand details supervisory measures required to restore Albertans’ confidence in an impartial election, and notes that these measures are enabled by the Act and within the responsibilities of the Chief Electoral Officer.

These measures include retaining impartial outside assistance, including assistance from other jurisdictions, if the staff of Elections Alberta is insufficient to the widespread need for supervision and enforcement of impartiality in this election. “This election was not a surprise. Elections Alberta could have gone on a recruiting drive last spring to bring in qualified, impartial returning officers,” Rollans said.

The demand specifies that the Chief Electoral Officer himself should personally be present during the official count in Edmonton-Castle Downs.

Click here to read a letter to Chief Electoral Officer Lorne Gibson from the Alberta Liberal Party’s campaign co-chairs.

As the lack of leadership and direction of the Tories becomes more apparent each day, Taft said Albertans are recognizing that after 37 years of one-party rule, it’s time for a change.

“Albertans have an opportunity to make history in this election. People are going to be hearing that it’s all about risk. But it’s really about opportunity,” Taft said.

“A change of government would bring some fresh perspectives on the problems the Tories have shown they just aren’t up to solving.

“The Alberta Liberals will work with Albertans to the fix the health care labour shortage. We’ll increase capacity in our post-secondary institutions. We’ll create a new fiscal and royalty regime that looks at the big picture, including the environment, jobs and the economy.”

But Taft said the most pressing need for change is to stop the Tories from continuing to squander Alberta’s vast potential.

“Since 1971, the Tories have plowed through nearly $200 billion in non-renewable resource revenue. Almost all of it is gone. Alaska and Norway have piled up their savings, but our Heritage Fund would barely finance this government for six months.”

The Alberta Liberals, with a real plan for the future, will save 30% of all non-renewable resource revenue and position Alberta as a leader in Canada and around the world.

“We will help make Alberta the new centre of the country for business and the economy, for education, for arts and culture, for science and innovation.

“We have a great team. We are ready to govern. It’s time for a change to get the job done right,” Taft said.

Jack Kenny, an Alberta senior who attended the dinner, said Taft was right on.

“Kevin Taft has shown himself to be the leader Alberta needs. As a senior, I find the Alberta Liberals are the only party that seniors in this province can trust,” Kenny said.

Calgary-based lawyer Chima Nkemdirim agreed: “Kevin Taft is the one leader who recognizes the unmatched potential of this province and has an action plan for reaching that potential. I’m convinced that Kevin Taft and the Alberta Liberals are ready to govern.”

Carole Oliver, a former public school trustee and Alberta Liberal candidate in Calgary Fort, also lauded Taft.

“As a former school trustee, I can tell you that Kevin Taft is the only leader with a comprehensive plan for education that provides our children with the resources they need to succeed in life,” Oliver said.

The dinner, scheduled months ago, became an important election event when it happened to fall within the campaign period.

“This Tory government made an empty promise in 2005 to expand Alberta’s cancer facilities,” said Taft. “It’s time to follow through on that commitment.”

The Alberta Liberals will support plans for expanding and redeveloping the current Cross Cancer Institute to expand cancer services for Edmonton and northern Alberta. The total project will cost $650 million over three years.

“The Stelmach government spends more per capita than Ontario, yet in this province people are still waiting days for a bed in the emergency room, and major health facilities like the Cross Cancer Institute are operating over capacity,” said Taft. “Despite all the money that this province spends, our health care system is still in crisis mode.”

“The Alberta Liberals have a plan that will bring concrete, positive change to the health care system.”

“It’s time to recommit to excellent, sustainable, accessible public health care for Albertans, and to a healthier future.”

Funding for the expansion and redevelopment of the Cross Cancer Institute will come from the Sustainability Fund. While it was originally established as a $2.5 billion fund to cover the cost of emergencies and disasters, the Tories have allowed it to balloon into a $7.7 billion slush fund.

Today’s commitment is in addition to the funding announcement made last Friday, but still falls within the available surplus in the Sustainability Fund, which has already been set aside from current budgets.

The Alberta Liberal Plan reallocates to Albertans’ priorities, spends already set-aside funds on Albertans’ urgent needs, and increases investment in a resource revenue savings plan.

“It’s time to start spending on the priorities of Albertans, not the priorities of the Tory party,” said Taft. “After 37 years, the Stelmach government has stopped listening to its citizens – it’s time to change that.”

Under their Action Plan for health, announced earlier in the campaign, the Alberta Liberals will also work with post-secondary institutions to increase training capacity for health care professionals and expand the health care workforce.

“We can’t open more facilities and increase beds without the doctors and nurses to run them,” said Taft. “The Tories laid off a whole generation of nurses in the 1990s. And they let the number of graduating nurses in Alberta fall by half. They created the current crisis in staffing not by neglect, but by slashing and burning an excellent public health system.”

The Alberta Liberals will also reduce waiting times, address overcrowding in emergency rooms and ensure there are enough staff to accommodate patient need through initiatives such as the establishment of Community Health Centres. The centres would give patients convenient access to physicians.

“Nowhere else on the planet do we have such incredible opportunity as in Alberta – yet the Stelmach Tories are letting that opportunity slip through their fingers,” said Taft.

“It’s time for a change.  Let’s get the job done right.”