Liberal Reaction to Premier's Address

Last night Premier Danielle Smith gave her first address to our province. To her credit, there was some rare good news. Sadly, much of the address was nothing more than misinformation, scapegoating and vague promises. 

Here are my three key takeaways from the address. 

Inaction on Affordability

After the usual scapegoating of the federal government as the main cause of inflation, Smith rolled out several new measures to address the affordability crisis facing Albertans. There are two major concerns about her plan:

• Smith’s affordability measures are a classic example of too little too late. Stronger supports are needed and they were needed far sooner than this. 
• The most profitable corporations are not paying their fair share. Regular Albertans are bearing the brunt of inflation while many corporations are making record-high profits and gouging consumers. 

The Alberta Liberals would reduce your financial burden by making sure the most profitable companies pay their fair share and carry more of the load in times of crisis. 

Hollow Healthcare Promises 

Premier Smith’s highlighting of problems in healthcare means nothing without a plan. She has offered no solutions, short or long-term, just vague promises that something will be done. 

The Alberta Liberals have a vision for healthcare. It focuses on: 

• Mental health and addictions treatment funding
• Homecare expansion
• Preventative care investments to keep people healthy
• Creative solutions for our healthcare worker labour shortage, like expanding the role of nurse practitioners.  

You can read more about it here. 

Desperate Distraction Tactics

While Danielle Smith distanced herself from her days as a shock jock radio host, she still slanted perceptions and distorted the truth. Smith’s misinformation is a desperate distraction tactic to hide her government’s failures. 

She failed to recognize inflation is a global problem and that Canada is faring better compared to most major economies.

Smith also made the bizarre and false claim that investing money in healthcare nearly bankrupted Albertans under the previous government. While the NDP were not fiscally responsible, they never came anywhere close to bankrupting us, as Smith alleged. The Premier is misleading Albertans. 

Smith’s address, without saying it, shows how government is needed in times of crisis, and how we can’t simply rely on private businesses alone to solve all our problems. Albertans need leadership that recognizes that and doesn’t dismiss the value of robust government.

Premier Smith ended her address by acknowledging her past failings and promising to learn from her mistakes. The Alberta Liberals will be there to hold her to her word.  

Sincerely, 

John Roggeveen

Interim leader