The Alberta Next Foil

On August 15th, the Alberta New Democratic Party published the Better Together: Town Hall Report. The report is the culmination of 10 townhalls, 100,000 door knocks, and various community engagement events carried out by the NDP throughout the course of the summer. Running parallel to the Alberta Next Panel events of this summer, the “Better Together” series heard concerns from approximately 3,500 Albertans on matters ranging from healthcare and cost of living to separatism and pensions.

The Leader’s Message

Describing the campaign’s initial purpose as “an idea to counter the irresponsible rhetoric of a separatist movement,” the NDP’s Leader Naheed Nenshi states there is “a hunger in the heart of Albertans… to reject the divisive politics of Danielle Smith and the UCP.” Nenshi presents the report as having uncovered the wider concerns among Albertans about issues now being overshadowed by threats of separation, including the state of healthcare, cost of living, and pensions. Citing recent actions by the United Conservative Party government including book bans and gender-based policy, Nenshi orients this report as uncovering the true concerns of Albertans.

Separatism

As the initial motivation for Better Together, the report argues that the recent wave of separatism to have swept the province is of major concern to both the NDP and regular Albertans. Criticising the supposed tacit support towards separatist sentiments by the Premier and UCP government, the report presents such actions as a “a political distraction designed to pull attention away from Danielle Smith’s failures to address the real challenges facing families across Alberta.” Concluding that Albertans see separatism as a threat to the stability and identity of Alberta, the report reaffirms the NDP’s promise to keep the province within Canada and continue the party’s focus on public services.

Healthcare

With significant recent restructuring of the provincial health system, it is unsurprising that healthcare comes in as the number two topic for the Better Together report, highlighting concerns over the stability, funding, and accessibility of Albertan healthcare. Included among concerns raised in the report are those of physician retention, increasing wait times, and new out of pocket costs. Included within the report are direct quotes from healthcare workers describing personal embarrassment of and burnout from working within the provincial health system. The NDP capitalises on such statement in the report pledging access to healthcare as a top priority for the party.

Education

The report’s third area of focus, something ever more relevant considering the results of the recent teacher’s strike, is education. With firsthand accounts from educators, the report highlights issues of overcrowding in schools, funding concerns, and deterioration of teacher working conditions. In addition, highlighting Alberta as the lowest per student funding province in the country, the report contrasts these issues with the purported focus of the UCP and Premier in prioritizing an ongoing ‘culture war’ through book bans. In light of the recent strike and back to work legislation, it is likely that the NDP will continue to capitalize on perceived shortcomings of the UCP within the realm of education.

Cost of living and employment

Amid an ongoing national cost of living crisis, it is no surprise that the Better Together report would touch on the concerns of Albertan’s facing growing prices in stores, stagnating wages, and increasingly uncertain job markets. The report references price hikes in groceries, auto insurance, utilities, and rent, stating “life has become increasingly unaffordable under this UCP government.” Referencing unemployment statistics of for youth unemployment (17% in Alberta), the report includes testimonies of Albertans who are struggling to get by in the face of a refusal by the UCP increase minimum wage.

Unsurprisingly, the NDP leverage the concerns highlighted by participants in Better Together, promising to lower costs and building the Albertan economy.

Pensions

Included within the concerns over separatism, the Better Together report orients recent UCP discussion over Alberta’s exit from the Canadian Pension Plan (CPP) as “reckless and deeply unpopular”. Notably, the pension section of the report focuses exclusively on the concerns of seniors either on pension, or Albertans soon to qualify for their CPP. Better Together frames the UCP’s discussion of withdrawing from the CPP as an extension of the Premier’s ongoing conflict with Ottawa, with disregard for the stability and security of the federal program.

What does this mean?

Overall, the Better Together report portrays a province facing issues in crucial quality of life areas and a population increasingly dissatisfied by the priorities of the UCP, with separatist sentiments being a central point of contention. Using this report to reaffirm the longstanding promises of the NDP, it is highly likely that the information gathered over the duration of this project will be used to inform areas of specific focus and critique over the course of the next session.