Election 2023: Campaign Roundup - Day 18

Welcome to Day 18 of our Alberta 2023 Campaign Roundup!

With the 2023 Alberta election now finally underway, I'll be bringing you daily updates on all the policy proclamations, platform promises, and political point-scoring from the campaign trail.

Campaign Roundup - Day 18:

• The debate is tonight! Featuring Rachel Notley and Danielle Smith, it will take place at 6:00 pm and will be televised on a wide range of channels as well as online.
  
  
• The UCP released a new ad, focused on showing how unaffordable life became under the NDP last time they were in government.
  
  
• Economist Jack Mintz wrote an article for the National Post. In it, he explains that the NDP’s proposed 38% corporate tax hike would result in an investment loss of $1.1 billion in addition to the loss of 33,700 jobs.
  
  
• Brian Jean, UCP Candidate for Fort McMurray - Lac La Biche, reminded Albertans that Rachel Notley’s net-zero electricity grid plans are a terrible idea - and even the Saskatchewan NDP thinks so too!
  
  
• A series of clever new signs are popping up around the province, countering the NDP’s “What Will She Do Next?” attack ads by explaining exactly what Smith will do next. There’s an old adage in politics - never ask an open-ended question, because it lets your opponent answer it! We’ve heard there are a few different versions, so send us a photo if you see any others.
  
  
• Danielle Smith also released a statement after the Ethics Commissioner’s report confirmed that neither she, nor anyone in her office, contacted or tried to contact any Crown Prosecutors regarding prosecutions.
  
  
• Irfan Sabir, NDP Candidate for Calgary-Bhullar-McCall, held a press conference. He claimed that his party “did the math” and that the UCP will make seniors pay $6,700 for bladder infection treatment, $9,000 for a knee replacement, and so on. Not one journalist in attendance asked where these numbers came from or how he arrived at this bizarre conclusion.
  
  
• David Shepherd, NDP Candidate for Edmonton-City Centre, also held a press conference. He promised that the NDP would mandate the acceleration of the Red Deer hospital, and that his government would appoint a Senior Director of Project Management, offer to fund extended construction hours, and create a cross-departmental permit team to accelerate permitting.
  
  
• Sharif Haji, NDP Candidate for Edmonton-Decore, said his party would put the cap back on insurance rates. Haji says first-time drivers think that costs are out of control.

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