Share this Story: Alberta Election 2019: Party leaders break out their greatest hits in 90-minute debate Alberta Election 2019: Party leaders break out their greatest hits in 90-minute debate Photo by Larry Wong / Postmedia Article content Four party leaders put their best sales pitches forward Thursday to an Alberta-wide audience in the only debate scheduled during a 28-day campaign so far weighed down by mud-slinging between an NDP looking to win a second term and a UCP anxious to put the province back in conservative hands. The UCP, NDP, Liberal and Alberta Party leaders sparred over pipelines, balancing the budget, health care, education and more. But in some of the most contentious exchanges of the night, the candidates zeroed in on the issue of integrity. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Alberta Election 2019: Party leaders break out their greatest hits in 90-minute debate Back to video NDP Leader Rachel Notley and UCP Leader Jason Kenney traded jabs about controversies that have dogged their respective campaigns. Kenney had to respond again to allegations that his campaign ran a “kamikaze” candidate to sink his main competitor in the 2017 UCP leadership race. That race has also been linked to an ongoing RCMP investigation into irregular financial contributions into Jeff Callaway’s campaign, who was alleged to have been picked as the candidate to sink former Wildrose leader Brian Jean. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content “Do you think it’s normal … to run somebody as a kamikaze candidate to take down your most competitive (rival),” Notley said during the debate. In response, Kenney said Notley and the NDP have been engaged in a “fear and smear” campaign against him and his party. “Whenever she does this, it’s because she’s incapable of defending her failed economic record, the jobs crisis, her alliance with Justin Trudeau, her carbon tax,” Kenney said. “Whenever you hear that, that’s what’s going on.” Photo by Larry Wong / Postmedia And he asked Notley why her party didn’t name the two NDP MLAs who were accused of sexual misconduct during her party’s first term. The behaviour wasn’t criminal and the NDP said the party followed recommendations from two independent investigations, Notley said. “Part of rooting out sexual misconduct and harassment is creating the conditions for people to come forward,” she said, repeating that disclosing the names publicly would breach the privacy of the complainants. While the two front-runners focused their attacks on each other, Alberta Party Leader Stephen Mandel and Liberal Leader David Khan remarked on the combative relationship on display. Khan said Albertans are sick of the rhetoric between the duelling parties, referencing attack websites. Mandel told reporters after the debate that Kenney and Notley were childish Thursday. Growing the economy, creating jobs and getting Alberta oil to tidewater took up the bulk of the debate questions from a panel of reporters. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content “My opponent Mr. Kenney wants to stoke fear and division for his political gain,” Notley said during debate over the beleaguered Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project. Photo by Larry Wong / Postmedia She hammered on the ongoing NDP narrative that Kenney failed to move pipeline projects forward during his time in Stephen Harper’s federal Conservative cabinet. “You didn’t get a pipeline built, so there is truly no reason why we should take advice from you,” Notley said. Kenney blamed Notley’s government for the lack of movement on the pipeline in the last four years. “This government has left us with a faint hope of only one pipeline,” Kenney said. Notley also fired out at Kenney for plans to cancel a rail deal that aims to narrow Alberta’s oil differential by adding transport capacity, saying it would kill jobs in downtown Calgary. “With respect, you’re the expert on killing jobs in downtown Calgary,” he responded. Mandel also slammed the NDP record on pipelines. “Ms. Notley, I was there in the legislature when you promised shovels would be in the ground last summer,” he said, adding the “reality is we still don’t have a pipeline.” Photo by Larry Wong / Postmedia Khan targeted Kenney during the economic debate, saying it’s “really rich” for conservatives in Alberta to talk about fiscal issues. Debates have been a turning point in some past elections, including in 2015 when then Progressive Conservative leader Jim Prentice made the infamous “math is difficult” remark directed at Notley. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content There was no such moment in Thursday’s debate. Mandel made one of the night’s few zingers during a debate over health care when Khan accused the Alberta Party of considering privatization. “Maybe you were smoking things you shouldn’t have been smoking,” Mandel said, denying the accusation. Political analysts have been touting the election as a two-horse race between the NDP and UCP, with the conservative party ahead in the polls. Photo by Larry Wong / Postmedia “There were some very tough criticisms across the board,” said Mount Royal University political scientist Lori Williams after the debate. “Each of the leaders made some kind of connection with the viewers.” She said there wasn’t a lot of substance to the exchanges, and voters will be left to search for more information on policies. All four had weak moments, she said. For a majority government, a party needs to win 44 of 87 seats after the votes are counted in the April 16 election. cclancy@postmedia.com twitter.com/clareclancy Photo by Larry Wong / Postmedia Share this article in your social network Latest National Stories Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Edmonton Journal Headline News Sign up to receive daily headline news from the Edmonton Journal, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. Email Address There was an error, please provide a valid email address.<doc-sep>Send this page to someone via email Alberta party leaders sparred in a debate Thursday night, 12 days before voters go to the polls. The debate ran the gamut of issues, from health care to the economy, from Trans Mountain to the LGBTQ community. WATCH: Pipeline debate continues during Alberta leaders debate 4:24 Pipeline debate continues during Alberta leaders debate Pipeline debate continues during Alberta leaders debate – Apr 4, 2019 All party leaders made claims that could be backed up by facts — and there were plenty of jabs that can’t quite be considered uniformly true. Story continues below advertisement Here are a series of claims from the Alberta leaders debate that warranted more scrutiny: David Khan: ‘We support Trans Mountain — we’re losing $80 million a day because it’s not built’ — a claim that has also been advanced by Rachel Notley The $80-million figure is claimed often — Alberta’s government cited it late last year, around the time it unveiled a “real-time lost-revenue counter” in response to delays on pipelines such as the Trans Mountain expansion. And now the leader of the Alberta Liberal Party is repeating it. The government said it arrived at a figure of $84 million using methodology employed by Scotiabank, and that was “revised based on as high as a $45-per-barrel difference between West Texas Intermediate (WTI) and Western Canadian Select (WCS).” The Scotiabank analysis showed Alberta losing as much as $15.6 billion per year, if a discount on Canadian oil from February 2018 were to be maintained. There are, however, other estimates of how much money is being lost amid oil discounts — the Arc Energy Research Institute last year said oil price markdowns could be costing the Canadian economy as much as $100 million per day. And G. Kent Fellows of the University of Calgary has done a back-of-the-envelope calculation showing losses to Alberta of as much as $60 million per day, as reported by The National Post. Story continues below advertisement In other words, the $80-million estimate is high by some counts, but doesn’t quite capture the cost to the whole of Canada’s economy. WATCH: Rachel Notley highlights economy and diversity during closing 0:59 Rachel Notley highlights economy and diversity during closing Rachel Notley highlights economy and diversity during closing – Apr 4, 2019 Jason Kenney: ‘The premier opposed Northern Gateway, she gave licence to Justin Trudeau to cancel Northern Gateway… surrendered to Obama’s veto on Keystone XL’ NDP Leader Rachel Notley indeed opposed Northern Gateway in 2015, but made clear that she supports other projects — though she later rethought her stance on the controversial project. As premier, she has championed the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion and openly tangled with British Columbia over its realization. However, Kenney’s claim that her position gave licence to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to cancel Northern Gateway is questionable. Story continues below advertisement The federal government approved Northern Gateway in 2014, but the project was later challenged by eight First Nations, four environmental groups and one labour union in the Federal Court of Appeal. That court overturned the then-Conservative government’s approval of Northern Gateway and said Canada fell short in its duty to consult with Indigenous people. That same court overturned the federal Liberal government’s approval of the Trans Mountain project, for very similar reasons. WATCH: Alberta party leaders debate relationship with Ottawa and pipelines 4:43 Alberta party leaders debate relationship with Ottawa and pipelines Alberta party leaders debate relationship with Ottawa and pipelines – Apr 4, 2019 Jason Kenney: ‘It’s not true, premier,’ when Rachel Notley said, ‘the leadership campaign of which you were a part is under RCMP investigation’ The RCMP are investigating the United Conservative Party’s (UCP) 2017 leadership race, in which Kenney emerged victorious. Story continues below advertisement Alberta’s election commissioner had been looking into the campaign of Jeff Callaway, which was alleged to have been launched in an effort to thwart Brian Jean’s candidacy for the leadership and help Kenney win. Kenney said in mid-March that neither he nor his party had been asked to speak to the Mounties, but that they would “comply fully if we were.” The UCP leader confirmed later that month that a party lawyer was speaking with the RCMP about the leadership race. Stephen Mandel: ‘In reality, it’s more like a sales tax, we should call it a sales tax but it’s a carbon tax’ University of Calgary economist Trevor Tombe has challenged this claim at length. In a 2016 op-ed for Maclean’s, Tombe said a carbon tax is “no more a sales tax than income taxes are.” He said carbon taxes and sales taxes have two different purposes — a sales tax is aimed at raising revenue, while a carbon tax is aimed at changing people’s behaviour. A carbon tax, he said, is meant to correct a market failure — specifically, the damage caused by pollution, and the failure to consider such damages. Tombe admitted that carbon taxes do raise revenue — at the time, he expected Alberta’s to raise about $2.6 billion per year, “roughly equivalent to the amount of revenue generated by a three-per-cent sales tax” in the province. Story continues below advertisement But he also noted that resource royalties raised approximately $2.5 billion in revenue in 2015, and those aren’t considered carbon taxes. WATCH: David Khan highlights tackling debt, creating jobs during closing 0:56 David Khan highlights tackling debt, creating jobs during closing David Khan highlights tackling debt, creating jobs during closing – Apr 4, 2019 Jason Kenney: ‘This government has the worst economic record and jobs record in modern Alberta history, also the worst health care record’ This claim depends largely on what people consider “modern Alberta history,” and which metrics they’re looking at. The provincial government’s economic dashboard showed Alberta’s gross domestic product (GDP) at $327.4 billion in 2016. That was lower than the peak of $338 billion in December 2013, but it was up from $313 billion in December 2015. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate sat at 7.3 per cent in February, though that wasn’t the highest monthly rate under their tenure. Story continues below advertisement<doc-sep>EDITOR'S NOTE: This is one opinion. Under the heading Opinion, we are carrying a range of different points of view on the issues facing Albertans during the current election. You can find them on our Alberta Votes 2019 page. Rachel Notley, not Jason Kenney, is the incumbent, the one to beat in the Alberta election on April 16. But you got the impression their roles were reversed during the televised leaders debate Thursday night. It is the incumbent who is normally the one under relentless attack from the others in a debate but this time around it was Kenney who had a target on his forehead. In this election campaign, according to the public opinion polls, Notley is trailing behind Kenney who is far out in front. And so, this is the first time in decades in Alberta politics that the person elected premier in the previous election is not the front runner heading into a leaders debate. That meant everyone, including Notley, had to adjust their debate strategy. Underdogs and overdogs In politics it's all about the underdogs tearing down the overdog. And boy did they take off the muzzles at the very start. Kenney would have felt the teeth sinking in the moment the debate began. "Mr. Kenney wants to stoke fear and division for his political gain," said Notley who was focused on Kenney for the whole debate. She ironically began to stoke her own version of fear and division with the spectre of a UCP government and Kenney as premier. Listen to The Ledge podcast , as CBC's legislative reporters bring you expert analysis and insiders' insight. Sign up to get our election newsletter The Scrutineer delivered directly to your inbox twice weekly. "Your record in Ottawa is a decade of failure," said Notley of Kenney's record as a federal MP. "It is becoming clearer and clearer that people on Mr. Kenney's leadership team, at the very least, cheated for him to win the leadership," said Notley of the 2017 UCP leadership race. "So the real question is this: If Mr. Kenney would cheat his own party members to have a chance at running to be premier, what will he do to the people of this province to keep the job?" Consequently, Kenney found himself on the defensive — looking much like Alberta premiers of old, who approached these debates like a fox given a 10-minute head start ahead of the hounds. The former Conservative premiers (who all went on to win re-election with the exception of Jim Prentice in 2015), were always happy just to avoid being taken down. And that's what Kenney managed to do Thursday night. He emerged unscathed. There was no moment when he fell under the claws of his opponents, no time when they drew more blood than he managed to extract in return. Justin Trudeau Oh, he complained, as he often does on the campaign trail, that he was being unfairly attacked by the other leaders. That he was being "defamed." That he was the victim of a "fear and smear campaign" as if that was unusual in politics. It's also a bit rich coming from someone who is the master of simplistic criticism of his opponents. Kenney, naturally, launched his own attacks against Notley. Alberta Votes 2019: CBC News brings you all the news, analyses and columns you need for the election. VOTE COMPASS | Find out how your views on campaign issues line up with the platforms of Alberta's major parties "I respect your leadership, but you made a grave mistake with the alliance with Justin Trudeau. You sold Alberta down the river to your ally Justin Trudeau," he said. If anyone watching the debate at home was playing a drinking game with "your ally Justin Trudeau" as the trigger phase, they risked alcohol poisoning after the first 30 minutes. Kenney was laser-focused on Notley and Notley only had eyes for Kenney. Albertans haven't seen two leaders so personally combative since the days of Premier Alison Redford and Wildrose leader Danielle Smith — who both had their own mixed-martial arts debate in 2012. But of course there were two others sharing the stage Thursday night: Alberta Party leader Stephen Mandel and Alberta Liberal leader David Khan. Talking over each other The debate at times degenerated into a verbal free-for-all, with all four leaders talking over each other. It gave the impression of drama, but just made it difficult for the folks at home to make out what they were saying. Interruptions make for difficult listening CBC News Edmonton 0:56 At multiple times throughout the debate, two, three or even all four leaders spoke over each other, prompting warnings from the moderator. 0:56 Mandel, who apparently thought he'd look more relaxed with an open necked shirt, but who looked like someone who had forgotten his tie, didn't seem to know who to attack more — Notley or Kenney. "You're both culpable," he said at one point. "It is sad on the one side Mr. Kenney is attacking Ms. Notley, and Ms. Notley is attacking Mr. Kenney, and Mr. Khan is absolving himself of any responsibility of anything," said Mandel without really explaining what Khan — who has never held elected office — has actually ever done wrong. And then there was Khan looking serious and nervous but just happy to be invited to the party. However, according to public opinion polls Liberals have such an uphill climb in this campaign he should have brought ropes and a grappling hook to the debate. His strategy wasn't to get into a fist fight with the others, except for a moment when he accused Mandel of recently stating the Alberta Party was in favour of privatizing parts of health care. "No, we didn't," interjected Mandel, who, in one of the few lighter moments of the debate, accused Khan of "smoking things you shouldn't be smoking." Khan's idea to grab the spotlight was to bring up ideas that will shock Albertans, such as introducing a provincial sales tax. "We need a sales tax to stabilize our revenues," said Khan.<doc-sep>Share this Story: The debate's over. What will Alberta's political leaders do next? The debate's over. What will Alberta's political leaders do next? Photo by Larry Wong / Postmedia Article content As voters mull over Thursday night’s leaders debate, they can expect parties to start massaging their messages as we head into the final 10 days of the election campaign. One man who’s been there, done that, is Vitor Marciano, who was a deputy campaign manager for the now-defunct Wildrose Party in the 2015 election. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or The debate's over. What will Alberta's political leaders do next? Back to video Unlike that election, he doesn’t think Thursday’s debate will prove a pivotal moment in the campaign. Now that it’s over, he said, it’s about doing a quick assessment of issues that have risen to the fore or dropped off the table as voters settle on their impressions of the leaders. “It usually takes two or three days for the general public to decide how they feel about a debate,” he said Friday. “People have to think about it, talk about it with their friends, families and co-workers. They point out different points to each other, they crystallize on an issue or a moment or a perception of the leaders.” Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content From there, he said, parties will likely drive towards the question they want voters take with them to the ballot box on April 16. “When you go into the last two weeks of the campaign you shorten the playbook, so there are generally fewer things you’re talking about,” he said. “I expect to see both campaigns work really hard — starting today — to sharpen their presentation on what the election is all about.” For a majority government, a party needs to win 44 of 87 seats after the votes are counted. The NDP, UCP and Alberta Party are all running a full slate of candidates, while the Liberals have a team of 51. Postmedia spoke with Mount Royal University political scientists Lori Williams and Duane Bratt on what Albertans should expect in the last two weeks of the campaign. Here’s what they predicted each leader will do next. Jason Kenney: Stay the course. Stay on message. The UCP is ahead in the polls, so the election is Kenney’s to lose at this point. He accomplished what he needed to in Thursday’s debate, said Bratt. “He avoided losing, and that is the most important thing for a front-runner.” Kenney needs to continue pushing his message on jobs and the economy, but he’s likely hoping there are no more “bozo eruptions,” Bratt said. The UCP has been dealing with a series of candidate controversies, most recently when Drayton Valley-Devon candidate Mark Smith was slammed for homophobic remarks he made in 2013. Williams said Kenney is “studiously” avoiding some issues. “He’s going to play it safe … he’s just going to try not to blow it.” Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Rachel Notley: Focus on why the NDP is the best choice. Notley did well in the debate by touting her record and attacking Kenney’s policies, but she’s got ground to make up, said Williams. She needs to reinforce that she understands Albertans are struggling in the economy, and convince voters that the fiscal policies of a re-elected NDP government would be more effective than the UCP plan. That’s particularly important when it comes to moving forward pipeline projects, said Williams. “Rachel Notley can really tout her record on actually making a difference … generating consensus across the country.” Bratt said he expects Notley will continue to focus on Kenney and recent candidate controversies. “She is going to continue to attack Jason Kenney, continue to try to put doubts in people’s minds.” Stephen Mandel: Prove a vote for the Alberta Party isn’t a waste. The Alberta Party is a “tough sell” for voters, despite a good debate performance by Mandel, said Williams. Calgary-Elbow candidate Greg Clark has the best chance of winning a riding, agreed Bratt. In the debate, Mandel was able to raise the profile of the party, and maybe swing a few more votes to Clark, he said. But Mandel, whose riding in Edmonton-McClung will be competitive, has a choice to make. He can door knock for his own seat or run the provincial campaign of an aspiring government. “Does Mandel stay in Edmonton, or does he start to travel … it depends on what the goal is.” Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content David Khan: Door knock in Calgary-Mountain View. Khan boosted his party’s recognition in the debate, even though the Liberals aren’t running a full 87 candidates, said Bratt. But with the retirement of sole Liberal MLA David Swann (Calgary-Mountain View), Khan needs to focus on keeping that riding, he said. “They’re not even trying to pretend that they’re running a provincial campaign. It’s about keeping Mountain View in Liberal hands and ensuring there’s a Liberal voice in 2023.” Khan is running against the NDP’s Kathleen Ganley, well-known Calgary radio broadcaster Angela Kokott of the Alberta Party and Jeremy Wong of the UCP. “That’s going to be one of the toughest ridings in this province.” cclancy@postmedia.com twitter.com/clareclancy Share this article in your social network Latest National Stories Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Edmonton Journal Headline News Sign up to receive daily headline news from the Edmonton Journal, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. Email Address There was an error, please provide a valid email address. By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails.<doc-sep>
Share this Story: Party leaders to face off in debate tonight; here's what's at stake Party leaders to face off in debate tonight; here's what's at stake Article content When leaders of Alberta’s four major political parties take the stage for Thursday evening’s showdown, their performances could carry lasting effects for voters right up to election day. NDP Leader Rachel Notley, United Conservative Party Leader Jason Kenney, Alberta Party Leader Stephen Mandel and Alberta Liberal Leader David Khan will face off in what’s expected to be the only leaders debate during the 2019 election campaign. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Party leaders to face off in debate tonight; here's what's at stake Back to video The televised debate, organized by a media consortium that includes Postmedia, CBC, CityNews and CTV, will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. But in a campaign that’s largely seen as a two-horse race between the UCP and NDP, the pressure is on those parties’ respective leaders to connect with voters and demonstrate their fitness to lead the province’s next government. “In 2015, the debate was a big changer in terms of voter preference, with virtually everybody thinking that Notley had won the debate hands-down,” said University of Calgary political scientist David Stewart. Article content “This will be the first opportunity for most Albertans who never watch question period to see the two leaders go head-to-head and I think that could move some votes, depending how it works out.” Leaders debates have played a crucial role in past Alberta elections. In 2012, Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith made headlines when she said during a debate that the science of climate change wasn’t settled. Progressive Conservative Leader Jim Prentice’s gaffe during the 2015 debate, when he remarked that “math is difficult” — perceived as patronizing and sexist — lingered for the remainder of the campaign. “The debate was the turning point in the last campaign and really showed Albertans for the first time who Rachel Notley was,” said Jared Wesley, a political science professor at the University of Alberta. It was also a significant moment of the previous election “in framing the candidates’ abilities to interact with one another and the issues,” said Geoffrey Hale of the University of Lethbridge. “It will come down to the turnout game: who turns out the voters?” the political scientist said. “If one candidate succeeds in putting the other at a major disadvantage the way that Rachel Notley did with Jim Prentice in 2015, when Mr. Prentice basically took her for granted and discovered that was a huge mistake, it could have a significant effect.” Photo by JASON FRANSON / THE CANADIAN PRESS Recent polls paint an unclear picture of whether the NDP has been able to close the gap on the conservatives in Calgary, seen as the key battleground region during this election campaign. Article content An Ekos Research poll of 1,015 participants conducted March 15 to 26, commissioned by union group Unifor, suggested the NDP had made gains in Calgary, with 42 per cent support to the UCP’s 46 per cent. But a new poll released Wednesday by Janet Brown Opinion Research, and commissioned by Global Petroleum Show, showed the UCP had an overall lead of 53 to 34 per cent after the second week of the 28-day campaign, including a 21-point advantage in Calgary over the NDP. Still, it’s Kenney who has the most at stake in the debate, according to Wesley. “I think more Albertans are familiar with (Notley) this time than last time,” he said. “I don’t know if people have a sense of who Jason Kenney is, though. This will be the first time that he has a provincewide stage to convey his leadership style, his priorities.” UCP spokesman Matt Solberg said Kenney intends to contrast the “NDP’s record of job loss and debt” with the party’s own vision of “job creation and lower taxes and more money in the pockets of families.” “We’re going to treat it as an opportunity to speak directly to voters about our vision for the province versus what they’ve seen over the last four years,” said Solberg, adding the party is confident that public opinion is on its side, based on responses at the doors and both internal and external research.