Grainswest - Winter 2023

Winter 2023 Grains West 40 Janet Brown is a seasoned political commentator and pollster. She said the biggest concerns for Albertans in 2015 were health care and education and they turned to the NDP. In 2019, the top issue was economic prosperity and the UCP responded with a 63-seat victory. All three areas are top concerns in 2023. Brown noted the UCP is in chaos while the more stable NDP has had one leader for nearly a decade. She believes the NDP couldn’t do better if they tried, given multiple missteps by the new premier. “A truism in politics is when the opponent is doing enough self-inflicted damage, just stand back and let them,” she said. Brown recently measured Alberta’s available vote. There is a greater available vote among conservative voters, but they are much more uncertain of their voting intention. Available liberal voters, while fewer, are firmly decided. “If the UCP could shore up their available vote, they would be unstoppable,” said Brown. “One party has a much larger available vote than the other, but the one party is in disarray and the other party solid. That’s what it comes down to.” Brown said either party could win. She has often likened the province’s politics to a three-legged stool, represented by Calgary, Edmonton and the rest of Alberta. The winning party typically takes two legs, if not three, but that’s not Smith’s strategy. It confuses Brown. “Danielle Smith has put forward a BY TREVOR BACQUE Alberta’s twomajor parties adjust ag policy ahead of spring election S pring of 2023 will be a lively political time as Alberta’s general election pits the UCP and new Premier Danielle Smith against the NDP and former premier Rachel Notley. While rural Alberta is often assumed to be a bastion of blue, 11 ostensibly rural ridings turned orange in 2015, many for the first time in a generation. A re-United group of conservatives stormed back to power, winning all rural ridings in 2019. Agriculture is at the forefront of political discussion. Where do parties stand on hot button ag issues? Is the UCP taking its rural power base for granted? Does the NDP better understand the needs of rural citizens? THE FARM VOTE FEATURE