Grainswest - Winter 2023

Winter 2023 grainswest.com 41 plan where she’s saying, ‘No, I only need 1.5 legs. That, to me, is a pretty risky strategy. “Edmonton is probably lost to the UCP for a generation, obviously outside of Calgary is where the UCP has their strength; So that means, to me, it’s Battleground Calgary.” Brown also pointed out the UCP is not guaranteed to take smaller cities. She cited Alberta’s third-largest city. “Is your average voter in Red Deer happy the leadership campaign was dominated by discussion about a sovereignty act and absolutely no discussion about health care? And when they did talk about health care, it was about re-litigating COVID? Danielle Smith could be miscalculating when she talks about ridings outside of Calgary and Edmonton, they’re not all rural.” Since early March, 13 official polls have been conducted. None show the NDP below 40 per cent support. During the same period, the UCP drew between 30 and 47 per cent. Brown said rural Alberta, where UCP support runs highest, is not tight-knit. She noted negative COVID sentiment was highest in rural Alberta, yet the majority of rural Albertans got the jab. “Certainly, the anti-vax sentiment is higher in rural Alberta, certainly the separatist sentiment is higher in rural Alberta, but it’s still not the majority opinion even in rural Alberta,” said Brown. “But in a way, the rural areas are more divided on these things than even people in the city are.” This bodes well for Rachel Notley. NO LONGER NEOPHYTES Predominantly supported by urban voters, the NDP claims to be the only party with an agricultural plan for the province. “Honestly, I don’t think the UCP has a plan for agriculture,” said Heather Sweet, NDP MLA for Edmonton-Manning and the party’s ag critic. “I think they have taken agriculture for granted.” Sweet pointed to a lack of value-added investment in Alberta while Saskatchewan and Manitoba woo investors with much faster approval and response times. She claimed what takes three months in those provinces takes about a year in Alberta. “The value-added investment opportunities have not been explored and or supported,” she said. “The UCP really do ignore rural Alberta and have for a long time. “Three years later we’re still waiting for this government to step up and really promote and be the champion of agriculture.” It’s been almost four years since they governed, but Sweet said the NDP positively benefitted rural Albertans through its Climate Leadership Plan and sustainable endeavours such as the grain dryer subsidy. “Every year, agriculture producers were applying to that program and it was oversubscribed,” she said. “It really spoke to the willingness and opportunity agriculture producers saw and moving to green tech and being able to bring down their costs. The grain dryer program almost became a necessity for many of our producers. That was probably one of the best things we could do and I’m open to hearing from producers around what other ideas they would have when it comes to building a program like that.” She also said rural communities have weakened under the UCP. Job cuts to small towns, cities and rural areas have excessively strained communities, and the NDP would fight hard to reverse this, she said. “The cuts … put a lot of pressure on local economies to try to find different ways to create revenue,” she said. “In our smaller communities, without support from the Province, they don’t have the ability to grow and attract investment. We have to focus on … doing that.” Beyond this, the NDP plans to help farmers address climate change issues and the federal carbon tax. Sweet said the provincial government can’t change what happens at a national level, but it can work with farmers to navigate federal policies. “We can definitely make sure we are creating policies here in Alberta that can help address those demands,” she said. “We were a little delayed in 2015, but we’re ready in 2023. If people in rural Alberta give us that opportunity, they will see we have a clear plan to drive the economy forward.” A RURAL ROUTE IN 2023 Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, Nate Horner said the government is fortunate to have a large rural support base and is proud of the UCP’s achievements in agriculture. The successor to embattled former ag minister Devin Dreeshen, Horner emphasized the party’s agricultural track record speaks for itself. He cited “generational” investment in irrigation and renewed focus on value-added investment. He also said a firm but co-operative focus is required to ensure Albertans, but mostly farmers, are treated fairly under federal climate policies through a strong business risk management suite. Horner said he is working hard for a fair outcome on the upcoming pilot project via the Sustainable Canadian Agriculture Partnership (CAP) that will see farm practices tied to crop insurance premiums. “For those concerned about the pilot, let’s just wait and see,” he said. “I’m still very optimistic it can be a positive thing. “If people in rural Alberta give us that opportunity, they will see we have a clear plan to drive the economy forward.” — Heather Sweet