The West Block – Episode 36, Season 12 – National | 24CA News

THE WEST BLOCK
Episode 36, Season 12
Sunday, May 28, 2023

Host: Mercedes Stephenson

Guests:

Rachel Notley, NDP Leader
Ron Liepert, Conservative—Calgary Signal Hill
Evan Menzies, Crestview Strategies

Location:
Calgary, Alberta

Mercedes Stephenson: Voters in Alberta resolve tomorrow whether or not to provide Rachel Notley one other likelihood or keep the course with Danielle Smith and it’s proper right here in Calgary the place the race for premier is right down to the wire.

I’m Mercedes Stephenson. Welcome to The West Block.

The stakes couldn’t be increased in a marketing campaign that’s being watched throughout the nation. With rural areas supporting the UCP and Edmonton supporting the NDP, it’s Calgary and its all-important ridings the place the race might be determined. Can Rachel Notley break by way of?

And UCP Leader Danielle Smith is not any stranger to controversy, together with throughout this marketing campaign. But Smith says she’s realized from her errors. Will it’s sufficient to maintain average Conservatives within the UCP tent?

Rachel Notley ended a long time of Conservative rule when she was elected Alberta premier in 2015. She misplaced the final election to Jason Kenney and the United Conservative Party. Now she is locked in a decent battle with the UCP Leader Danielle Smith, who says Notley’s report speaks for itself.

Danielle Smith, UCP Leader: “This election is a choice between a United Conservative Party that’s lowered taxes, balanced the budget, and returned Alberta to its place as the economic powerhouse of Canada, or we can choose to go backward with the NDP and their recycled policies that hiked taxes and debt, drove out jobs and investment and sent Albertans fleeing elsewhere for opportunity.”

Mercedes Stephenson: So can Rachel Notley do it once more? I sat down with the NDP chief within the remaining days of her marketing campaign. That interview is forward in only a second, however we needed to let our viewers know we did additionally ask for an interview with Danielle Smith, the UCP chief, repeatedly, however her marketing campaign declined.

Here’s my interview with Rachel Notley.

Rachel Notley, thanks a lot for taking the time out of your marketing campaign to sit down down and speak to The West Block right this moment.

Rachel Notley, Alberta NDP Leader: It’s a pleasure to have the ability to chat with you.

Mercedes Stephenson: We are right here in Calgary, which is totally crucial for the NDP. It’s your likelihood to attempt to get in there and flip ridings. How do you are feeling the marketing campaign goes on this final full day of it?

Rachel Notley, Alberta NDP Leader: Well, we’re very excited. It’s been actually encouraging. We simply had a rally right this moment, about 1,300 folks, you already know, we had folks lined up exterior as a result of they couldn’t get into the constructing. It was like 10am and but simply large momentum and never solely form of, you already know, plenty of people who’ve been with us for some time, but additionally new people who’re Conservatives who’re saying, you already know, this time they’re going to lend us their vote and yeah, so we’re fairly optimistic.

Mercedes Stephenson: How assured are you that these persons are going to end up as a result of generally folks inform you on the door what they assume you wish to hear after which they arrive right down to it and so they go, don’t actually like Danielle Smith however ah, I’ve at all times been a Conservative. What’s your confidence stage that they’re going to tick the field for Rachel Notley and the NDP?

Rachel Notley, Alberta NDP Leader: Well, it’s fairly good. I imply, that’s form of—that’s, after all, what we’re listening to on the doorstep. I’m additionally listening to it from people and, you already know, like I’ve had, you already know, a reasonably wholesome expertise of parents developing and saying hello, Rachel. I’m going to vote for you. But—however the variety of those that have come to me throughout this marketing campaign to say that is the primary time ever that I’m going to vote NDP, however I need you to know I’m doing it. And that’s on their very own volition. So it’s a reasonably frequent message that’s on the market from people and positively, we’re seeing it in a few of the bigger and extra public endorsements that we’re receiving. And yeah, as I say, we’re fairly optimistic.

Mercedes Stephenson: You have campaigned saying that this election is all about belief, however some Albertans say they’re undecided in the event that they belief you, that you simply launched a carbon tax you hadn’t campaigned on, that, you already know, honest or to not you, you have been empowered at a time when oil and gasoline tanked. How do you persuade those that they will belief you whenever you’re working in opposition to your individual report, which is what they’re and saying I don’t know, can we?

Rachel Notley, Alberta NDP Leader: We’ve been pretty profitable at saying to folks, pay attention, we have now a transparent platform that we’re providing to people and our platform displays their priorities. And my report total, is one in every of saying what I imply and which means what I say, and delivering on the issues that I’m fairly clear about. And so we’ve stated again to people pay attention, we have now a plan for the economic system. We have a plan. Todd Hirsch, former chief economist for ATB, has endorsed our fiscal plan. It’s responsibly costed and we have now a plan to deal with the priorities of Albertans. And so, we are saying that after which we mix it with, you already know, Alberta wants steady, predictable, succesful management, management that’s centered on folks’s priorities versus its personal fixed churn, internally. And that appears to be one thing that people are actually selecting up on.

Mercedes Stephenson: I now that you simply’ve promised you’re not going to lift private earnings tax, that you simply’re going to not tax small companies, however you’ve additionally promised that you simply’re going to extend the company tax in Alberta from 8 to 11 per cent, and I do know I’ve watched plenty of your movies and press conferences and bulletins. You speak about it should nonetheless be the bottom company tax setting in Canada, however a few of what you’re competing right here in opposition to in Canada isn’t really different Canadian provinces, particularly relating to oil and gasoline. It’s the United States. Are you involved that introducing that enhance in company tax will trigger capital flight and that you simply might need misplaced some voters with that?

Rachel Notley, Alberta NDP Leader: You know I’m not terribly involved. Let me say, to start with, that I’m very pleased with this system that we have now been providing to Albertans, to extend our help for public well being care, making certain that everyone will get entry to a household physician, to have Albertans backs relating to affordability points and to incent rising sectors of the economic system right here, to create focused tax incentives to get these people right here. And as you say, we’re going to take Alberta’s lowest company tax fee and lift it to be Alberta’s—or Canada’s lowest tax—company fee. And we’re going to do it and we’ll be charging lower than Scott Moe and gathering lower than Doug Ford in Ontario. And I feel that argument that you simply’re making is one which the UCP have pulled out very not too long ago in just a little little bit of a determined try, however you already know, it’s apples and oranges. We know, as an illustration, that in most of the states they’re speaking about, employers need to pay for all of their staff’ well being care. And so there’s a stage of price to traders in these different states, which is totally non-existent right here and so that you simply can’t make that comparability in any respect.

Mercedes Stephenson: Do you assume, although that perhaps there’s a problem with Alberta that simply listening to the phrase tax out right here—I’m Albertan and I grew up right here—it’s not widespread. Is that an issue for you? I imply, are you listening to about that whenever you go to the doorways?

Rachel Notley, Alberta NDP Leader: Well, you already know, really what we’re listening to from lots of people is that they’re involved about what they’re seeing of their hospitals. They’re involved concerning the wait instances in our emergency rooms. They’re involved about household docs having their contracts ripped up after which seeing them go away. They’re involved about having the biggest class sizes now within the nation, in Ok-12. They’re involved about seeing tuition skyrocket now, the most costly within the nation. And they perceive that that’s coming from a company handout that hasn’t produced the roles that have been promised, it has solely created large stress on the fiscal body of the province. So we’re asking people who’re very worthwhile, to pay just a bit bit extra, nonetheless throughout the realm of being the bottom taxed province within the nation relating to firms. And that means, we may also help these people, these Albertans who’re frightened about all these different companies which can be both costing them when it comes to their kids’s’ future training, or costing them when it comes to having to succeed in into their pocket to pay for issues that was supplied by the federal government.

Mercedes Stephenson: When it comes to grease and gasoline, that has been a degree you’ve needed to defend your case on and also you’ve stated that you simply disagree with the federal authorities’s emissions targets. You assume that not the extent however the velocity at which you’re attempting to attain them it too quick. Do you help additional development within the oil and gasoline sector? More oil fields, extra oil being pumped out, is that one thing that you’d again as premier?

Rachel Notley, Alberta NDP Leader: Absolutely, and it’s been irritating to observe the UCP so deliberately mischaracterize what we have now stated. We help limiting and decreasing emissions. We imagine that we will do this whereas rising manufacturing. We have by no means steered…

Mercedes Stephenson: How do you do this?

Rachel Notley, Alberta NDP Leader: You do this by investing within the know-how and the entire vary of efforts that may be made to scale back the emissions in each barrel of oil. That’s at all times been what we do. And the UCP has traditionally tried to pit the setting in opposition to financial development and by doing that, we fail on each. And what I do know, and what we have now seen, even from our time in authorities, that when you set out a plan, one that’s reasonable and achievable, you’ll be able to really present the understanding to traders and you may take this into—flip it into a possibility to create extra jobs and proceed to be a frontrunner on—a world-wide chief in power manufacturing, by being the simplest at doing it sustainably and responsibly. But that work doesn’t occur if the provincial authorities pretends local weather change doesn’t exist and demonizes anyone who desires to search out methods to innovate, to scale back our emissions.

Mercedes Stephenson: If you develop into premier, what does your relationship appear to be with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau?

Rachel Notley, Alberta NDP Leader: It appears rather a lot prefer it at all times has, in that I’ll at all times put the pursuits of Albertans first. That is the job of the premier of Alberta, it doesn’t matter what get together they symbolize. And I’ll do this in relation to different provinces, irrespective of who’s main in these different provinces, and I’ll do this in relation to Ottawa, irrespective of who’s in cost in Ottawa. But right here’s the factor, I don’t need—I don’t—the Albertans that I speak to, don’t wish to go away Canada. They wish to lead Canada. And the way in which to try this is to go and negotiate with strengths and skill and thoughtfulness for the perfect outcomes for the province. And that’s work that hasn’t been occurring for the final three and a half years and Albertans have been shedding alternatives, shedding funding {dollars} because of this. And that has been now amplified by Danielle Smith’s Sovereignty Act and her normal disrespect for the rule of legislation. And all of that’s creating the sort of instability that undermines Alberta’s place in Confederation, in a means that hurts business, hurts funding. That is the largest menace to funding proper now in Alberta, not something that’s in any of our insurance policies. It’s the truth that there’s a lot instability round whether or not traders can belief the security of their {dollars} in a province the place the rule of legislation appears to be considerably in query.

Mercedes Stephenson: Rachel Notley, I do know you’ve acquired plenty of campaigning to do. Thank you for taking the time to sit down down with us right this moment, and better of luck.

Rachel Notley, Alberta NDP Leader: Thank you.

Stephen Harper, Former Prime Minister: “There’s only one option to protect the economic livelihoods of you and your family. That’s Danielle Smith and the United Conservative Party.”

Mercedes Stephenson: Up subsequent, former prime Minister Stephen Harper and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre have each endorsed Danielle Smith. But simply how united are Alberta Conservatives with their chief?

[Break]

Mercedes Stephenson: In a decent race, getting out the vote issues and that’s why each leaders campaigns are spending lots of time proper right here in Calgary.

Rachel Notley and the NDP are attempting to win over Conservatives who just like the get together however will not be comfy with Danielle Smith after a few of her selections and controversial remarks. Smith admits that she’s made errors.

Danielle Smith, UCP Leader: “I had a different job before. Being a radio host is very different than being Alberta premier. And as Alberta premier, I know I’m not perfect, going to make mistakes. I hope people understand that when I make mistakes, I own up to them and try to make amends.”

Mercedes Stephenson: To discover out if Smith’s marketing campaign messaging is resonating, I sat down with two Calgary Conservatives: Ron Liepert, who’s the retiring member of Parliament for Calgary Signal Hill. He additionally served in provincial Conservative governments as a cupboard minister throughout his lengthy political profession. Also becoming a member of us is Evan Menzies, he’s a former Wildrose and UCP communications director and he’s now a senior strategist with Crestview Strategies.

Ron Liepert and Evan Menzies, thanks each a lot for becoming a member of us right this moment. Great to see you right here in Calgary.

Ron Liepert, Conservative—Calgary Signal Hill: Welcome.

Evan Menzies, Crestview Strategies: Yeah, you wager.

Mercedes Stephenson: You have been each Conservatives, plenty of expertise. Ron, you’ve been on this recreation since Peter Lougheed. You have run federally and provincially. When you have a look at this marketing campaign for the UCP, how do you are feeling it’s gone up to now?

Ron Liepert, Conservative—Calgary Signal Hill: I feel what occurred was the bar wasn’t set very excessive on the outset and I feel that they’ve averted main errors. Everything that has been seen as controversial is stuff that’s been dragged up from the previous. So I feel they’ve weathered it fairly effectively. I feel it’ll actually come down, nevertheless, and we all know Calgary’s going to be a battleground—and it’ll come down as to if average Conservatives are ready to exit and maintain their nostril and vote Conservative on this election. And in the event that they do, I feel the UCP can win comfortably.

Mercedes Stephenson: Evan, is there a threat that a few of these average Conservatives say hmm, I can’t vote for the NDP however I’m simply going to remain house?

Evan Menzies, Crestview Strategies: Yeah that’s positively a threat. I feel one of many issues in—and we’ll see this on election day—however I feel the UCP marketing campaign and Danielle, particularly from the controversy onwards have achieved a extremely good job of attempting to convey everybody again house. It’s vital to do not forget that the UCP over the past couple of years have seen some fairly contentious battles. The get together’s been fractured, the management race. Danielle’s solely been premier for seven months and so there’s been, clearly, some points with Danielle’s previous feedback however the potential to convey everybody collectively in seven months and get them able to vote is a big process and I feel it’s occurring. We’ve clearly seen some assist from some federal Conservatives as effectively, Pierre Poilievre, Stephen Harper. They’ve been coming in to pitch in to attempt to get everybody house and to get them out the door.

Mercedes Stephenson: It looks like Pierre Poilievre acquired concerned fairly late, although. It was late final week that he got here in and endorsed Danielle Smith. And to what you have been saying about, you already know, her as a frontrunner, she does have a report to run on, albeit a brief one. So does Rachel Notley. It’s sort of fascinating that means in that you’ve two incumbents, in a means a former incumbent and present one, who need to run in opposition to their very own report in addition to in opposition to one another. And you each introduced up form of a few of the feedback that Danielle Smith has made. They have been made previously however a few of them are unfolding now in actual time, together with the discovering from the ethics commissioner that they have been involved she’s in a authorized battle of curiosity, feedback from candidates would seems that she is prepared to permit to proceed to sit down in caucus once they come again in, together with one which in contrast trans kids to excrement. Do these keep on with her when voters are making a call?

Ron Liepert, Conservative—Calgary Signal Hill: Well it’s this type of—this case that I feel has lots of average Conservatives form of scratching their head. And I speak to lots of people, whether or not it’s on the road or on the gulf course or on the phone, emails, and what I’m listening to is that their struggling. They don’t wish to vote NDP, clearly. But it’s these sorts of points that have gotten average Conservatives involved. And so, as I say, it’s going to come back down as to if or not these people are going to come back out and vote. If they keep house, it’s going to be actually robust.

Mercedes Stephenson: Evan, what are your ideas on that? Like why are a few of these self-inflicted wounds repeatedly occurring to the get together and extra so, it’s to the chief lots of the time?

Evan Menzies, Crestview Strategies: Yeah, I feel there’s one factor that’s vital to recollect is that there’s the radio speak present host model of Danielle Smith, the place particularly in the course of the interval of COVID, folks’s feelings have been elevated and a few of the feedback that acquired her in bother have been these emotionally charged feedback. I feel she’s proven as premier that she’s said clearly that she’s made errors that it doesn’t mirror who she desires to be, doesn’t mirror how she desires to steer Alberta. So I feel she’s made makes an attempt to rectify that. And I’d only for readability, the premier has stated for a few of these feedback—or for a few of these candidates, particularly the one referenced within the Lacombe-Ponoka that Jennifer Johnson gained’t be sitting with the caucus and has tried to close that door fairly agency. So I feel in comparison with what occurred within the 2012 election when she was Wildrose chief, it’s proven an evolution and the way she’s approached a few of these points.

Ron Liepert, Conservative—Calgary Signal Hill: Well and I feel you talked about the controversy, I do assume the controversy, I imagine helped her. And to get to what you requested a query about, I imply, she was fairly upfront on the very finish and stated, you already know, I’m going to attempt to do higher. And I feel that may very well be the tipping level of getting average Conservatives to provide her yet another likelihood, when you would possibly.

Mercedes Stephenson: What’s the distinction between the Danielle Smith that you simply hear within the rhetoric and the feedback and the way in which that Danielle Smith governs, as a result of she hasn’t been in energy a very long time, however what we’ve seen is some huge cash going out the door within the type of cheques to people, which is federal Liberals like to do that too. Ralph Klein favored to do it when he was the premier of Alberta. It’s a extremely popular means, particularly when instances are robust, to attempt to get folks onside with you. She’s talked about spending some huge cash. You might argue that’s inconsistent with form of the general public presentation, however perhaps that’s benefitting her.

Evan Menzies, Crestview Strategies: Yeah, I feel there’s part of Danielle that—and he or she was like this as Wildrose chief, too, particularly after the 2012 election loss underneath Wildrose the place she’s prepared to be a pragmatist and he or she’s acquired a little bit of a—she desires to be a populist. She understands the significance of marching together with the gang and marching in entrance of them as effectively. So proper now, form of the temper and the temperament of Alberta was we’ve had some fairly robust years. 2015 onwards, there was recession. We lastly noticed the value of oil surge again up and the thought of holding the spending again in all probability wouldn’t have been extremely popular and I feel they have been clever. And that was the Danielle pragmatist aspect of her popping out, the place she was prepared to yeah, spend that cash and make it possible for she caught the temper of the province.

Ron Liepert, Conservative—Calgary Signal Hill: Well I’d say that whenever you introduce a funds a few months earlier than the election and also you’ve acquired a $12 or $15 billion surplus, it’s fairly laborious to not spend cash as you go into an election marketing campaign. And, you already know, we’ve acquired a two or three generations of Canadians who’ve had it fairly darn good and when you don’t meet these calls for, or these expectations, they’re in all probability going to beat you up on the polls.

Mercedes Stephenson: Evan, what does the UCP need to do be capable of maintain onto Calgary, particularly a few of these downtown city ridings that there’s a really actual likelihood they may swing NDP?

Evan Menzies, Crestview Strategies: Yeah, the lucky factor for the UCP is the Alberta math is they will really afford to lose 10 seats in Calgary and they are going to be superb. For them, it’s vital to carry a few blue partitions within the metropolis. One of them is form of the extra suburban ring within the metropolis. If they will maintain that, they’ll be superb on election night time. But there’s a problem. Ron’s talked about it just a few instances that it’s actually vital that they get their vote out the door. But yeah, there’s—the NDP are coalesced. They’re a united left. Alberta’s by no means actually had a totally united left get together charging the way in which they’re now and they also’re positively posing a significant menace. So yeah, they’ve acquired to shut the message. All Conservatives have gotten to come back house. We’ve acquired to get this achieved and we’ve acquired to cease the NDP as a result of their final time period in authorities, Conservatives didn’t get pleasure from their time in Alberta, that’s for positive.

Ron Liepert, Conservative—Calgary Signal Hill: I feel the factor—the UCP had an inherent benefit going into this election in Calgary in the truth that they held a lot of the seats. They’ve acquired incumbent MLAs working in, you already know, in all probability three quarters of the seats. And if these incumbent MLAs have been doing what they need to have been doing, that’s going to the doorways, working laborious throughout this marketing campaign, it offers them an enormous benefit and, you already know, it may very well be a matter of a pair hundred votes in a lot of these ridings. And I feel, from what I’ve heard, they’ve been out working. Working very laborious, and so once they go to the doorways, there’s a unique message than what the constituent receives through the media. And we’ll see whether or not it pays off or not on Monday night time.

Mercedes Stephenson: Ron, I do know you’re leaving federal politics—politics fully. I needed to provide one final query to you. I’m actually curious to know your ideas on the state of each federal and provincial Conservatives events. Some say they’re altering. They’re veering away from the traditions of Stephen Harper and Jason Kenney. They’re involved. Do you share any of these issues?

Ron Liepert, Conservative—Calgary Signal Hill: I’m involved in that I imagine the political center of the spectrum is large open for the taking. By enlarge Conservatives have develop into just a little extra to the correct. There’s clearly the Liberals have gone to the left and nobody is filling that center void. I feel our chief goes to attempt speaking about issues like, you already know, the price of dwelling and all of those types of issues. But I’m undecided that it’s resonating but. I’m undecided that the voter within the GTA is ready to provide them that at this stage. There’s lots of work to be achieved, however it’s extremely polarized and I, you already know, constituents summed it as much as me very effectively the opposite day. He stated that we’ve acquired 10 per cent of the noisy folks over right here, 10 per cent of the noisy folks over there and 80 per cent of us are sitting within the center watching this ping pong match going forwards and backwards. And I feel that sort of summed it up fairly effectively.

Mercedes Stephenson: Well Ron and Evan, thanks each very a lot in your time right this moment. We’re all trying ahead to seeing what occurs tomorrow and we’ll discover out.

Ron Liepert, Conservative—Calgary Signal Hill: Yeah, we positive are.

Evan Menzies, Crestview Strategies: Yeah, you wager.

Mercedes Stephenson: Up subsequent, what does Alberta’s election imply for federal politics?

[Break]

Mercedes Stephenson: And now for one last item…

The Alberta election may have penalties far past this province’s boundaries, particularly for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Liberal authorities.

A UCP win will imply an ongoing battle with Ottawa. An NDP win would imply a softer method for the federal Liberals however not one with out its challenges. Either means, that historic Alberta-Ottawa pressure is about to be within the limelight.

That’s our present for right this moment, however our particular protection of the Alberta election continues. I’ll be right here on the bottom in Calgary for the following few days, and Global National might be broadcasting from Edmonton. And for our Alberta pals, our Decision Alberta Election Special might be dwell throughout the province, tomorrow night time.