Commentary
The Alberta election campaign is now underway. Polls indicate that it will be a tight race between Danielle Smith’s UCP and Rachel Notley’s NDP.
With the NDP well ahead in Edmonton and with most of rural Alberta locked in for the UCP, the election will almost certainly come down to Calgary, where the UCP and NDP are neck-and-neck in the polls. This means that Calgary voters essentially get to choose who will be the next premier.
Election campaigns tend to focus a lot on fiscal issues and health care. In Alberta, there is also usually a vigorous debate about which party will best stand up to Ottawa’s intrusion in areas of provincial jurisdiction. Unfortunately, this means that other important topics, such as education, often receive less attention….