Five reasons Canadians should care about the Alberta election

For four decades the outcomes of Alberta’s provincial elections were all but guaranteed – a Progressive Conservative majority government.

The party, now led by Alison Redford, has been in power since 1971, but the survival of the dynasty is no longer assured.

Now poll after poll suggests the Wildrose Party led by Danielle Smith is within striking distance of a majority.

The outcome of the election on April 23 will have reverberations across Canada. Global News looks at what is at stake for Canadians inside Alberta and beyond.

Oil: Alberta’s oil patch helps to fuel the Canadian economy, producing 1.6 million barrels of oil a day and creating thousands of jobs, 23 per cent of which are outside the province. Canadian Energy Research Institute estimates oil sands will create more than $307 billion in tax revenue across Canada over the next 25 years, t61 per cent of which will go to the federal government.

Energy policy hasn’t made any major waves in the campaign, but the winner will be the steward of this resource and its impact on the environment. Neither Redford nor Smith has proposed higher royalties on oil and gas companies. Both parties also believe in diversifying Canada’s energy exports. As premier, Redford has already had the chance to establish herself as an advocate for a Canadian energy strategy and controversial pipeline proposals.

Economy: Closely related to oil is the fact that the health of Alberta’s economy has become essential for the health of the Canadian economy. Alberta is Canada’s third-largest economy and created more jobs than any other province last year. Last Thursday, federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty called Alberta “the centre” of Canada’s economy. Keeping that economic centre healthy will be the task of Alberta’s premier.

For her part, Redford said the Progressive Conservatives will continue building on the economic growth they’ve shepherded in, but she has come under fire for her deficit budgeting as premier and for promising too much in new spending. The Wildrose Party will focus on immediately balancing the provincial budget and reinvesting 50 per cent of all surplus dollars in the Alberta Heritage Fund. The party is also pledging to send 20 per cent of all surplus dollars back to Albertans in the form of an Alberta Energy Dividend.

Provincial power: Alberta is known for its staunch defence of provincial jurisdiction in the light of a federal government traditionally shaped by vote-rich provinces in central Canada. Still, Alberta’s power in the federation has been consolidating with help from its vast oil reserves, booming economy and a prime minister who calls Calgary home. The winner of the election will have the power to determine whether Alberta’s power will be used to deepen participation within the Canadian federation, garner more provincial autonomy or a combination.

Smith has revived the idea of an Alberta firewall, first touted by supporters including Stephen Harper in 2001. The position would see a more autonomous role for the province in the federation by establishing an Alberta Pension Plan, a provincial police force and a new equalization formula. In all, Smith is prepared to go further in demanding Alberta’s provincial rights.

Redford advocates a more cooperative approach to dealing with other provinces and the federal government. In a speech to the Economic Club of Canada on energy policy in Toronto last November, she told an Ontario audience “we rise together or we fall together. There is no other way.” She added that provinces need to put old antagonisms aside and work together to further Canada’s aims.

Morality minefield: Some covering the election campaign have dubbed it as a fight for Alberta’s soul due to the thorny moral debates that have been bubbling up with the rise of the Wildrose Party.

Smith has revealed she is personally pro-choice, but there are fears the social-conservative wing of her party would use new citizen-initiated referendum rules to overturn policy about contentious moral issues like abortion. The party is also advocating conscience rights for marriage commissioners who want to abstain from performing same-sex marriages and health care providers who refuse to provide services such as abortions due to their beliefs.

The campaign waded into the morality minefield recently when the anti-gay blog of a Wildrose candidate and former church pastor Allan Hunsperger came to light. Hunsperger defended the comments as his religious views and said he fully supports equality for all people and condemns intolerance based on sexual orientation. Smith repeated her refrain on whether the party would be changing the laws to align with the views of its social-conservative members in the wake of the news, saying: “our party is not going to legislate on contentious social issues.”

The Progressive Conservatives say their party believes these matters have been settled and do not need to be raised again.

Privatization experiments: The health-care system and its sustainability is a daunting issue facing Canada as its population ages and public budgets shrink. As the provinces across Canada search for solutions, the results of the election could see Alberta become a testing ground for new delivery methods.

Alberta already allows private clinics to perform some procedures, which are paid for from the public purse. The election is raising the prospect of more private delivery of care. Smith said the Wildrose Party supports using private health care on the public dime to alleviate long wait times for some procedures. She said encouraging more independent facilities will create incentives for all providers to reduce costs and wait times. Smith added that the party’s priority is a public system that works. Redford supports the status quo, saying the current privatization regime goes far enough.