Alberta United Conservative Party Leader Danielle Smith or Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley..That's the question Alberta voters will ponder in election 2023 as the two leaders are tied neck and neck..Alberta Election 2023 will determine which of the two political parties have their hands on Canada's oil tap along with addressing the many issues Albertans face..In January, Notley finally broke her silence about "Just Transition" and claimed the UCP government is "lost in chaos.".“It is very clear to me the provincial government is asleep at the wheel and has not been doing its job,” Notley said.“Jaw-dropping levels of incompetence.".During the same time, Smith took a political swing at Justin Trudeau while also calling out the NDP to say the province will not be submitting to "Just Transition."."Alberta is a province that makes money," Smith said..The federal government vowed by 2035, all new cars and light-duty trucks sold in the country will be zero-emission vehicles.."Just Transition” emerged from the 2015 Paris Agreement, an international climate change treaty..The Paris Agreement makes clear national actions on climate change must ensure a "just transition" for the workforce by creating high-quality jobs in accordance with nationally defined development priorities..In 2016, the federal government committed to working with provincial governments and organized labour to “ensure workers affected by the accelerated phase-out of traditional coal power are involved in a successful transition to the low-carbon economy of the future.”.“There are two things troubling me: we have a document that, by its own admission, is talking about making changes that will have significant disruption to a sector that employs hundreds of thousands of people, the majority of whom are in Alberta,” Notley said..“Then we have a premier who is leading a government [that] has been in complete and utter chaos for months, if not years, and that has really failed to demonstrate any level of competence. And it’s not appropriate, in my mind, this conversation is happening in Ottawa, in the House of Commons, without Albertans being fully engaged in that conversation.”.Notley said she believes there's a path available to Albertans and Canadians to significantly reduce emissions..Affordability.As some Albertans head to the voting stations, one issue appears to be on their minds: putting food they can afford on the table..For some Albertans it's been an everyday struggle..In January, the UCP government provided affordability payments to help feed struggling residents who were dealing with inflation.."Starting this month, we will be providing seniors, families with children, and other eligible Albertans with $600 in direct payments over six months to help offset inflationary pressures," Minister of Affordability and Utilities Matt Jones said in January..The UCP government adjusted AISH, Income Support, the Alberta Seniors Benefit and Alberta Child and Family Benefit rates by 6% to match the rate of inflation..“The affordability crisis has made life more difficult for seniors, families with children and Alberta’s most vulnerable citizens. Everyone struggling needs to know they're not alone. Our government is increasing benefits to help make life more affordable and ensure all Albertans can afford the rising costs of life’s necessities," Smith said..The UCP government said it will spend about $45 million in 2022-23 and $173 million in 2023-24 to support indexation of the AISH, Income Support and Alberta Seniors benefit programs, and about $7 million in 2022-2023 and $35 million in 2023-2024 to support the indexation of the Alberta Child and Family Benefit..Between 185,000 and 190,000 families access the Alberta Child and Family Benefit for financial support.."We have been working hard to set up an application and distribution system that is accessible and effective for the millions of Albertans who will be receiving these payments," Jones said..Debt repayment.The UCP said Notley’s reckless spending and debt accrual meant Albertans were paying $2.3 billion in interest payments to banks instead of toward much needed services and service improvements..In addition, the UCP claimed Notley and her NDP raised taxes and fees 97 times, further burdening Alberta families with expenses..United Conservatives reversed that trajectory by tabling two balanced budgets in a row and paying down more than $13 billion of the Notley debt..The UCP Government said it also invested almost $2 billion in the Heritage Savings Trust Fund, putting Albertans onto a path of fiscal stability..The UCP stated "it's government will continue on this path," paying down "the Notley Debt," growing the Heritage Savings Trust Fund, and leaving interest earned in the fund, as well as a large share of surpluses, to grow the Heritage Fund so Alberta can reduce its reliance on non-renewable resources over time..“We can’t afford another Rachel Notley government with higher taxes, more red tape, and spiraling deficits and debt that drive away businesses and investment and make life more expensive for Albertans,” said Smith..“We need to keep moving Alberta forward with stable fiscal management, balanced budgets, lower debt and saving for the future with a re-elected UCP government.”.Liberal gun grab.The UCP government continues to fight the Liberal gun grab in the province which should be at the forefront of legal gun owners minds..A new regulation restricting municipalities and police from entering into unilateral agreements with the federal government was created before the election by the UCP government under Bill 8, the Alberta Firearms Act..The UCP government said it is providing clarity to municipalities, police services and police commissions about their responsibility when considering accepting federal funding to enforce a federal firearms confiscation program..The regulation requires municipalities, police services and police commissions receive written approval from Alberta Minister of Justice and Attorney General Tyler Shandro before entering into funding agreements or accepting funding from the federal government to take part in the federal firearms confiscation program..This requirement allows Shandro to review funding agreements and grants to ensure they are consistent with the safe delivery of firearms programming in Alberta..“The Alberta Firearms Act was introduced March 7. Twenty-one days later, the law took effect when it received royal assent,” Shandro said..“Now, merely a week later, Alberta’s government moved to enable the first regulation under the act. This action demonstrates Alberta stands unequivocally with law-abiding firearms owners, but there is more to do. Stay tuned.”.The Alberta Firearms Act builds upon steps taken in the Municipal Government (Firearms) Amendment Act, 2020, which amended the Municipal Government Act to prevent municipalities from passing firearms bylaws unless authorized by the province..Albertans own the second-highest number of firearms classified as restricted or prohibited by the federal government. There are 127 approved shooting ranges and more than 650 firearms-related businesses in Alberta..On average, an additional 30,000 Albertans complete mandatory firearms safety course training annually, as a first step to obtaining their firearms licence. In 2021, that number jumped to 38,000, indicating a significant upward trend in legal gun ownership in the province..The UCP passed Bill 8 to try and stop the federal Liberal gun grab in Alberta.
