United Conservative Party (UCP) leader Danielle Smith will be in Calgary Tuesday and has a “packed schedule.”.But none of her events have been made public and it appears there will be no opportunities for reporters to ask questions..“She hits the campaign trail for the second day. In Calgary, she will be talking with voters directly to discuss the Conservative plan to keep Alberta moving forward,” a UCP news release stated..“She will visit with volunteer canvassers throughout the city to thank them for their help on the campaign. Later in the day she will participate in a virtual town hall meeting.”.The Western Standard inquired where exactly Smith would be..“That's all we will be sending,” the UCP said..Jeremy Nixon, UCP Candidate for Calgary-Klein, and Pamela Rath, UCP Candidate for Calgary-Mountain View, will also release a video on affordability measures, the UCP said..During questioning from the media on the first day of the 2023 election campaign, Smith was asked how she plans to defend herself from critics..“I'm not perfect. Everyone knows that. I've had 27 years in the public, and I have spoken and written millions of words. Sometimes I make mistakes,” Smith said..“And every time I've made a mistake, I acknowledge it. I apologize if I've hurt anybody. And I promise to do better. I think people don't expect the politicians to be perfect.”.On Monday, Smith hit the ground running in Calgary and said the UCP government will create a new 8% tax bracket on income under $60,000. This means every Albertan earning $60,000 or more will save $760 — over $1,500 per family..Smith said Monday she would hope people would judge her and the UCP team based on what they do..“We have done so much good in the four years that we've been in government, and we've done so much good as a united team since I became leader,” Smith said..“I'm proud of every single one of our MLAs and candidates and I'm looking forward to being able to put forward a strong team that people can have competence and the main thing that that I think people will see of what it is that we're offering,” Smith said..“We are offering stability, we're offering continuity, we are offering a government that is going to make sure that we are relentlessly focused on creating jobs attracting investment, and making sure like this more affordable for their families.”.Smith said she hopes that's what people will judge her and the UCP on..“Compare that with Rachel Notley who made life more expensive. Who increased taxes and drove investment people out of the province,” Smith said..“I don't think people want to move back. I think they want to move forward. I'm moving forward and I hope that Albertans join us.”.Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley also spoke from Calgary Monday..“I believe better healthcare means having hospitals that are open,” Notley told a cheering crowd dressed in orange..“Hospitals that are staffed where patients get beds that are in rooms, not always, hospitals that can actually conduct surgeries and deliver babies in our communities. Not 300 kilometres down the road,” Notley said..Notley then took a political swing at Smith..“Now, you know my opponent in this race Daniel Smith, she kind of wears her flip-flops. Like they're going out of style,” Notley said..“We all know that she has a very different idea of what the doctor-patient relationship should look like. One that she actually often refers to as the doctor payment relationships, her words, not mine.”.Notley claimed Smith has put all her time and her effort in her career into tearing down public healthcare..“She's gone on the radio to promote bogus cures and fake treatments for serious illnesses. She's spoken publicly about how getting cancer is somehow the cancer patient's fault and then somehow that person should have to fundraise for it,” Notley said..“She's written policy papers calling for new fees for surgeries, co-pays for hospitals using your debit card instead of your healthcare card. I say this to Daniel Smith. You don't get to spend years and years trying to tear down the public healthcare that people rely on and then expect them to forget overnight. Your record matters.”.Notley still refuses to speak to the Western Standard..On Monday, the ‘Western Slander’ was told it had tarnished the names of Alberta NDP candidates and that the former premier wouldn’t be taking questions from the Western Standard outlet until they had received a formal apology.
