NDP leader Rachel Notley denied she sent partisan ‘operatives’ to crash a UCP press conference — a ‘presser’ in the industry term — to announce affordable discounts for seniors Thursday morning..At a campaign rally of her own in northwest Calgary Wednesday evening, which drew hundreds, Notley said it was important to have “an open and fair discussion” on health care issues, which apparently sparked an impromptu protest at a Danielle Smith media availability just hours before..The NDP on Wednesday alleged that UCP leader Danielle Smith was putting the Lougheed and Foothills general hospitals “up for sale” based on a video speech she gave in 2021. That prompted a trio of protesters with links to the federal NDP and the Alberta Federation of Labour to interrupt the proceedings with “for sale” signs and whisk Smith away from her own press conference..A Western Standard investigation revealed two of the three protesters had links to the AFL and federal NDP, and one was a candidate in the 2021 federal election. The UCP accused her of tweeting the location of the press conference to encourage the protest. Instead, Notley denied it. .“My understanding is that the UCP had also tweeted the location of the press conference, and that’s actually where we got the information from,” she said at a rally in northeast Calgary that saw hundreds of rowdy supporters turn out..“I don’t support that kind of intervention at a public event that’s designed to deliver a message to voters whether you agree or dont’ agree… I definitely do not support or endorse what happened.”. Notley RallyNDP leader Rachel Notley in Calgary on May 11, 2023 .Instead the NDP used the rally to announce $1.2 billion in handouts for the city of Calgary — long considered the main battleground in the election — including the Greenline LRT, 40 new schools, a downtown post-secondary campus, a North health campus and other downtown revitalization projects. .As always — par for the course — NDP press people denied the opportunity for Western Standard reporters to ask questions.
NDP leader Rachel Notley denied she sent partisan ‘operatives’ to crash a UCP press conference — a ‘presser’ in the industry term — to announce affordable discounts for seniors Thursday morning..At a campaign rally of her own in northwest Calgary Wednesday evening, which drew hundreds, Notley said it was important to have “an open and fair discussion” on health care issues, which apparently sparked an impromptu protest at a Danielle Smith media availability just hours before..The NDP on Wednesday alleged that UCP leader Danielle Smith was putting the Lougheed and Foothills general hospitals “up for sale” based on a video speech she gave in 2021. That prompted a trio of protesters with links to the federal NDP and the Alberta Federation of Labour to interrupt the proceedings with “for sale” signs and whisk Smith away from her own press conference..A Western Standard investigation revealed two of the three protesters had links to the AFL and federal NDP, and one was a candidate in the 2021 federal election. The UCP accused her of tweeting the location of the press conference to encourage the protest. Instead, Notley denied it. .“My understanding is that the UCP had also tweeted the location of the press conference, and that’s actually where we got the information from,” she said at a rally in northeast Calgary that saw hundreds of rowdy supporters turn out..“I don’t support that kind of intervention at a public event that’s designed to deliver a message to voters whether you agree or dont’ agree… I definitely do not support or endorse what happened.”. Notley RallyNDP leader Rachel Notley in Calgary on May 11, 2023 .Instead the NDP used the rally to announce $1.2 billion in handouts for the city of Calgary — long considered the main battleground in the election — including the Greenline LRT, 40 new schools, a downtown post-secondary campus, a North health campus and other downtown revitalization projects. .As always — par for the course — NDP press people denied the opportunity for Western Standard reporters to ask questions.
