Despite the results of last spring’s Alberta election, Opposition Leader Rachel Notley claims a majority of Albertans still support policies advocated and shared with her federal NDP counterparts.In a year-end interview with the CBC, Notley said despite what she termed “regional” differences in approach, that she fully supports federal leader Jagmeet Singh on issues such as child care, $10 daycare, dental coverage and the proposed pharmacare plan covering prescription drugs..“There is no party that has done more to protect and promote public healthcare than the NDP across this country. It’s a brand I’m proud to be associated with.“Alberta Opposition Leader Rachel Notley.She also pointed to lingering concerns over the UCP government’s efforts to pull out of the Canada Pension Plan as an example of implicit, if not outright, support for her party’s policies.Although provincial NDP has been under pressure to distance itself — and even sever ties — from its federal counterparts via a name change or rebrand, Notley said “I would argue that we have more in common than what divides us.”“There is no party that has done more to protect and promote public healthcare than the NDP across this country. It’s a brand I’m proud to be associated with. Like with most things related to healthcare, that is something that would only happen with the hard work and dedication of the NDP.”.That support doesn’t necessarily apply to energy, however. In that regard, Notley’s doesn’t look much different than the UCP’s in terms of remaining a leading producer and developer of all forms of energy, including oil and gas.The difference would be more of an emphasis on becoming “purveyors of ‘green’ tech… while not threatening the climate” than her government counterparts that have put a moratorium on renewable energy projects such as wind and solar. On that front she accused a small group of UCP “extremists” for adopting Donald Trump-style populism and far-right rhetoric and bringing them to Alberta..“We’ve seen that with Donald Trump and unfortunately that tactic has migrated here to Alberta in the form of Danielle Smith’s version of the UCP.”Rachel Notley.“They bypass mainstream media, they have different social media platforms where they speak to people and just say things that are not true, they’re not factually accurate and they realize that they can get away with it,” she said. “We’ve seen that with Donald Trump and unfortunately that tactic has migrated here to Alberta in the form of Danielle Smith’s version of the UCP.”Notley wasn’t as candid on the question of her own future, however. And while she claimed “two-thirds” success in the May vote she also said she personally accepts responsibility for the electoral loss.“That’s why I’m going to take the time necessary to consider my future and consider all the various factors in that and I’ll let people know once I’ve reached a conclusion.”
