There is something deeply satisfying to see a politician run on one set of promises, and then once in office, continue along the promised path. So many don’t..But thus it was on Tuesday night when Premier Danielle Smith addressed the province. The unions won’t like it, the NDP will hate it but the base that enthusiastically welcomed Smith to Edmonton six weeks ago will love it..Authenticity sells..There is no question of course, that her suite of commitments is geared towards an election in six months’ time. Give people money and they will be your friends. So, make gasoline cheaper, make electricity cheaper, give money to older people and low-income Albertans… This is not a recipe for electoral defeat..However, smart politics or not, it also meets head on the real needs of people struggling with inflation and the consequences of decades of Liberal government in Ottawa. One does not have to be reflexively Conservative — as so many of Smith’s supporters are — to appreciate that the federal government’s assault on the Alberta energy industry, its carbon-tax policies that make the simple act of heating one’s home a strategic monthly objective, and its relentless intrusions into provincial jurisdiction, affect all Albertans — all Albertans — regardless of who they vote for. So, it’s not only smart. It is necessary..And it does one other thing. Coupled with the ‘Sovereignty within a United Canada Act’ — the act intended to “keep Ottawa in its own lane” but rebranded to reassure people who think Smith is a separatist — these anti-inflation measures and the priority of cleaning up health care speak to the priorities of a people struggling with the tough and uncompromising world in which we live where there is federal money for everything from climate change commitments to the Ukraine..The whole thing rests, of course, on one thing. Money..There can be money: The expected $13.4 billion surplus for the present fiscal year was devoted to retiring provincial debt, and also to removing the provincial gas tax for the summer. Smith needs another year like the last..Bottom line: This is a partisan speech that goes beyond the party. One of the common errors of politics is that people only vote for you if they agree with you. That certainly helps..But what's also attractive is the confidence that a politician believes his or her own words, that it won’t be one thing today and another tomorrow..It is early days for Smith. But there is no sign of the dreaded ‘pivot.’.If she can do what she laid out on Tuesday night, it will be remembered in May, even by people who at the moment aren’t sure about her..The Throne Speech is next Tuesday, followed by a brief session of the legislature..As journalists love to say, ‘time will tell.’.Due to a high level of spam content being posted in our comment section below, all comments undergo manual approval by a staff member during regular business hours (Monday - Friday). Your patience is appreciated.
