2023 Election
Danielle Smith says UCP government would prevent government from future tax hikes
Alberta UCP Leader Danielle Smith holds a news conference during the provincial election in Calgary on Wednesday, May 24, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS / Todd Korol
Calgary
United Conservative Leader Danielle Smith says her party would bring in legislation to prevent government from increasing personal or business taxes without approval from Albertans.
Smith, at an event in Calgary ahead of Monday’s provincial election, says the first bill would be the Tax Protection Amendment act.
Smith used the announcement to attack NDP Leader Rachel Notley’s proposal to raise corporate taxes by three per cent as part of a three-year fiscal plan.
Smith says the NDP plan to increase those taxes from eight to 11 per cent would kill jobs, burden Alberta families and drive out investors.
She says Albertans have already seen the effect of NDP policies when Notley was elected premier in 2015.
“This election is a choice between a United Conservative Party that’s lowered taxes, balanced the budget, and returned Alberta to its place as the economic powerhouse of Canada or the party that’s done the opposite,” Smith said Wednesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 24, 2023.
United Conservative Party faithful gather to watch election returns in Calgary, Monday, May 29, 2023. An Elections Alberta official says a change implemented in how “vote anywhere” ballots in advance voting are counted likely contributed to delays in the publishing of results in Monday’s provincial election. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
By Bill Graveland in Calgary
An Elections Alberta official says a change in how advance “vote anywhere” ballots are counted likely contributed to a delay in publishing the results in Monday’s provincial election.
Only a small fraction of results were available 90 minutes after polls closed.
And a United Conservative Party win wasn’t called for another 90 minutes after that.
At some points, a candidate was shown as leading in a riding with a single vote.
Robyn Bell, a spokeswoman for Elections Alberta, says a key change made after the province’s 2019 election was likely a factor.
She said it involves ballots that allow Albertans vote in advance at any polling station in the province.
“The report of tabulator results was occurring in returning offices for the first time this year. In the previous election in 2019, those ballots were transported back to Elections Alberta for a count and you may remember that resulted in a 2-1/2 day delay in reporting after the election,” she said.
“They’re not just counting votes for the candidates in their electoral division, they could be counting results for candidates in multiple divisions.”
As well, Bell said transmitting the official statement of votes has to be inputted into the results site and every step of the way has a verification process.
“That just takes time and we prioritize the accuracy of reporting over the speed of reporting is ultimately what it comes down to.”
Bell said after every election, there’s an opportunity to provide recommendations on what went well and what didn’t. Recommendations come in the report of the Chief Electoral Officer about six months after the election. She said the legislative assembly also has a chance to make suggestions.
“It could result in changes for the next provincial election.”
Bell said despite the criticism, she thought things went well, although she understands the public was anxious to see the final results.
“It’s just an evolution in the vote universe,” she said.
“In 2019, I think the delay in counting ultimately kind of resulted in people feeling like their vote didn’t matter, because the election was called before those ‘vote anywhere’ ballots were even counted.”
Bell said there will be automatic recounts in Calgary Acadia and Calgary Glenmore, since the margin of victory in those constituencies was under 100 votes.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2023.
Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek speaks at an announcement in Calgary on April 25, 2023. The mayors of Alberta’s two largest cities say they expect a good relationship with a re-elected United Conservative Party government, despite its loss of seats in Calgary and Edmonton. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Calgary
The mayors of Alberta’s two largest cities say they expect a good relationship with a re-elected United Conservative Party government, despite its loss of seats in Calgary and Edmonton.
Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek adds that all politicians need to stand up against hate and divisiveness.
Gondek and Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi say the cities and the province need to work together to address affordability.
Sohi adds that it’s unfortunate Edmonton won’t have any representation in the provincial government.
Danielle Smith’s UCP dominated outside the two big cities while retaining enough support in Calgary to lessen the pain of an NDP sweep in Edmonton and win a second consecutive majority government.
Several of Smith’s cabinet ministers were unseated, including former health minister Jason Copping and former mental health and addiction minister Nicholas Milliken in Calgary, as well as deputy premier Kaycee Madu in Edmonton.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2023.
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