The Alberta Liberals are promising better healthcare, fewer MLAs and free university education, all paid for with higher taxes on the wealthy and on corporations.
Party leader Raj Sherman unveiled the Liberal election platform Monday morning at the Art Gallery of Alberta with a crowd of candidates and supporters cheering him on.
He said the party's platform would be about real concrete promises and would not avoid unpopular subjects simply to win votes.
"The other parties are going into this election with platforms designed primarily to win votes, avoiding the tough issues out of fear of discussing them because they will not be popular."
Some of the major planks of the platform include $800 million more for home care and long-term care in a bid to relieve pressure on hospitals and emergency rooms.
Sherman argued those beds and programs would treat seniors better, while freeing up valuable resources for healthcare.
"We don't need any more ambulances or hospitals, we need a smarter healthcare system."
He said the party would target healthcare, fixing it within two years of taking office, because it can no longer continue to eat up larger and larger portions of the provincial budget.
"We are going to fix it and it needs to be fixed because it is the No. 1 spending ticket on every government's books."
Tuition plan
Another major component of the party's proposals is an eventual end to school fees and a province-wide school lunch program.
The proposal for free university tuition would be phased in gradually, but would begin with an immediate freeze and $250 reduction.
The party would plan to build an endowment fund that by 2025 would have enough money to cover all tuition costs for Alberta students.
"We simply must do something about the fact that we have the highest high school drop-out rate and the lowest university participation rate in the nation," said Sherman.
The party would also forgive student debt at the rate of a $1,000 a year for students who graduate and work in Alberta.
The platform also includes a significant number of other policies pledging a provincial curriculum for preschool, home warranties on new homes and creating a municipal heritage fund to cover local projects.
The party would also drastically reduce the number of MLAs permanently tying it to twice the number of federal MPs the province has. With proposed additions to the House of Commons that would give Alberta 68 MLAs.
To pay for all of these promises the party would raise corporate taxes by two per cent and raise personal income taxes on anyone making more than $100,000 a year.
Under the plan anyone making more than $100,000 would now pay 13 per cent in income tax, up from the current 10 per cent for all income levels; someone earning more than $150,000 would pay 15 per cent; and over $200,000 in income the rate would be 17 per cent. The party argues Albertans would still pay lower taxes than anywhere else in the country and their income changes affect only 10 per cent of the population.
Local candidates
The party has thus far failed to announce candidates in any local ridings, but Sherman and campaign manager Corey Hogan both said an announcement was imminent.
Hogan said the party was ready for this election, with no debt and a bank account that can support a campaign.
"We are in the best financial position we have been in decades."
Sherman said he expected his party would field a candidate in every riding, but admitted some of them might be facing a steep uphill climb.
"I am confident that we will get 87 candidates. I do acknowledge that we likely won't have an opportunity to win in every constituency, but you never know what is going to happen."
