Candidates tried to draw lines between themselves and their opponents Wednesday night at a packed forum at the St. Albert Public Library.
Nine provincial election candidates who are vying for seats in two St. Albert ridings attended the forum. Running in St. Albert are PC candidate Stephen Khan, Alberta Liberal Kim Bugeaud, the NDP's Nicole Bownes, James Burrows of the Wildrose and Tim Osborne for the Alberta Party.
Running in Spruce Grove-St. Albert are Doug Horner (PC), Chris Austin (Alberta Liberal), J.J. Trudeau (NDP) and Travis Hughes (Wildrose).
Beginning with their opening statements, candidates of the upstart Wildrose Party, which has seen a surge in the polls in this campaign, said they were giving Alberta a real opportunity to change a tired government.
"I have a confession to make, I was a long-time PC supporter, but this government just doesn't represent me anymore," said Hughes. "In my lifetime the PC government has basically thrown away two oil booms."
Wildrose candidate James Burrows said the Conservatives' failures were due to complacency.
"What we are witnessing is the result of a 40-year government that has never been challenged," he said.
The PC candidates defended their party's record and said a Wildrose government would not move Alberta forward. Horner argued it was time for Alberta to become a global player and suggested the Wildrose would represent a step backwards.
"Alberta is on the world stage. We depend on the global marketplace more than ever before," he said. "We need to have a global outlook; we need to have a global approach."
St. Albert PC candidate Stephen Khan framed the election as a choice around Alberta's prosperity.
"You can choose to turn those future surpluses into $300 cheques in your community or you can choose to turn them into schools in your community," he said.
Candidates from the other parties urged attendees to avoid seeing the election only as a split between the two right-wing parties.
Liberal and NDP candidates also made the ruling PCs their primary target.
Austin said the Conservatives have been given far too long to get Alberta on the right course and that doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is insanity.
"We have been doing that for 40 years," he said.
Bugeaud said the government has lost touch with average Albertans.
"We need leadership in this province whose priority is working for us," she said.
NDP candidate Nicole Bownes said for decades the Conservatives have failed to repair the public health-care system and her party would reverse course.
"It is time to make a real commitment to improving our public health-care system," she said.
Trudeau cautioned the crowd to make sure candidates follow through.
"We are in the middle of an election so we need to push for the promises and the commitments to become reality," she said.
Osborne, from the newly-formed Alberta Party, agreed on the call for change, but said the entire political system needs updating.
"I think it is time for a change in this province. I think we can do politics better," he said. "Let's have some responsible grown-up conversations about the issues."
Issues debated
The questions from the floor covered a wide range of issues from drug counselling to seniors care, energy royalties and infrastructure spending.
The question on spending was focused on the Wildrose, with the audience member wondering if the money the party planned to pull from infrastructure spending would delay important projects, but Wildrose candidate Burrows said his party would cancel unneeded programs.
Horner shot back that the programs the Wildrose suggests they would cancel have already been started.
"In order for them to balance the budget it does have to be the budget of the day," Horner said.
The Wildrose position on conscience rights also came up with one questioner asking how the party would align that position with the Canadian Charter of Rights. Burrows said the issue was a red herring.
"Our party will not be legislating anything to do with conscience rights. We just won't," he said. "That is simply not going to happen. It is all fear-mongering."
Conscience rights have come up during the campaign as Wildrose leader Danielle Smith has been pressed to clarify her party's position on the subject. Smith said her party would set up a judicial process to review objections by marriage commissioners or medical professionals who refuse to perform a service that violates their personal beliefs. Political foes like Alison Redford suggest this would open the door to public officials refusing to perform abortions or same-sex weddings.
Khan said Alberta has to welcome people from all over the world and accommodate their beliefs, but public officials need to abide by everyone's rights.
Osborne was the most direct on the issue.
"From the Alberta Party perspective, there is no opting out of human rights," he said.
Bugeaud said her party would protect human rights.
"The Liberal party would uphold the Charter of Rights and Freedoms," she said.
All nine candidates will square off again on Monday night at the St. Albert Inn, in a chamber of commerce-sponsored forum.
The Gazette will be live-blogging Monday's forum, which begins at 7 p.m. Watch www.stalbertgazette.com.
An archived blog of Wednesday's debate is available on our website.
