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Morinville- St. Albert candidates face off for votes in forum

Five of the six candidates running in the Morinville-St. Albert riding faced off against each other during a forum on Tuesday night, trying to earn the votes of a crowd of around 200 constituents.

Five of the six candidates running in the Morinville-St. Albert riding faced off against each other during a forum on Tuesday night, trying to earn the votes of a crowd of around 200 constituents.

The UCP and NDP took swings at each other all night long at Cardiff Hall with Dale Nally, candidate for the UCP, taking aim at the government’s record over the last four years while Natalie Birnie, candidate for the NDP, touted her party's record and took aim at Jason Kenney.

Nally said the campaign was one of the dirtiest in the province’s history, citing NDP attack websites, and said he wants to bring decorum and civility back to politics.

The UCP candidate also pitched the crowd on the party's vision for the province, which include a strong economy and “compassionate conservatism.”

“I learned that the best way that we can help someone out who needs a hand is by having a strong economy. When we have a strong economy, industrious people are afforded the opportunity to work hard and get ahead and earn those mortgage paying jobs,” Nally said.

Birnie told the audience she spent most of her life as a card-carrying conservative but was won over after seeing the NDP in action over the last four years.

“I have been incredibly impressed by Rachel Notley and the NDP’s work on diversification, fighting for pipelines, fighting for jobs and leading us through a recession without drastic cuts to healthcare and education,” Birnie said.

The NDP candidate reminded the crowd about the three $25-a-day daycare centres that have opened in St. Albert under the NDP and the new and modernized schools in St. Albert and Morinville.

Alberta Party candidate Neil Korotash spend the night selling the crowd on a centrist option, telling the audience a vote for the Alberta Party would not be splitting the vote but rather that his party a viable creditable alternative to the NDP and UCP, which are largely considered to be the front-runners this election.

“The reality is that it is not a choice between one or the other. There is a pragmatic centre, the best of both worlds, if you will,” Korotash said.

Korotash told the crowd they could have a strong economy, which he said is the party’s first priority, and still maintain social programs under the Alberta Party,

Cass Romyn, candidate for the Alberta Green Party, walked the crowd through her party’s plan for a sustainable future for the province. Romyn opened the night explaining to the crowd what the Green Party stands for and walked them through their history and values.

Romyn pitched the crowd on the Green vision for free tuition at all levels of the education system, affordable housing, which included stress-test-free mortgage regulations, an environmental bill of rights, guaranteed annual income, electoral reform and all platform ideas to be financially supported by a provincial sales tax.

“The Green Party of Alberta recognizes the urgency of improving our impact on the environment, evolving a diverse economy and working to rebuild and maintain a strong financial state while working to resolve social and economic tensions by improving equality within the province,” Romyn said.

Alberta Independence Party candidate Mike van Velzen tried to sell the crowd on what the party sees are the economic advantages of Alberta separating from the rest of Canada.

van Velzen told the audience his party would hold a referendum in the first 30 days in office on separation and spent the rest of the night pitching the numbers and strategies behind an independent Alberta.

“It’s time to stop to paying our share when the other provinces aren’t equally contributing to the corporation of Canada,” van Velzen said.

Alberta Advantage Party candidate Tamara Krywiak is also running in the riding but did not participate in the forum.

The Morinville-St. Albert riding captures 17,844 St. Albert residents who live in Erin Ridge North, Erin Ridge, Oakmont, Woodlands, Kingswood and Pineview. The riding also includes Morinville and a portion of Sturgeon County. This constituency will be home to 50,225 people and will be seven per cent above the average population size for a provincial riding.


Jennifer Henderson

About the Author: Jennifer Henderson

Jennifer Henderson is the editor of the St. Albert Gazette and has been with Great West Media since 2015
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