Edmonton-Strathcona candidates battle for Pannu’s seat

Thursday, 28 February 2008

Last Wednesday, the candidates for the provincial riding of Edmonton-Strathcona participated in a debate hosted by the Student’s Union at the Myer Horowitz Theater.

Progressive Conservative TJ Keil, Liberal Tim Vant, and the New Democratic Party’s Rachel Notley attended the all-candidates’ forum in hopes of winning the NDP stronghold of retiring former leader Raj Pannu. The candidates discussed the various measures of change their party would enact in the Legislature.

“The most pressing issue in this election is the need to effect change. That’s what people need,” Vant said. “We can talk, but without actually being able to act, it won’t happen.”
Notley further specified the type of change she believes the province needs.

“It’s important you don’t just vote for change for change’s sake, but you vote for substantial change. Two years ago, the Liberals and the Tories voted together to give corporate Alberta a $370-million tax cut. In so doing, they didn’t put $260 million in childcare. They didn’t put $400 million into public education. They didn’t put $100 million into student housing. Those kinds of decisions are made every day in Alberta, and we need to have a better way of making decisions,” she said.

Keil, the Conservative hopeful, drew upon his youth as a strength in representing the University’s riding.

“As part of the new generation of young Progressive Conservative leadership, I intend to be that change that everyone’s looking for,” he said. “I’m not here for the last 37 years; I’m here for the next 37 years.”

Postsecondary education was one of the most talked-about topics during the debate.

“A very important part of [the postsecondary] discussion relates [...] to the people who are not at university right now,” Notley said. “Costs are far beyond what they can afford.”

The NDP’s proposition, Notley explained, would roll back tuition to 1999 levels—a reduction of 20 per cent—while Vant outlined the Liberal promise of a rollback 2001 levels, marking an average drop of $1000. Keil, on the other hand, reiterated the PC strategy to reduce interest on student loans to the prime level.

All three of the candidates also emphasized environmental concerns, with Keil standing by his government’s current plan.

“Included in the climate change plan are energy efficiency and green energy production,” he said. “Through technological development, [...] our greenhouse gas emissions will go down.”

Notley stressed the importance of targeted action for environmental protection and supported halting tarsands development until its impact has been comprehensively reviewed.

“We face a tremendous challenge in Alberta,” she said. “We must address the issue of the environment. We can’t wait twelve years. We can’t wait five years. It must be done now.”

Vant repeatedly expressed his confidence in the comprehensive nature of his party’s plan in addressing not just climate change, but affordable housing and other social issues.

“The Alberta Liberal Party is like a bird with a left wing and a right wing; we need both to be able to fly down the middle,” Vant said, with both arms outstretched. “This plan is seven years of good, solid thinking. It will see this province through a lot of good times and a lot of hard times, but always keeping people first.”

Although the candidates held differing opinions on a number of issues, they all agreed on the importance of democratic participation.

“There has never been a more exciting time to live in this province,” Keil explained. “We have immense opportunity staring us right in the face to ensure long term prosperity.”

“Voting is the best way to do that,” Vant added. “Having these discussions and having critical thought is of huge importance so that we don’t make mistakes we’ve made in the past.”

“It’s important to get as many people as possible out to vote, so when the results come in, we know it’s actually something all Albertans wanted,” Notley said. “We should be able to raise the standard for everyone in the province, not just a privileged few.”

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