UCP, NDP trade accusations in duelling year-end pressers
Alberta’s governing United Conservative Party and the opposition NDP traded shots when wrapping up the fall legislative sitting on Thursday, as the UCP touted policy victories.
Alberta’s governing United Conservative Party and the opposition NDP traded shots when wrapping up the fall legislative sitting on Thursday, as the UCP touted policy victories while NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi slammed the government for a “cruel” and “self-serving” agenda.
Speaking at the government’s year-end news conference, Minister of Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration Joseph Schow said the UCP was “proud of the work that we have done this sitting.” He pointed to 14 passed bills and the province’s new energy agreement with Ottawa. Schow said the government focused on protecting provincial jurisdiction, improving health care, strengthening education standards, and advancing major resource projects.
Schow also cited Alberta’s economic performance and job creation numbers, and said the pipeline memorandum of understanding with the federal government would “unleash our energy sector” by removing the oil and gas production cap, repealing net-zero power regulations, building a one-million-barrel-per-day pipeline to Asia, and more.
“It’s why people are coming here by the droves, and it’s a great place to be,” said Schow of Alberta, being the lowest tax jurisdiction that simultaneously leads in investment.
One hour later, Nenshi delivered one of his most forceful criticisms since becoming Opposition leader, opening his remarks by asking, “What the heck was that?” and accusing the government of passing legislation that does not address Albertans’ real concerns.
He said the six-week sitting showed a government “pushed into the corner,” driven by “its own political survival” rather than affordability, healthcare or education.
“This is an extremist government. This is not the government that Albertans thought they were voting for in the closest election in Alberta’s history in May 2023,” Nenshi claimed.
The Alberta NDP also issued a press release critical of the UCP for using the notwithstanding clause to send children back to school, continued calling the province’s healthcare reforms “American-style,” and highlighted some of the bills the Alberta NDP proposed — all of which were voted against by the UCP and ultimately not passed.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith previously told True North that labelling the healthcare reforms as American-style was false. Several of her ministers have echoed the sentiment.
“It’s European-style healthcare,” said Smith. “Even the Americans don’t want American-style healthcare, so why would we go in that direction?”
Nenshi also used some of his press conference remarks to attack specific MLAs on the other side, including Angela Pitt, RJ Sigurdson, and even called Schow a “pretty big boy with very thin skin.”
“The fact that they’ve got the hypocrisy and the gall to stand up and say, we are offended, we are hurt, while using those opportunities to insult and berate my caucus members, particularly the ones they think they can poke at,” said Nenshi, adding that some of the biggest victims were on stage with him, noting that they were women, women of colour, and Indigenous.
The United Conservative Caucus issued a statement with similar personal attacks.
Examples highlighted by the caucus include Alberta NDP MLA Lori Sigurdson comparing the UCP government to Nazis, NDP MLA Rob Miyashiro calling a UCP MLA a “fascist,” and several NDP MLAs criticizing Alberta’s potential West Coast pipeline.
True North previously highlighted Nenshi similarly calling the pipeline a “pipe dream.”
Despite this, the Alberta legislature endorsed the pipeline deal unanimously, with not a single MLA voting against a motion that supported and recognized the MOU.
Nenshi outlined the NDP’s own legislative proposals—minimum wage increases, energy affordability measures, whistleblower protections and grid reliability—and said the UCP had “turned down” every effort.
“These are the priorities we know Albertans want to see from their government,” he said.
Schow, meanwhile, dismissed recall efforts, separatist petitions and outside controversies as distractions.
“I am not being distracted by issues that are happening outside the legislature,” he said, adding that the government would continue focusing on jobs, affordability and investment.
While Nenshi has been extremely critical of the government in recent months, his polling has barely changed, and 338Canada keeps the Alberta UCP at a 99 per cent chance of winning a majority government if an election were held.