BONNYVILLE – A UCP fundraiser hosted by the Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul UCP Association in Bonnyville on Jan. 26 included discussions around several topics with special guest, UCP leader and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.
Local MLA Scott Cyr, along with Danielle Smith, addressed a variety of issues from healthcare, to policing, to pensions and education, along with several other rural concerns. Over 700 people were in attendance at the event.
During Cyr’s remarks, he talked about the continued efforts of bolstering healthcare in rural areas and in the Lakeland, such as the UCP government providing a $500,000 grant to Portage College for its nursing program.
“Let’s put our kids to work... we’re sending them to Calgary... Edmonton... when we can actually have them stay here,” said Cyr.
He also talked about his efforts into fishing rights, including putting forward a plan with Minister of Forestry and Parks Todd Loewen to start stocking lakes in northeast Alberta. “We need to make sure that if we want to go out and take our family and take some fish... we want to be able to (actually fish),” he said, receiving applause from the crowd.
The aim, according to Cyr, is to have more people go out and enjoy what northeast Alberta has to offer.
Another area of concern Cyr addressed prior to introducing the UCP leader included rural crime. Cyr said he would want to see more prosecutors, and a solution to the bail system.
He also expressed concerns about the long-term impacts of wind farms and assured that the UCP government would take a cautious approach to avoid future burdens.
Introducing Smith, Cyr said the Premier is a servant-leader, stating she created 98,000 new jobs and continues to reduce billions of provincial debt, while still allocating funds to focus areas such as healthcare and redesigning the Alberta Health Services (AHS) for better efficiency.
“Too often the [Alberta] NDP attack the person and not the policy... that’s the big problem when you’re dealing with socialists,” he told the crowd. “They want to tear you down as a person.”
But Smith, said Cyr, has “she’s outsmarted them in every way possible. That’s the Premier.”
Smith welcomed Cyr back to the legislature. He previously served as MLA in the former riding of Bonnyville-Cold Lake from 2015-2019, prior to the realignment of constituency boundaries. “[Cyr] serves your community with dedication and integrity,” she said before thanking the crowd.
“Our conservative movement in Alberta is strong and stronger than it's ever been... it's growing faster... more united as a party more than ever before,” she said.
Smith proceeded to touch on areas such as the importance of delivering essential services without burdening future generations with debt and high taxes, as well as issues on energy and power grid reliability. She addressed the necessity of maintaining baseload power sources like natural gas and coal to ensure a stable energy supply and prevent potential rolling blackouts, while pursuing a more realistic approach into emissions reduction.
Followed by her opening remarks, she answered questions from the crowd.
Highway 28
Bonnyville Cold Lake St. Paul UCP Constituency Association president Mitch Sylvestre presented the questions. “I think the first question we need to ask is where we are with the AHS.”
“I thought you were gonna say... Highway 28,” she joked, the crowd laughing along. But she addressed the issue, “because I know it’s such a big issue here.”
Smith said dealing with Highway 28 is important, acknowledging how local politicians made a strong case of how it strongly affects the economy in the region. She said transportation projects are key to economic corridors.
AHS
Going back to AHS, Smith said restructuring AHS involves a problem the Alberta government identifying flow of patients in hospitals due to improper allocation of patients across different levels of care.
She said patients are often accommodated in acute care beds, leading to overcrowded hallways and impacting ambulance services. Thus, the need for a shift towards appropriate care settings for patients, preventing the overflow into critical areas.
Speaking of building more hospitals as a proposed solution from people, she said it would cost billions to build hospitals. Instead, she suggested building other types of facilities to accommodate different levels of care like long-term care, detox, and mental health facilities, and investing more in primary care.
Gun Control
She also discussed the right to bear arms.
According to Sylvestre, the federal government is attempting to direct the RCMP to confiscate guns based on anonymous complaints, allowing them to enter homes. “Is there a way you can help us to stop federal people from going into our homes?”
In response, “I believe we have a right to bear arms... and I believe that we have a right to self-defense,” said Smith, explaining the UCP government will look at ways to address the issue. “So know that help is coming.”
She added the government has already demonstrated its commitment to push back against the federal government.
“We told the federal government that we will not be directing your RCMP in your confiscation programs. That is not our priority,” she said, explaining they have passed a legislation saying that any municipal police force that the federal government approaches to confiscate firearms, will have to get the province’s approval.
“We're prepared to do whatever it takes to make sure that laws on firearms’ owners are protected,” she said.
Crime
She said her focus with policing is on crime. “I encourage people to walk around in Edmonton and see how we're doing for downtown,” she said.
According to Smith, homeless encampments have become organized crime operating drug markets victimizing people, and demanding people to pay protection money.
Smith shared the story of “a nursing student who was raped by three members of a gang as an initiation,” and gangs who set tents on fire, burning an occupant to death, “because they didn’t pay for protection,” said Smith
“So, you’re asking me what my policing priority is? It's gangs and organized crime that are terrorizing our communities and victimizing them,” she said.
Alberta Provincial Police Force
Sylvestre asked if it would be better for the province to have its own police force to better address crime.
Smith acknowledged there was a lot of pushback on the idea of a provincial police force when it was first initially introduced, and she wondered if that has changed. “We have a federal police force, but they're not really under our control. I think that's what I'm concerned about in the beginning,” she said.
She said the provincial government is offering grants to municipalities to study the feasibility of building their own police force, which over 10 municipalities have already taken. “If you think that there's a better policing option for your local community, we're happy to fund this study looking into it.”
“But I tend to agree with [Sylvestre], that the way that we have control over our own policing... is by having a law enforcement that answer to our local police divisions... and not the guys in Ottawa,” she added.
Other areas of concerns Smith addressed is the federal government’s approach to bolstering regulations for natural herbs and supplements – Bill C-47.
“I take vitamins myself... I take curcumin and omega 3,” she said.
According to Smith, what the federal government is trying to do is not fair, "It’s not right.” She also said Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre “talked about how he would reverse whatever it is they're doing at a federal level,” and she is looking at options of tackling the issue at a provincial level.
She also talked about the federal pension plan. According to Smith, Albertans are owed 53 per cent – $364 billion – of the base assets of the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) if it does create the Alberta Pension Plan.
“That should send a message to the rest of Canada, about the extent to which Alberta overpays,” she said. “They take more money from us, transfer back less, so can they can subsidize and support the rest of the country.” Smith asks the federal government to release its own numbers.
“I thought it would be very straightforward to just put what the numbers look like, and [ask] do you want to continue this? Do you want to continue having Ottawa extract $9 billion here from our ratepayers, return only $5 billion dollars a year to our seniors, [and] keep the remaining $4 billion,” she questioned.
If people have the right information, the right numbers, know what they’re paying and what they are getting, “and they want to continue to stick with that, then I’m going to accept the will of the people,” she said.
“I'm not giving up on the argument. But I want to tell you that I don't think we’ve convinced the majority of Albertans yet and we have to do a little work on that,” Smith added.
UCP’s success
Following the fundraiser, Lakeland This Week asked Smith what she thought has been the biggest success of the UCP party since she has taken over the helm.
“We’ve got a lot that we still need to do,” she said. “But I was really pleased that we came together as a party, because part of what was happening in the UCP is that there was infighting and disagreement.”
With infighting, it becomes too difficult to get unified around any issues, according to Smith. “So, that was, I think, my biggest success.”
She said the party has also put in a fiscal framework that allows for an annual investment while controlling spending to pay down debt and increase savings.
“But I need to do a bit more work on the things that I think are going to be our biggest successes,” such as repairing the ailing health care system, ensuring those with mental health and addiction needs are taken care of, and solving the public safety crisis, said Smith.
“We've got way too much harm happening on the streets, way too many of our vulnerable being victimized, way too many gangs and organized crime that are making our areas unsafe. So, I need a little bit more time on that. But those are the things that are going to be my top priority.”
Cyr said he was pleased with Smith coming to Bonnyville.
“When we're looking at the Premier and her support for rural, she's the second premier in over 50 years to be able to actually come from rural,” he said. Smith is the MLA of Brooks-Medicine Hat.
“This is a premier that can really connect with us in a way that no other Edmonton and Calgary premier can really connect with us,” said Cyr, expressing that he looks forward to continuing working with the Premier.
Cyr echoed Smith’s sentiments with rural areas. In the Lakeland, he said he would also want to see the upgrading of Highway 28, address rural crime, and improve access to health care.
“She heard every one of those and you know... she's going to work on starting to fix things up for us,” he concluded.
