Our party entered election season with a bold and innovative platform, addressing the need to rebuke Mandatory Digital Identification and globalist mandates, restrictions, and intrusions into Albertans lives. We offered binding referendums on all critical decisions regarding Alberta’s path forward, including whether Alberta should seek to become its own nation. We gave back parents right to choose their child’s educational options and to be involved in any medical decisions until that child reaches the age of sixteen. We recognized the need to put in place a plan for long term prosperity and opportunity in resource development, technology, and innovation.

I have witnessed Danielle Smith and the UCP government bamboozle Albertans into thinking she is doing a great service to the people of Alberta by introducing the ‘Sovereignty Act.’ The ‘Sovereignty Act’ is just word play. The Act is touted as new, that there will be a fight with the Federal Government to get it in place. As for the fight with Trudeau’s Liberal government, that will absolutely happen. As for the items within the ‘Sovereignty Act,’ the implementation of an Alberta Pension Plan for example, has always been in the Alberta Government’s abilities. The Alberta Government has always had the option to manage its own pension plan, gather its own taxes for remittance and marshalled its own police force. Alberta has abdicated these responsibilities to the Federal government for decades. Bringing these things home is well within our rights as a province and should have been done years ago.

When I learned of Rachel Notley’s retirement from the leadership of the Alberta NDP party. I was not surprised. Her reasoning is that she lost two elections since her landslide victory in 2015. She believes there is no path forward for the Alberta NDP with her at the helm. What she fails to realize is there will never be a path forward for the Alberta NDP regardless of who is at the helm. From where I sit, the Alberta NDP have two colossal strikes against them. The first one is their close alliance with the Federal NDP Party and by extension, given the coalition government with Justin Trudeau, the federal Liberals. Neither is trusted within Alberta. The second is their ceaseless desire to try and sell green energy in a province that makes its living on oil and gas. Albertans are far to smart to vote themselves out of a job. Is there room for alternative energy sources as a supplement to the energy grid, of course there is. Will it ever be a primary source within Alberta, I doubt it. The cold snap in the middle of January 2024 should be all the evidence you need to make the case for natural gas and coal powered electricity. Two nights in a row Albertans were blasted with the Emergency Alert message on our phones and televisions that we must limit our power usage because we are taxing the grid. I’m sure many of us asked ourselves what exactly should we turn off? The heat tapes on our waterlines? The fans on our furnaces? It was -40 with a windchill, I wasn’t going to turn off either. I wonder, did anyone with EVs run out and unplug their cars? Likely not.

Every other news story was something about how cold it was. Yes, it’s cold, it’s January in Alberta. Its to be expected. I saw one commentator compare EVs and fuel powered vehicles and that when she was young many days vehicles wouldn’t start because the battery was ‘frozen.’ The comparison to EV’s being ‘frozen’ made me laugh, that she failed to recognize that when a fuel powered vehicle has a ‘frozen’ battery, a boost from an already running vehicle solves the problem and once the vehicle has warmed up, it is good to go. An EV, not so much. Do I believe there is room for all the technology, both EVs and fuel powered vehicles, sure, in time. To be forcing it on a province that lives at negative temperatures for much of the year is ludicrous. Those pushing the issue should be made to live with their failing technology.

There is a thirst for change on the Alberta political landscape, I think all those who put their undying faith in Danielle Smith are beginning to experience buyers’ remorse. So many people say she needs to be reminded of her promises while on the campaign trail. My answer is if she meant to keep her promises, she wouldn’t need to be reminded.

I believe that the Advantage Party of Alberta offers the sanest and soundest way forward. Our members offer solutions to everyday problems that are unique and innovative. We want to build a prosperous province and eventually a nation that we can all be proud of. Our Constitution, the guiding force in all we do, is a living document. Our policies offer insight into what we believe we have to offer the citizens of Alberta.

Carol Nordlund-Kinsey.
President APA – Leading Alberta Forward