National Newswatch: Canada's most comprehensive site for political news and views. Make it a daily habit.
MEDICINE HAT, ALBERTA, CANADA — Two of Alberta’s pacesetters in the United Conservative leadership race squared off over a provincial sales tax Wednesday night in the first party debate.
Smith, in response, said as a journalist she mused about a lot of things and the situation has changed, with multibillion-dollar deficits now turning into multibillion-dollar surpluses due to rising energy prices.Smith, Toews, and Brian Jean are considered the front-runners in the race for the Oct. 6 leadership vote to replace Jason Kenney as party leader and premier.
Rajan Sawhney and others took aim at Smith numerous times, saying Smith’s promise to pass a bill giving Alberta the power to reject federal laws and court rulings would bring “chaos.” Candidate Rebecca Schulz, the former children's services minister, told Smith that she is “writing cheques you can’t cash.”Smith disagreed, saying it is the federal government that has unfairly tied up Alberta through policies that strangle development of its wellspring oil and gas industry.
Government house leader Jason Nixon and Toews, who has the support of almost half the UCP caucus, have said they doubt the house would even pass such a bill.