Photos courtesy UCP Livestream

By Erika Rolling

Politics

Two regional candidates in provincial UCP Leadership Debate

Jul 28, 2022 | 9:25 AM

Grande Prairie-Wapiti MLA and former Finance Minister Travis Toews and Central Peace-Notley MLA Todd Loewen are two of seven candidates in the running to become the new leader of the United Conservative Party, and the next Premier of Alberta.

The first United Conservative Leadership Debate was held Wednesday night in Medicine Hat.

The themes of the night touched on Leadership and Unity, Healthcare, and the Economy and Environment.

Loewen got the first opening remark of the night, saying he is running for the leadership of the party “for one simple reason, to give our party back to its membership, to bring back trust, accountability, transparency.”

He says his campaign has been going well and the theme is ‘Your Alberta, Your Way.’

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“My focus is to offer the party an opportunity to reconnect with the broader conservative movement and all Albertans, I believe the best way to do this is to start with a fresh slate of ideas, firmly grounded in principles and values that we all share.”

Toews opening remarks were not recorded online.

Affordability and Quality of Life in Alberta

Loewen received the first question of the night which entailed affordability and high quality of life in the province and the ‘Alberta advantage’, he replied “we have to be able to control our spending and make life more affordable for everyday Albertans.”

He then decided to debate the topic with his neighbouring MLA Toews, who said “as Minister of Finance I was privileged to suspend the fuel tax in this province, saving every Albertan 13 cents a litre every time they fuel up, number one… I would make that program permanent.”

Toews went on to say he would get rid of the GDL program for young drivers in Alberta and bring in a child tax credit that would work like a personal exemption on a tax return giving a $2,000 deduction per child.

The two candidates then went into open debate, with Loewen describing the financial debts of the province as watching a “train wreck” and “a government that hasn’t been living within its means.”

“We had a $10 billion dollar spending addiction, inherited from the NDP and previous PC governments if I’m honest,” Toews said.

He noted being the previous Finance Minister, balancing the budget on cheaper oil prices and through “fiscal discipline.”

Loewen went to say he is against introducing a Provincial Sales Tax, as did Toews setting the record straight saying “I have never mused about a PST.”

Healthcare

Both men did agree on the topic of healthcare, saying “the system is broken” and “failing in rural Alberta.”

I agree also that throwing money at isn’t going to solve the problem, we have an AHS system that needs severe renovation, they’ve had 15 years to get it right and they’ve been failing all the time. We have a shortage of healthcare workers, we have emergency rooms shut down in rural Alberta. – Loewen on healthcare

I’ve made some observations in the past two years; number one, AHS needs complete restructuring and we have to de-centralized their decision making structure… it’s not only failing Albertans… it’s failing our frontline professionals, and that’s tragic. – Toews on healthcare

Alberta Sovereignty Act

Another candidate, Danielle Smith’s proposed ‘Alberta Sovereignty Act‘ if she becomes premier was a very hot issue that was brought up.

Toews was very clear in saying “it would be great to just wish away all our problems with this thing called the Sovereignty Act… we are delusional if we think that’s going to happen, it simply will not.”

“My approach with Ottawa is to be assertive and strategic because strategic we win and I want a win for Albertans,” he went on to say.

Loewen did not give a straightforward response to his thoughts on the proposed legislation, instead saying; “confederation is broken. We can’t have anymore strongly worded letters, we need to act. Asking hasn’t worked, when we call nobody answers… we need to start saying no to Ottawa.”

“We have things like a pension plan and Alberta constitution that we could do right now. Myself, I drove to Ottawa to fight those rules that they came down on that were hurting Albertans. I drove there to put my money where my mouth is and stand for Albertans and stand for people across this country, the federal government isn’t going to stop, but neither am I,” Loewen reassured.

The UCP says a second official debate will take place in Edmonton on August 30 and the deadline for supporters to join the UCP membership to vote is August 12.

Ballots go in the mail on September 2 and completed ballot packages must be received by the firm overseeing the vote by October 3.

The announcement of the results and who will be the new leader of Alberta will take place in Calgary at the BMO Centre on October 6.