Leaders use breakfast to campaign

By Collin Gallant on November 16, 2018.

cgallant@medicinehatnews.com @CollinGallant

With a provincial election expected in the next six months, and a federal vote likely by the end of next year, elected officials in the region used Thursday’s Leadership Breakfast to lay out their coming campaigns.

“I’ll be unapologetically partisan,” said Glen Motz, the MP for Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner in the opening statement of the chamber of commerce panel event that also included provincial representatives who will seek reelection next year.

“There’s a recession risk that’s being driven by this (federal) Liberal government … there’s fear and worry in the business community,” he said.

“I’m optimistic coming in 2019.”

Motz recently finished his second full year after a byelection win in 2016, but is expected to defend the seat in the next general election slated for next fall.

Thursday’s breakfast was promoted as a chance for Chamber of Commerce members to meet and hear from six area political leaders in the area, including the MLAs from the Cypress-Medicine Hat and Medicine Hat ridings.

Those men, United Conservative finance critic Drew Barnes and New Democrat Speaker of the Legislature Bob Wanner, respectively, also positioned their cases ahead of the vote — potentially as early as March.

Speaking after Motz, who roundly criticized the federal carbon pricing, Wanner didn’t address Alberta’s carbon price directly, but said supporting the oil sector while promoting the development of renewable energy was “good public policy.”

“We’re in a transition to a lower carbon economy,” he said. “It’s the reality of any business place that it’s what the customer wants.”

Speaking next, Barnes said repealing the “carbon tax” would be the first act of a UCP government.

“Alberta needs to be the free enterprise leader of North America,” said Barnes. “We’ve shown time and time again that Alberta can carry that ball, but it’s a question of policy and leadership that needs to be changed.”

Wanner said he has made a point of connecting local business owners, ranchers and community leaders with provincial ministers to dispel the notion that Medicine Hat is in “the forgotten corner.”

He also said the government can’t operate on a “profit” basis, like private business, and that hard decisions must be made.

Decisions by the government and debt, said Barnes, “will eventually jeopardize every priority that Albertans have.”

The panel also included Medicine Hat Mayor Ted Clugston, Redcliff Mayor Dwight Kilpatrick and Cypress County Deputy Reeve Richard Oster. All of whom won’t face an election until late 2021.

“There was a little bit of party lines,” noted Clugston, “Obviously we’re thinking that we’re going into an election in the spring.”

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