Alberta premier looks to tackle hate crimes; political experts say it’s a campaign ploy
Posted April 14, 2023 4:04 pm.
Last Updated April 15, 2023 10:23 am.
Premier Danielle Smith reached out to Alberta’s multicultural community Friday, setting her sights on tackling hate crimes while bolstering inclusion.
“The premiers council on multiculturalism will advise me on ways to best engage with Albertans on how to promote multiculturalism and social inclusion,” said Smith.
Friday’s pledge may be a vital olive branch in a tight election, following her previous comments about discrimination against the unvaccinated.
“They (unvaccinated Albertans) have been the most discriminated group have witnessed in my lifetime.”
Of course, elections are about persuading voters to mark an ‘X’ by your name. But political pundits worry parties might be having the opposite effect.
“Some of those groups are more numerous in certain Alberta constituencies, it’s not surprising to me that the UCP is trying to reach out to voters who were alienated by Danielle Smith’s comments,” explained Lori Williams, a political scientist at Mount Royal University.
“People that are already just fed up with the negativity of the campaign, some of the misinformation coming up, they’re just not happy with what they’re seeing.”
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Voter turnout spiked dramatically in 2019 after years of general indifference — leading to a UCP majority government under Jason Kenney.
But some polls have suggested as many as 20 per cent of voters remain on the fence this time, with one demographic feeling like they’re caught between a rock and a hard place.
“I think moderate conservatives I think are wondering who to vote for or in fact whether to vote,” said Williams.
Another issue surrounds lingering questions to the premier on topics like the prosecutor’s controversy or oil well cleanup.
“We’ve had a question and a follow-up for years and I don’t understand why. Audrey, it’s an election,” said Smith.
The premier began limiting reporters to one question each during a 10-minute Q and A on Friday.
Williams says, “It may well be that this strategy of to avoid questions starts to affect the image of the brand of the party and that voters want answers to questions to help inform their vote and they aren’t getting answers to those questions.”
