Less than four weeks before the United Conservative Party (UCP) will see the election of a new leader, Cochranites were able to attend a meet-and-greet event with UCP leadership candidate Travis Toews on Sept. 8.
Toews met with supporters at the Rocky View Brewing Company, where he was introduced by his UCP colleague Miranda Rosin, the MLA for the Banff-Kananaskis riding.
“He is a family man, a man of principle and someone that I am so happy and excited to support,” Rosin said in her introduction of Toews, who is the MLA for Grande Prairie-Wapiti.
Once he was at the podium, Toews recalled his involvement in politics, which he said began after realizing the actions of the former NDP government would impact future generations. After winning his seat and becoming the UCP’s Minister of Finance and president of the Treasury Board following the 2019 election, he worked towards achieving more fiscal responsibility to Alberta.
“We were spending $10 billion more per year on a per capita basis than similar size provinces and that was unacceptable,” Toews said. “That would mean we would be in structural deficit territory forever.”
Toews wants to position Alberta’s economy towards growth. He believes entrepreneurs in Alberta innovate, deploy capital, and take risks that grow the economy.
“You need to hear me say this – governments don’t create wealth. At best, governments redistribute it and they do it inefficiently,” Toews said. “The government’s role is to simply make the most competitive environment possible.”
He argues bring a new leadership style where “every voice matters, every voice needs to be heard, and we need to work together after a decision has been taken.”
During his talk, Toews addressed economic diversification, mentioning different industries are coming to Alberta and creating new jobs and generating income.
He also discussed the dearth of front-line health-care workers in Alberta, describing it as a “capacity crisis.” If he becomes premier, Toews wants to review health-care credentialing, expand training spaces, and restructure AHS.
With plans to strengthen Alberta’s economy, Toews said he plans to fight against economic attacks facing the province through his five-point plan, dubbed “Strengthening Alberta.”
Another method to correct what he calls the “fiscal imbalance” in Alberta is through the Provincial Pension Plan.
“It will be a massive improvement for Alberta employers and Alberta employees,” Toews said. “It will result in the strongest pension plan in North America. I’ve seen the math, but we have to handle it carefully.”
Toews believes in eroding the federal government’s tax power through tax points. Although it is a long-term play, he wants to be less dependent on fiscal transfers from Ottawa as they “always come with strings attached.”
He believes the agriculture and energy sectors are more important than ever. The 30 per cent cap on fertilizer usage put forward by the federal Liberal government is something he believes is completely unacceptable, and said he plans to push back and call on Alberta to be assertive.
As the former Minister of Finance, (Toews had to step down from the role when he announced his candidacy for the UCP leadership) he made his position clear on inflation. “The best thing governments can do in times of inflation is spend less, borrow less and tax less. That’s my plan,” Toews said.
If elected, he plans to permanently suspend the Alberta fuel tax in times of high energy costs. It would save Albertans $1.3 billion on an annual basis, he argued, while also preventing $65 million dollars from heading to Ottawa.
“It’s not a big amount, but I’ll take that win every time we can get it,” Toews said.
He also plans to cancel the GDL program in Alberta. He views the additional $150 for the license as unnecessary, since roughly 500,000 Albertans drive without it.
“Let’s cancel the red tape, let make sure our driving tests are sufficient to ensure competency and safety, and drive like we did in the decades previously,” he said.
Additionally, Toews said as premier he would provide a child tax exemption of $2,000 per child for every family in Alberta. He wants to help relieve young families by not giving a handout, but by simply relieving their tax burden.
In his closing statements, Toews said he would be a confident, principled and proven UCP leader, who could unite the party and win the election in 2023.
“And friends, if we do that, Alberta’s best days are ahead,” he said. “We simply have to seize this opportunity, this moment in time. The decision is in our hands today.”
Candidates for UCP leadership alongside Toews are Leela Aheer, MLA for Chestermere-Strathmore; Brian Jean, MLA for Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche; Todd Loewen, MLA for Central Peace-Notley; Rajan Sawhney former Minister of Transportation and MLA for Calgary-Northeast; Rebecca Schulz, MLA for Calgary Shaw, and former leader of the Wildrose Party, Danielle Smith.
