Danielle Smith will cut into local TV newscasts Tuesday night to deliver an address directly to Albertans, but the topic is unclear, with the government teasing only a “plan to support Alberta families.”
Unlike some past Alberta premier address’s that dealt with emergent situations like the COVID-19 pandemic, a collapse in oil prices, and sky-high interest rates, it’s not obvious what Smith plans to talk about.
“My guess is that it’s going to be about dissatisfaction with the federal government and standing up for Alberta,” said Lori Williams a political scientist with Mount Royal University.
The feds are a favourite topic for the Premier.
Smith spent last week fighting the Liberal government on immigration and the possibility of Justin Trudeau working with the Bloc Quebecois to delay an election.
Williams pointed out there is no shortage of issues facing Albertans but also no quick fixes.
“There are a lot of questions swirling around Alberta about healthcare, in particular,” Williams explained.
“This immigration question has been top of mind for a lot of people recently. Affordability continues to be a concern, and we don’t see a lot of progress on a lot of these.
Smith hinted last week that solutions to school overcrowding could make up part of her address.
READ MORE: Smith says ‘every single school’ in Alberta has capacity issues while hinting at new plan
Pensions, housing, and food prices were all issues on the minds of people CityNews spoke with on Whyte Avenue Monday afternoon.
“I’m retired. So, I worry about my Canada Pension Plan. That just makes me wonder what she’s thinking,” said Grace Shewchuk, referring to Smith’s effort to pull Alberta out of the CPP and establish a provincial retirement plan.
“I’m retired. Housing is a problem. They need to address that,” said Jerry Grant.
“Honestly, food prices are insane. I work up in Fort Mac, and I’m living payday-to-payday,” said Harvey Whitford.
“Leave my pensions alone. I bet she gets that message from everyone over 50,” said Ron Marsh.
Smith has done two government TV updates so far as premier.
The first was to announce inflation relief payments in 2022 and the other, this past February, was to preach budget restraint and a desire to grow the heritage trust fund.
Smith’s address will air and stream across Alberta on CityNews platforms on Tuesday at 6:50 pm. NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi will make a statement afterward.