Why you wouldn’t want to be Alison Redford
Posted Jan 9, 2013 11:42 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A local political scientist says he’s glad he’s not Premier Alison Redford.
Mount Royal University’s Duane Bratt tells 660News, Redford has been in damage control mode for months, which doesn’t bode well as she tries to find ways to tackle Alberta’s growing deficit.
“You’ve got investigations going on into her behaviour by the Ethics Commissioner,” notes Bratt. “You’ve got the health-care inquiry. You’ve got the Elections Alberta investigation into the Daryl Katz donation. And now you’ve got the fiscal storm here.”
When it comes to the province’s finances, Bratt says the Premier has some tough decisions to make without adding to the rising tide of red ink.
“She’s either going to have to break the promise about no new taxes,” says Bratt. “She’s going to have to break the promise about no continued deficits. Or she’s going to have to break the promise that she made to doctors and teachers about spending cuts in those areas.”
He says Redford is facing increased pressure from both within and outside the party to break one of her promises in order to balance the books. Without serious spending cuts or new sources of revenue, the projected deficit for the current fiscal year is expected to top $3 billion.
Bratt notes 2013 marks the 6th straight year of sustained deficits in Alberta.
