Alberta election day 2: NDP and UCP in ‘dead heat’ according to poll

On day 2 of the province’s election campaign, it looks like a close race to the May 29 finish.

A recent poll by ThinkHQ has the two front runners in a “dead heat” with 46 per cent each for the Alberta New Democrats (NDP) and the United Conservative Party (UCP).

There is one per cent for the Alberta Liberals, five per cent for the Alberta Party, and all other parties combine for two per cent.

About 13 per cent of Alberta voters remain undecided on how they’ll vote at this time.

Accordingly, the NDP holds a sizeable lead in Edmonton, and a moderate lead in Calgary, while the UCP has a strong lead in areas outside the major cities.

ThinkHQ Alberta provincial election chart on decided voters. (Courtesy ThinkHQ)

Calgary is what is considered a “real battleground.” The two parties are “statistically tied” at 47 per cent decided for the NDP and 46 per cent for the UCP.

In Calgary-proper, with 26 seats, the NDP has a seven percentage point lead over the UCP at 50 per cent over 43 per cent.

In addition, women and younger voters have a distinct preference for the NDP, while men and those under the age of 55 have a preference for the UCP.

According to polling from the organization, this marks the first time two parties are this close in an election in Alberta since July 2021, when both the UCP and the NDP had around 40 per cent support, respectively, from decided voters.

Tracking of Alberta elections since the 2012 election. (Courtesy ThinkHQ)

Alberta NDP promise more doctors, UCP knocking on doors

Meanwhile, the NDP released its platform on healthcare and says that healthcare has deteriorated under the UCP, leaving around 80,000 Albertans without a family doctor.

While speaking at an election event, Notley said if the NDP wins the May 29 election, the party would spend $400 million to hire more health workers and another $350 million to create 40 teams of health specialists to provide more comprehensive primary care across the province.

“If you need a doctor, you will get a doctor,” Notley told reporters at a campaign stop in Calgary on Tuesday.

“Over the past four years, our health care has been thrown into chaos by the UCP.

“They’ll tell you they fixed it, but Albertans aren’t feeling it, and they’re not buying it.

“Our (emergency rooms) are still full, our ambulances are still delayed, and many (patients) are waiting months and months for critical tests and surgeries.”

Health care is expected to be a critical ballot box issue as Alberta, like many provinces, continues to struggle with health-care worker shortages and surgical backlogs after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Notley, however, said Alberta’s problems have been exacerbated by the UCP’s policy decisions, including picking wage fights with doctors and nurses during the pandemic and creating chaos by firing the board of Alberta Health Services and the chief medical officer of health.

Meanwhile, UCP leader Danielle Smith was out door knocking Tuesday in Calgary and “talking with voters directly.”

“She will visit with volunteer canvassers throughout the city to thank them for their help on the campaign,” a statement from the UCP reads.

Smith will be hosting a virtual town hall meeting.

In addition, the UCP says it will continue to invest in health care to fix the “massive problems” inherited from the former NDP government.

The party says in a statement that in 2019, it inherited a broken, bloated and bureaucratic health system from the NDP that was failing Albertans.

Liberals say UCP and NDP are ‘too busy fighting each other’

The Alberta Liberals put out a “jobs and economy platform,” with party leader John Roggeveen saying the two frontrunners are “too busy fighting each other” to worry about workers.

“We’ve listened and based our economic platform on the priorities of Albertans. We are focused on creating jobs through education and training, supporting our energy industry, helping entrepreneurs succeed, and working with all Albertans to create shared prosperity,” he said.

The party announced a “Back to Work Grant,” which would provide a $160 million yearly to unemployed or underemployed Albertans looking to start new careers. In addition, Roggeveen says it would boost employment by bringing back a version of the “Alberta Jobs Now” program.

-With files from The Canadian Press