Affordability in the Alberta Election: ‘The 21st century version of vote buying’
Posted May 12, 2023 8:58 am.
Last Updated May 12, 2023 9:05 am.
Groceries, rent, pharmaceuticals, you name it. The rising cost of living is no new reality for any Albertan, so what can the next provincial government do to save people money and win over voters?
Statistics Canada reports the cost of food has gone up almost 10 per cent in 2022.
Local charities like United Way of Calgary and Area and the Social Impact Lab continue to work to provide affordable groceries for those in need. Their pay-as-you- go Thursday market in Calgary is a model that allows people to buy food items and pay what they can.
“We recognize that there’s an opportunity to really provide three things — dignity, accessibility and choice of food,” said Social Impact Lab Alberta project director Monique Blough. “With long lineups at the food bank just because there’s so much demand, the pay what you want model creates an opportunity for people to access food when they need it and in a way that’s meaningful to them.”
Watch: Is food inflation an election agenda in Alberta?
According to Blough, 20 per cent of Albertans are dealing with food security issues.
Food inflation and grocery prices are on the minds of Albertans, but is it the same for the political parties taking part in the upcoming election?
“Parties are likely going to stay away from that simply because it’s really complicated to put policies in place that would directly impact how much Albertans are spending on groceries,” Christine Myatt, a senior consultant at the New West Public Affairs said. “It is something that everyone is dealing with right now and if the party’s started to talk about it a bit more about this and how their policies would impact that, I think they would be served well in this election campaign.”
When it comes to affordability measures and the role they play in the election, economist Moshe Lander says they could hold significant sway.
“It’s the 21st century version of vote buying. It’s as simple as that,” he said. “The central American democracy where you pull up in the truck and you just hand out cash to everybody and say remember who to vote for.”
Watch: How does the cost of living fit into Alberta’s election?
On the front of rent control and grocery subsidies, Lander is doubtful that any Alberta party would adopt such a police. He was also quick to remind of a certain cost of living absent in Alberta.
“You know the province already doesn’t have a sales tax. So there is essentially a rebate that’s going on where every other province and territory has a provincial sales tax,” he said
With previous Alberta governments focusing more on rising energy prices, Lander added that the market for other reliefs might not be as strong.
“What is viewed here is that there’s more votes in subsidizing natural gas and gasoline, than there is in subsidizing bread and cattle,” he said.
