Alberta election: Week 2 closes out with wildfires top of mind on campaign trail

Alberta’s raging wildfires are posing a test – in real time – for party leaders. Melissa Duggan on the unfolding crisis during an election campaign.

By CityNews Staff

As wildfires ensnare thousands of people in Alberta, leaving many of them out of their homes due to an evacuation order, the two front runners in this year’s election are in a “politics of emotions.”

As CityNews continues its weekly recap of the Alberta election campaign, one of our panel members, who will be live with us on election night, shares her thoughts on what is creeping up to the surface.

“What we are seeing within this provincial election is a lot of games of ego. So we are starting to forget that it should be citizens first, as opposed to actually trying to attain power and control,” said Marilyn North Peigan, a former Calgary-Klein NDP candidate.

“What it comes down to is the fact that the status quo doesn’t work anymore. And we need to start figuring out where that direction is going to change. And citizens do have that power to make that difference.”


Read More: Week 1 of campaigning wraps for ‘one of the most important’ elections in Alberta history


This comes as UCP leader Danielle Smith and NDP leader Rachel Notley have both put forward ways to support citizens affected by the wildfires. Smith, in her capacity as premier, and the province are using emergency powers, and on Tuesday, are providing a one-time $1,250 payment to evacuees who have been displaced for a cumulative seven days.

Notley, meanwhile, has offered insight and support to the UCP as her party has experience in dealing with wildfires, including the one near Fort McMurray in 2016. She also expressed her sympathy to all Albertans who were forced to leave their homes.

However, are their reactions to the fires up to par? Some regions aren’t getting enough attention, North Peigan says.

“Our Indigenous communities up north … they’re facing a lack of resources,” she explained. “They’re defending their communities on their own, through volunteers and through GoFundMe. So once again, we find the Indigenous communities and the Meti communities up north falling through the system as it evolves.”

“And unfortunately, we do not have that Indigenous quality to actually bring these highlights into those circles,” she continued.


Watch: Alberta UCP, NDP on campaign trail in Calgary


With the polls still showing the UCP and NDP in a tight race, what will allow one party to get ahead of the pack? North Peigan says undecided voters should look at the leaders’ values and see how that reflects on the community, adding the NDP and UCP have been “very disconnected from the citizens here in Calgary.”

“What they are turning it into is a politics of emotion instead of reaching out to the citizens themselves, such as the Indigenous community. This is our Treaty 7. This is our nation,” she explained.

“And we do believe that all people are treating  as people, and unfortunately, they’re not. They’re not jumping on that bandwagon. So it is a continuation of the status quo that no longer works.”

Smith faced some sharp criticism this week, having to respond to a pair of videos the NDP shared in recent days, one of which involved her comparing people who were vaccinated against COVID-19 to followers of Hitler and a resurfaced video of her talking about selling hospitals to private contractors.

Meanwhile, the UCP alleged the NDP was involved in a demonstration when protesters interrupted a conference in Calgary.


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In an update Friday afternoon, Alberta Wildfire said there were 74 active wildfires in the province, including 20 that are out of control. A provincial state of emergency remains in effect.

It adds the province has already seen 435 wildfires this year, with around 435,000 hectares burned.


Watch: Understanding municipal wildfire communication


The NDP won with Notley leading the party in 2015 – the first for the New Democrats in Alberta – before former Premier Jason Kenney won with the UCP in 2019.

Smith became premier and the leader of the UCP last October.

Join CityNews on debate night on May 18 and on election night for full coverage of the vote, both on-air and online.

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