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Campaign Trail: Leaders make promises for long-term care, education, Indigenous representation

Mar 21, 2019 | 11:07 AM

Today is day three of the provincial election campaign. Here’s a quick look at what the main party leaders are doing.

NDP Leader Rachel Notley started her day in Lethbridge by promising 2,000 more long-term care beds if her government is returned to power next month. Notley says under the $170 million program, the beds would be set up over the next five years, while those previously added by her government would be kept operational. Notley will be spending the rest of Thursday campaigning in Calgary.

United Conservative Party Leader Jason Kenney is promising a referendum on equalization if there’s no major progress on market-opening pipelines. Kenney made the announcement Thursday morning in Lethbridge before heading to Calgary for a campaign rally.

The Alberta Party said Thursday it would double the number of educational assistants in elementary and secondary schools through a $230 million boost to improve learning. Alberta Party Leader Stephen Mandel made the announcement in Edmonton before heading to Calgary for a campaign rally at 7 p.m.

Alberta Liberal Party Leader David Khan announced his party’s Indigenous platform that includes adding six new seats to the Alberta Legislature for Indigenous Peoples MLAs. Khan says a Liberal government would create regional Indigenous child protection offices, run by Indigenous groups, to help keep children in their home communities.

Freedom Conservative Party (FCP) Leader Derek Fildebrandt kicked off his campaign by announcing the first part of the FCP campaign platform entitled More Alberta, Less Ottawa. Fildebrandt says the platform focuses on three main strategies: Equality or Independence, ending equalization, and collecting our own taxes.

 

(With file from The Canadian Press)