Although this province has been in election mode for the past year, the campaign didn’t formally begin until this week when Premier Danielle Smith asked for the legislature to be dissolved and an election date was set for May 29.
Mercifully, it won’t be a long campaign but it promises to be a spirited affair as the two leading parties, according to many recent polls, are in a virtual dead heat. Who will govern Alberta for the next four years is very much in doubt, so the stakes are as high as they get.
It’s important for voters to become educated given what’s on the line, but on the other hand it feels like we’ve been in campaign mode for so long we’re now at the point where fatigue is already setting in.
Campaigning actually began around this time last year when former premier Jason Kenney decided to step down after receiving just over 50 per cent support in an annual United Conservative Party leadership review. The subsequent race to find his successor meant last summer was dominated by that oversized contest and after Smith proved victorious, she’s spent the last seven months putting her stamp on the party and province.
Not wanting to cede the spotlight, NDP Leader Rachel Notley has also been in campaign mode for quite some time as she continues to poke holes in Smith’s approach as well as her colourful past, while trying to get voters comfortable with the idea of giving a New Democratic government another chance.
In other words, we’ve already been inundated with political messaging for far longer than a typical campaign — yet it just started on Monday. Should you be feeling the effects of this prolonged stretch of politicking, rest assured the end is in sight.
But before we get there, take the time to get informed and, above all else, make sure you cast a ballot.
