Albertans vote on Monday in what has been described as one of the most significant elections in Alberta's history. The whole country is watching.

Why? Because this election is a choice between two competing trajectories: A future of debt and energy unaffordability versus prosperity and affordability.

Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley has tried to distract voters during this election campaign with fear and smear tactics. Her record as the former Premier of Alberta, a job she held for four years from 2015 – 2019,  is so bad she has not even campaigned on it. In fact, she has done everything possible to avoid it.

And what is her record?

For starters Notley foisted the first Carbon Tax on Albertans before Trudeau’s federal Carbon Tax was even introduced. One of the first legislative actions of her NDP government was to introduce the Climate Leadership Plan. In addition to phasing out coal, investing in renewable energy and capping oil sands carbon emissions to 100 megatonnes a year, this plan also introduced a carbon tax.  

Notley’s carbon tax was the single-largest tax-hike in Alberta history. It was also reported by Aaron Wherry in the CBC as the most “significant climate policy ever put forward by a government in Canada” up to that time.  

Notley failed to effectively oppose Trudeau’s job-killing Bill C-69, the Impact Assessment Act, also known as the “no more pipelines” bill. This Bill, which became law in 2019, is perhaps one of Justin Trudeau’s most devastating blows to the energy industry because it makes pipeline approvals and construction in Canada so burdensome and costly; pipelines aren’t being built because the approvals process is long, volatile, and risky. Apart from a few pathetic notes of protest, Notley did almost nothing to oppose this anti-Alberta Liberal legislation.

Notley also plunged Alberta into the largest deficit in its history, with thousands of Albertans moving away, a trend which has only recently started to turn around. The fact that Notley is campaigning on a 38% tax hike on businesses is not a good sign of this trend continuing.

You can bet that a second Notley NDP government will once again eagerly applaud the Trudeau/Singh government as they continue to advance their ruinous green agenda, including their goal of Net Zero emissions by 2050, and “Just Transition” which in other words means a shutting down of the Canadian oil and gas sector.

And the Trudeau/Singh government that has no regard for the struggles of Canadians. Energy prices are skyrocketing, Canadians cannot afford to pay their bills or feed their family, and are visiting food banks in record numbers. This is Trudeau’s legacy.

The federal Liberal/NDP alliance has made their intentions clear: they want to shut down Canada’s oil and gas sector, eliminating thousands of well-paying jobs in the West, and further plunging our economy into crisis. If Notley and the Alberta NDP win, Trudeau and Singh will have another ally for their green agenda.

A vote for Rachel Notley and this Liberal/NDP alliance is a vote for unaffordability, plain and simple.

Alberta cannot afford to backslide. Danielle Smith’s UCP has and will continue to stand up to Ottawa and the Trudeau/Singh government. Premier Smith will continue to advocate for Canada’s largest resource sector and economic driver, the oil and gas industry.  

The choice in Alberta comes down to energy affordability or energy “unaffordability.” It is a choice between a prosperous future for Alberta — and Canada — and one that will cause untold economic damage.

Look carefully at what the Notley NDP have done as a warning sign for what will come if they get into power. And on Monday, I urge those in Alberta to vote for Danielle Smith and the UCP. The rest of the country is watching.