Peter Shokeir | [email protected]
UCP leadership candidate Travis Toews stopped by the Hinton Royal Canadian Legion on Sept. 20 to hear the concerns of residents, which ranged from inflation to health care.
Serving as finance minister under Premier Jason Kenney, Toews is now hoping to lead the United Conservative Party into the future.
“I think there’s a recognition that unity within our conservative party and movement is important, and I would agree with that,” Toews said.
Toews described how Alberta was undergoing a health-care capacity crisis, felt most acutely in rural areas, that needed to be addressed through means such as restructuring Alberta Health Services (AHS).
“AHS is a highly centralized decision-making structure that’s disengaged frontline health-care professionals. That has to change if we’re going to materially improve health care in Alberta.”
Inflation and affordability are two other hot-button issues that Toews addressed, saying “sound fiscal policy matters during times of inflation.”
“I believe the best thing governments can do is spend less, borrow less and tax less. That would be my approach.”
As an example of this philosophy, Toews proposed making it so the fuel tax would be suspended every time energy prices rise.
He would also focus on getting Alberta a “fair deal” in Canada by looking at changing the formulas for federal fiscal transfer programs such as equalization, and he supported the idea of an Alberta pension plan.
The UCP leadership race comes after Premier Kenney narrowly won a majority in his leadership review back in May and subsequently decided to resign.
Toews acknowledged that COVID had made the last two years difficult, resulting in division within the party.
“We’d made great progress fiscally and economically, but right now, leadership style, tone and approach matters,” he said.
“I will bring a very different leadership approach that Premier Kenney, an approach that ensures that every voice around the table is heard, ensures that, again, we work together to identify the solutions to the challenges we face as Albertans.”
The UCP will announce ballot by ballot results of its leadership election and introduce its new leader and Alberta’s premier-designate on Oct. 6.
