Leader Brian Jean presented the Wildrose's economic plan today. They claim they can balance the provincial budget by 2017 without raising taxes.
“Our plan is sensible, modest, protects families from dangerous PC tax increases and restores jobs, growth and prosperity,” Jean said. “We will show real leadership from the top, trim PC waste and entitlements and shrink the size of government without hurting front line services.”That's a much better plan than the PC's tax hikes, spending sprees, and borrowing and putting us deep into debt.
Highlights of the budget plan include:
- Reduce Government of Alberta (GoA) managerial ranks by 33 per cent
- Reduce AHS managers and consultants by 50 per cent
- Reduce GoA travel, advertising and conference budgets by 50 per cent
- Limit public executive pay
- Roll back Cabinet and MLA pay raises and reduce expenses
- Eliminate corporate grant subsidies
- Reinstate the 3-year salary freeze on remaining managers in GoA
The spending reductions will result in an immediate $2.2 billion in savings for this budget year, and $3.5 billion by 2017-18.
The PC slogan is "Choose Alberta's Future." With Prentice and the PCs Alberta's future will be that we turn into Ontario in short order. I don't want that future. I want a smaller government. The only party that we have a chance at a smaller government is Wildrose.
Prentice is a failure. He is very very lucky that Danielle Smith lost her mind...or she would easily be the next premier.
ReplyDeleteYup, with this budget and unwarranted election, it would have been Danielle's perfect opportunity, the perfect storm you could say but she blew it! I wonder if she has any regrets with what she did watching what's going on now from the sidelines.
DeleteGiven Danielle's extremely ungracious words when she left, expressing disdain and contempt for a large number of Wildrose supporters, am glad she's gone.
DeletePrentice was in a tough position and basically tried to take a compromise position which is wise but just angered both sides. Those on the left want higher taxes which the NDP is calling for and those on the right want big spending cuts which the WRP wants and with Prentice calling for a more modest version of both he just angered both sides even though his is the most prudent and reasonable. The one good side for the PCs is they can draw from both sides. If the NDP rises into the 30s I could see many WRP voters swinging over to the PCs to stop the socialist hordes much like you see the BC Conservatives collapse in 2013 to support the BC Liberals. At the same time if the WRP starts getting close to the 40% mark the Liberal, Alberta Party and even some NDP (especially outside Edmonton) will swing behind the PCs to block a WRP victory.
ReplyDeleteAs for smaller government, I support that in Ontario, but Alberta's is not overly big and while I used to support the small government ideology, if taken too far it can have negative social consequences as we've seen in the US. I think a moderate fiscally conservative is the best course vs. an ideological right wing one.
The Alberta government "is" too big. For instance, in AHS, there are too many beauracrats, too many managers etc. That department could be trimmed immensely and the money go towards the actual care of the patient.
DeleteHave you been to an AHS facility recently? To get to a specialist's office, I had to talk to a receptionist, wait to be 'signed in' by one of three or four people serving small cubicles (presumably for privacy), talk to another receptionist on the next floor, and then finally check in at the specialist's reception are, in which sat another three or four clerks. Any real doctor's office is much more efficient and friendlier.
DeleteSo I'm driving around the west end of Edmonton last night and all I see is NDP orange. My wife is a nurse and tells me the nurses are lining up behind NDP, not surprising, they were all for Moneybags Redford last time. We need a real conservative revival in this province and that means putting these unions who bankrupting us on notice.
ReplyDeleteI am not surprised. Edmonton is union town for sure. I agree we need a conservative revival. It's manly up to us small c conservatives to spread the word, support conservatively minded candidates etc.
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