Alberta

Mason has a point (or at least the start of one)

Harold Jansen — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 13:24:42 -0700

NDP leader Brian Mason is proposing an end to corporate and union donations to political parties in Alberta. Mason is pitching this as something that would eliminate (or at least reduce) corruption in Alberta. I'm not entirely convinced that this will make much of a difference on that front, but Mason is correct in pointing to the deficiencies in Alberta's party finance laws. Compared to other provinces in Canada (and to the federal government), Alberta has very little in either regulation of spending or in public reimbursements that would help to make political parties more competitive and able to communicate with the public. A ban on corporate and union donations might be part of the solution, but it needs to be part of a more comprehensive review of how we regulate party and election finance in this province.

Incidentally, this also points to the relative lack of discussion about the democratic deficit in Alberta so far in the election. Alberta's democractic institutions are in sorry shape, but Mason's foray into this field has been the only discussion of this thus far. I'm thinking this doesn't resonate particularly well with voters, who seem more preoccupied with what government does, not how it does it or why how government does things affects what it does (if you follow me).

Rocky Election Start for Ed Stelmach

Marco Navarro-Genie — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 11:45:55 -0700

Ed Stelmach's first week during the campaign has been rocky, if the media coverage is any indication.

The start of the Alberta election should have been an opportunity to showcase the government's accomplishments in the last 12 months. Instead, Ed Stelmach got questions about the coinciding election date with the third anniversary of the Maythorpe killing of four RCMP officers. What was reported were speculations about insensitivity or incompetence.

The opposition also attacked the premier for his use of a room to hold a press conference in the legislature. While Stelmach addressed issues in the Throne Speech, which made the use of the space legitimate, there were intimations of impropriety given the proximity to the election call. In any case, the opposition complaints got air and ink.

An order-in-council issued on the same day of the election writ was also called into question. The order stipulated new rules of ethics for public servants and elected officials leaving their posts to become lobbyists. Stelmach was accused of deliberately setting the date for the new ethic rules to take effect after the election, suggesting an intent to allow retiring ministers enough time to get into the unrestricted lobbying game.

Then was the announcement to "graduate" more doctors. Medical schools objected to the implied notion that government can graduate more students by fiat. It suggested that government would meddle in the near-sacred independence of universities to establish their own standards. While Stelmach did not intend to annoy academicians, there were yet again hints of carelessness in the use of language without accounting for the audience to whom he speaks.

That carelessness was also apparent in premier Stelmach's announcement regarding childcare. The premier appeared to be blind sided by questions and comments coming from the mothers present at the announcement. Stelmach may have expected gratitude from them but instead got an earful on camera. The premier got to display his conciliatory nature by meeting privately with those who expressed concern. But he appeared uninformed and lacking in command of the issues for which he is supposed to be presenting solutions.

Very much the same can be said about yesterday's (Feb. 11) response to the young man who heckled the premier's announcement on the environment. Stelmach announced tax-credit incentives for purchases of environment-friendly, energy-efficient items such as heating furnaces. His good nature prompted him to address the heckler's concerns. But he ended up quoting numbers, the origin of which he could not reference. Once again he gave the impression of lacking command of crucial details.

Most of these gaffes are unlikely to cost the premier at the polls. They are not gaffes of Klein proportions in any measure, but they are distracting from the message. They will probably affect many of those watching closely: his opponents, the media, and his followers. The mishaps are likely to inspire his opponents to go harder. They will reason that their hard work might encounter a future opportunity of a more disastrous gaffe; one that will have a greater effect on the outcome.

For different reasons, the media will continue to watch him hawkishly in the expectation of greater or more meaningful mishaps that they can report in what is otherwise expected to be a boring campaign. A goof-watch of sorts may have already been declared, which might result in a quick decision by handlers to keep the premier away from cameras and microphones. The mishaps are also likely to deflate the spirit of party supporters. Going in, Stelmach was already wanting in the key electoral area of troop-inspiring. More gaffes may consolidate the scepticism about the premier, which many seem to harbour in the rank and file of the Progressive Conservatives.

None of the above should be interpreted as a prediction that Stelmach and his party are going to lose the election. All else seems to suggest the opposite. The latest public opinion poll this week gives the premier a more than comfortable 25-point lead over the Liberals and puts him in clear majority territory. The lack of what the public and pundits interpret as viable electoral options in Alberta is not being supplied. The size or quality of a Tory victory will matter more to the premier's and the province's future than a victory itself.

On to week two.

2008 Alberta General Election

Jay Makarenko — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 10:07:38 -0700

On March 3, 2008, Alberta voters returned the Progressive Conservative Party to power for the eleventh consecutive time. The election was a landslide win for the PC Party, whom improved both their seat total in the legislature and their share of the popular vote from the 2004 general election. The victory was viewed as a strong endorsement for Premier Ed Stelmach, whom had replaced former party leader and Premier Ralph Klein in 2007. The election was also a major disappointment for the other major political parties, whom saw substantial losses in their seat totals and electoral support. This article provides background information on the 2008 Alberta general election, including the previous general election, party standings prior to dissolution of the legislature, pre-election polls, leader biographies and platforms of the major political parties in the election, and a summary of the election results.

Alberta Election Backgrounder

Previous elections, party standings, pre-election polls

Alberta PC Party: 2008 Election Overview

Leader bio and election platform for the PC Party

Alberta Liberal Party: 2008 Election Overview

Leader bio and election platform for the Liberals

Alberta New Democrats: 2008 Election Overview

Leader bio and election platform for the NDP

Wildrose Alliance Party: 2008 Election Overview

Leader bio and election platform for the Alberta Alliance

Minor Parties in the 2008 Alberta Election

List and links to minor political parties in the election

Results of the 2008 Alberta General Election

Progressive Conservatives win a majority government

Sources and Links to More Information

List of article sources and links to more on this topic

Alberta Election Backgrounder

Previous elections, party standings, pre-election polls

2004 General Election Results

The last general election was held in 2004, with then-Premier Ralph Klein and the Progressive Conservative Party winning a massive majority government. The Liberal Party came in second, forming the Official Opposition in the Alberta legislature.

Below are each party’s total seat counts and popular vote tallies for the 2004 Alberta general election.

Results of 2004 Alberta General Election
Political Party	% Vote	Seats	Status
PC Party	47	62	Government
Liberal Party	29	16	Opposition
NDP Party	9.8	04	-
Alberta Alliance	9	01	-

For more information on the 2004 Alberta general election:

Mapleleafweb: 2004 Alberta General Election

Party Standings Prior to the 2008 General Election

Prior to the calling of the 2008 general election, the party standings in the provincial legislature were as follows:

Results of 2004 Alberta General Election
Political Party	Seats	Status
PC Party	60	Government
Liberal Party	16	Opposition
NDP Party	04	-
Wildrose Alliance*	01	-
Independent	01	-
Vacant	01	-

*New party resulting from a merger of the Alberta Alliance Party and the Wildrose Party.

The changes to party standings since the 2004 general election were the result of several factors. In 2006, MLA Dan Backs was asked to leave the Liberal Party caucus, and subsequently sat as an independent in the legislature. In 2007, two PC MLAs resigned their seats; former Premier and party leader Ralph Klein and MLA Shirley McClellan. By-elections were held in the same year, with Liberal Craig Cheffins winning Klein’s former seat and PC Jack Hayden winning McClellan’s. Finally, in 2007 PC MLA Gary Mar resigned his seat to become the Alberta Envoy to Washington, DC. His seat was left vacant.

Pre-Election Public Opinion Polls

Public opinion polls conducted early in 2008 have shown a strong lead for the incumbent Progressive Conservative Party. A Strategic Counsel poll, released on January 17, placed the PC Party at 58 percent support, the Liberals at 19 percent, the NDP at 9 percent and the Alberta Alliance at 5 percent. A Leger Marketing poll, released on January 24, also showed a strong, albeit smaller, lead for the Progressive Conservatives. That poll placed the PC Party at 32 percent support, the Liberals at 18 percent, the NDP at 7 percent, and the Alberta Alliance at 6 percent.

For more information the results of these public opinion polls:

Strategic Counsel Poll: January 17, 2008 (PDF)
Leger Marketing Poll: January 24, 2008 (PDF)

Alberta PC Party: 2008 Election Overview

Leader bio and election platform for the PC Party

Ed Stelmach: Alberta Progressive Conservative Leader

The Honourable Ed Stelmach is Alberta’s 13th Premier. He was elected leader of the Progressive Conservative Party on December 2, 2006 and sworn in as Premier on December 14, 2006. He has been a Member of the Alberta Legislative Assembly since 1993.

Stelmach’s leadership win came as a surprise considering his campaign for the PC leadership was less prominent than that of party insider Jim Dinning and the socially conservative Ted Morton. He placed third in the first round of voting in November 2006. A week later he emerged as leader after the second round of voting, thanks to the endorsements of three candidates dropped after the first round. Stelmach replaced outgoing party leader and Premier Ralph Klein.

Following his election as party leader, Stelmach announced a new cabinet that included all of the leadership contenders who had supported him in the second round of voting. The new cabinet was criticized for being dominated by white males and for not containing enough MLAs from Calgary.

Stelmach’s initiation into politics began with his election to the Lamont County Council. The following year he became Reeve, a position he held for five years. During that time, he served as the Lamont Council’s representative on the local school board and on the Health Unit Association of Alberta. He ventured into political politics in 1993, winning the Alberta PC nomination in the riding of Vegreville-Viking. He was subsequently re-elected in Vegreville-Viking and later in the new riding of Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville in the 1997, 2001, and 2004 provincial elections.

He held four cabinet posts under Premier Klein’s government: in 1997 Stelmach became Minister of Agriculture, Food and Development; in May 1999, he was shuffled to the Infrastructure Ministry and later became Minister of Transport; and in 2004, he became the Alberta Intergovernmental Affairs Minister, a position he held until he resigned in June 2006 to become a party leadership candidate. Stelmach has also served on several provincial committees as Caucus Whip and Deputy Caucus Whip.

Born on May 11, 1951, Stelmach was raised in Lamont County in Northern Alberta on the homestead his Ukrainian grandparents established in 1898. He enrolled in a pre-law program at the University of Alberta, but returned home to assume responsibility for the family farm following a tragedy. Since returning home in 1973, he has developed the family farm business. Stelmach still lives there with his wife Marie. They have four grown children and one grandchild. He is the first Alberta premier of Ukrainian descent.

Stelmach is an active community member. He has served on the board of the Archer Memorial Hospital and Nursing Home and as a director for the Andrew Co-Op Association, the Lamont District 4-H Council and the Andrew 4-H Beef Club.

Progressive Conservative 2008 Election Platform

The Alberta Progressive Conservative website provides the Party’s statement of principles. Highlights of the statement include:

Role of the individual: The Party respects the rights of the individual, but is mindful of the responsibilities that come accompany those rights. By accepting responsibility and acting on their own initiative, individuals will achieve their full potential as contributors to prosperous communities.
Importance of the family: The Party recognizes the family, as defined by its individual members, as being paramount to the development of social responsibility and a sense of self-worth.
Free enterprise economy: The Party believes that the creation of wealth and jobs can best be achieved by a free enterprise economy. The Party is committed to fostering policies that encourage and respect entrepreneurship and innovation.
Fiscal and economic responsibility: The Party is committed to promoting a diversified economy that will provide for maximum employment, as well as fiscal planning that will protect priority programs while minimizing taxation.
Alberta as a healthy society: The Party believes that Albertans should have access to affordable and sustainable health care when they are ill or infirm. The Party also believes in the value of individual responsibility for personal wellness.
Stewardship of the environment: The Party is committed to sustaining the quality of the province’s air, water, soil, wildlife and natural environment. This includes ensuring that growth and development takes place in an environmentally sensitive manner for current and future generations.
Alberta as equal partners in Confederation: The Party is committed to maintaining sovereignty over provincial matters, believing that a strong and vibrant Alberta is a cornerstone of a strong and united Canada.

For more information on the Party’s statement of principles:

Alberta Progressive Conservative Party: Statement of Principles

Also on their website, the PC Party provides a policy statement for the 2008 election.

For the full text of the PC Party platform:

Alberta Progressive Conservatives: Policy Statements

In that statement, the Party identifies three key priorities:

Building Albertans’ quality of life
Creating and protecting Albertans’ opportunities
Greening Alberta’s growth

In the context of these three key priorities, the Party goes on to highlight several changes it has already made as government.

In the areas of families and health, the Party notes that it has increased childcare subsidies; funded the creation of additional childcare spaces; approved funding for new hospitals in Sherwood Park and Grande Prairie, the Edmonton clinic, and the South Calgary Health Campus; and approved $280 million for 832 continuing care beds to meet the needs of an aging population.

In education, the Party highlights that it has undertaken the largest schools project in Canada, which will construct over 22,000 new K-12 student spaces in the next two years. The Party has also provided block funding to address the backlog of needed renovations to older schools. Other education related initiatives include resolving the issue of the Alberta teachers’ pension plan shortfall and preventing a teachers’ strike for five years; creating 1000 new spaces for post-secondary education students in energy, the environment, and economic studies; and creating 6000 new apprenticeship seats.

In regard to social policy, the Party has introduced an aggressive plan to reduce crime and to make communities safer, including hiring more police and prosecutors; increasing treatment beds for alcoholism, drug addiction, and mental illness; and supporting victims of crime and abuse. The Party has also developed a plan to end homelessness in Alberta within ten years, and has created a $285 million fund to invest in municipal housing projects, help tenants facing unaffordable rents, and support the homelessness. The Party has also increased funding to women’s shelters and sexual assault centres, and increased monthly payments to disabled persons under the Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) program.

In environmental policy, the Party has introduced Alberta’s New Climate Change Pan, which will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 200 megatons by 2050. The Party has also removed the cap on wind power to encourage the development of more non-renewable wind energy; initiated studies on the feasibility of carbon capture and storage as a means of disposing carbon dioxide emissions; and provided grants to promote the bio-energy industry.

In regard to infrastructure, the Party has provided $11.3 billion over ten years to municipalities so they can plan in advance to manage growth; delivered a twenty-year strategic plan to catch up on high priority infrastructure projects; and committed an average of $6 billion annually to build, maintain, and repair schools, hospitals, highways, urban transit, universities, colleges, parks, and senior care facilities.

In economic and energy policy, the Party has initiated a $100 million plan to encourage rural development. The Party has also adjusted the amount of royalties the oil and gas sector will pay Albertan, ensuring that the province receives proper compensation as owners of the resources. The Party has also implemented the Ethane Extraction Policy to ensure that more natural gas is processed into petrochemicals in Alberta.

Alberta Liberal Party: 2008 Election Overview

Leader bio and election platform for the Liberals

Kevin Taft: Alberta Liberal Leader

Kevin Taft entered provincial politics in March 2001 when he was elected as MLA for the riding of Edmonton-Riverview. He became party leader in March 2004 following the resignation of then-leader Ken Nicol. Under his leadership, the Alberta Liberal Party’s organization and finances have improved. To date, Taft has served on several legislative committees, including the Standing Committee on Public Accounts. During his time as an MLA he has held various critic portfolios, including Finance, Health & Wellness, Aboriginal Affairs & Northern Development, and Municipal Affairs and Restructuring and Government Efficiency.

Before entering politics, he worked as a researcher and consultant for the Government of Alberta through his company, Taft Research and Communications. He has authored three bestselling books. Published in 2007, Democracy Derailed is about the state of affairs of government in the province of Alberta. In 2000, Taft and Calgary journalist Gillian Steward co-authored Clear Answers: The Economics and Politics of For-Profit Medicine. In 1997, Taft published Shredding the Public Interest, which accuses the Progressive Conservative government of unnecessarily cutting funding for public services. It spent 12 weeks on The Financial Post’s bestseller list and was subsequently chosen as"Alberta Trade Title of the Year" by the Book Publisher’s Association of Alberta.

Taft is a committed Westerner. He was born on September 9, 1955 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, but grew up in Edmonton, Alberta. He attended Strathcona Composite High School, and then earned a Bachelor of Arts of in Political Science and Master’s degree in Community Development from the University of Alberta. He graduated with a Ph.D. in Business from the University of Warwick in England. Taft lives with his wife Jeanette Boman, whom he married in 1982, and their two sons. They reside in the same neighbourhood where Taft was raised.

He is a former soccer coach and dedicated hockey fan. Taft plays Oldtimers’ games and frequents the local outdoor rink where he previously served as Manager of Rink Maintenance.

Liberal Party 2008 Election Platform

The Liberal platform is outlined in a party document titled It’s Time. A Real Action Plan for Alberta. Central to this policy statement are five key commitments:

Eliminate health care premiums immediately
Re-regulate the electricity industry to lower power bills for Albertans
Invest 30 percent of annual energy royalties (as opposed to spending the funds)
Cap greenhouse gases in five years, through an active partnership with the energy industry
Ensure that Albertans have the hospitals and training for health care professions they need.

In addition to these five commitments, It’s Time provides a broad set of promises across a wide range of issues. Highlights of these promises are as follows:

In the area of health care, the Party promises to focus on addressing health workforce shortages in the province and to reduce waiting times by constructing more hospitals, creating specialized surgical centres within the public system, and ensuring more efficient use of health care professionals. The Party is also committed to establishing predictable funding levels for health care, which will be annually adjusted to reflect population growth, inflation and aging, as well as implementing a public pharmacare program to reduce the cost of prescription drugs.

For more on the Party’s health care policies:

Alberta Liberal Party: Alberta Liberal Action Plan for Health Care (PDF)

In the area of government finances, the Party is committed to maintaining permanently low levels of taxation by building the Alberta Heritage Savings and Trust Fund into a massive, long-term income fund for Alberta. The Part also pledges to eliminate the province’s infrastructure debt by 2014.

For more on the Party’s policies on government finances:

Alberta Liberal Party: Alberta Liberal Action Plan for Prosperity and Energy (PDF)

In regard to economic policy, the Party promises to create a low cost environment for business by permanently keeping levels of taxation low, enacting a Red Tape Review (similar to the one in British Columbia) to aid small business, and eliminating health care premiums. The Party also promises to strengthen the Alberta economy by encouraging the building of bitumen upgraders in Alberta, to keep the economic benefits of the energy industry within the province. The Party also promises to help the forestry industry by examining a tax credit for the purchasing of machinery for efficiency and environmental performance, streamlining forestry regulations and supporting the development of biomass products that use wood fibre.

For more on the Party’s economic policies:

In social policy, the Party is committed to breaking the cycle of poverty by developing a ‘living wage’ policy that is sufficient to allow workers to support their families; make changes to the welfare system to encourage people on social assistance to move beyond poverty, such as allowing some benefits to remain until they are firmly established in the workplace; and reviewing the housing component of Alberta Works social assistance to bring it in line with the current reality of the Alberta housing market. In the context of Aboriginals, the Party advocates quick, fair, and effective resolution of land claims; increased funding for Aboriginal Friendship Centres; improvement of Aborignal health care and education; and the establishment of urban-Aboriginal health centres. In regard to seniors, the Party is committed to making the Alberta Seniors Benefit inflation-proof by tying it to the Alberta Consumer Index, increasing the number of dental procedures covered under the Dental Assistance for Seniors Program, and improving the province’s system of senior centres.

For more information on the Party’s social policies:

In the area of environmental policy, the Party is promises to address climate change by establishing an absolute cap on greenhouse gas emissions; providing incentives to develop carbon capture and storage technology; promote cleaner renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind and geothermal power; redirect the Natural Gas Rebate Program towards energy efficiency and conservation programs; and establishing a Premier’s Strategic Council on Climate Change to create and implement a comprehensive climate change policy for the province. Other environmental initiatives include greater protection of the province’s water and watershed; greater regulation of coalbed methane development; and implementation of a province-wide waste management strategy.

For more information on the Party’s environmental policies:

Alberta Liberal Party: Alberta Liberal Action Plan for the Environment (PDF)

The Party is also promising substantial democratic reform. Some specific initiatives include the institution of fixed election dates; creation of a Citizen’s Assembly on Electoral Reform to study other ways of electing Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs); enacting whistleblower legislation; and improving review of government finances by strengthening the role of the Auditor General of Alberta and the legislature’s Public Accounts Committee.

For more on the Party’s commitments for democratic reform:

Alberta Liberal Party: Alberta Liberal Action Plan for Open, Accountable Government (PDF)

Alberta New Democrats: 2008 Election Overview

Leader bio and election platform for the NDP

Brian Mason: Alberta New Democratic Leader

Brian Mason was first elected as an MLA for Edmonton Highlands (now Edmonton Highlands-Norwood) in a 2000 by-election; on March 12, 2001 he was re-elected in the provincial general election. Mason was subsequently appointed House Leader of the New Democrat Caucus and Critic responsible for Human Resources, Finance, and Agriculture. On July 13, 2004 Mason replaced Raj Pannu as the Interim Leader of the Alberta New Democratic Party. On September 18, 2004 he was selected as the new leader of the New Democratic Party at a leadership convention in Edmonton.

A particularly active MLA, Mason has served as a member of the Standing Committees on Law and Regulations, and Public Accounts, as well as the Special Standing Committee on Members’ Services.

Before being elected to the Alberta Legislature, Mason served as the City of Edmonton’s Councillor for Ward 3. He was first elected in October 1989, and during his 11 years on City Council Mason earned a reputation as a strong and effective representative for his constituents. He remained in municipal politics until Alberta NDP leader Pam Barrett resigned in 2000.

Mason was born on October 12, 1953 in Edmonton, Alberta. He completed post-secondary studies at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. From 1977-79, he served as Executive Director of the Federation of Alberta Students (FAS). Afterwards, Mason worked as a bus driver for Edmonton Transit Services. He has lived in Edmonton Highlands-Norwood for 20 years with his wife Karin and their two sons. Mason is focused on issues such as affordable housing, fair royalties for Albertans, energy deregulation, high automobile insurance rates, education funding, and treatment of senior citizens.

New Democratic Party 2008 Election Platform

The Alberta New Democrats website states the Party’s four key priorities, which are meant to “put the needs of regular Albertans first, with real solutions to make life more affordable for everyday people” (Alberta New Democratic Party, Out 4 Priorities).

The first of these priorities centres on reducing the cost of living for Albertans. Specific policies include eliminating health care premiums; reasonable tuition for students; safe, affordable care for seniors; and affordable housing by instituting rent controls and limiting the conversion of rental properties into condos.

The second priority is to ensure that Albertans receive full value royalties in the energy industry. The Party promises to follow the example set by Alaska and replace Alberta’s bargain basement royalty system with a plan that benefits regular people and delivers a full share for the resources they own.

The Party is also committed to implementing a green energy plan for the province. This involves making Alberta a leader in green energy by using royalty revenue to develop solar, wind, and geothermal alternatives in Alberta and to invest in green energy research and economic development for the future.

The Party’s fourth priority is to eliminate the influence of money from the province’s democratic system. In this context, the Party would introduce legislation to out an end to political donations to political parties from unions and corporations.

The Party’s website has also released a more detailed 2008 election policy statement across a wide range of issues. Highlights of the policy statement are as follows.

For a full statement of the NDP’s 2008 election platform:

Alberta NDP: Our 4 Priorities

In health care, the Party has promised to fight against the introduction of for-profit health care in Alberta. Additionally, the Party has promised to deal with rising health care costs and shortages of services by focusing on innovation and efficiency within the public system. This includes establishing the Alberta Pharmaceutical Savings Agency, which would control drug costs by buying bulk and by relying more heavily on generic drugs where possible; shortening wait times by setting targets for health regions and by increasing funding for long-term care, which will allow for the transfer of seniors from hospitals to appropriate long-term care settings; and creating community-based primary care clinics to divert patients out of the emergency room.

In economic policy, the Party has promised to better manage the province’s growth by developing a labour retention strategy so that businesses can run at full capacity; better controlling the pace of development in the oil-patch; supporting increased oil royalties, using some of the funds to promote a green energy industry; and building and maintaining critical infrastructure necessary for the province’s economic growth and social services.

In social policy, the Party is committed to fighting poverty by gradually raising the minimum wage to $10 per hour, and indexing it to the cost of living thereafter; implementing rent guidelines and close loopholes around condo conversions to protect rental tenants; ensuring that provincial contracts and grants enable organizations to provide a living wage to employees. The Party is also promising to reduce childcare fees and increase the number of affordable spaces available; establishing an integrated childcare plan; increasing funding for women’s shelters; and eliminating wage discrimination in the public sector. The Party is also committed to fighting crime by implementing community policing; increasing the number of police officers; and effectively addressing the roots of crime through measures to reduce poverty, affordable housing, and recreation opportunities for kids at risk.

In environmental policy, the Party promises stronger greenhouse gas emission regulations and enforcement in the oil-patch; a water management plan to ensure that current and future needs are balanced; a moratorium on additional resource development on lakeshores and lake beds; a Green Energy Plan to support green energy projects and move the province away from coalpower; and a land-use framework that curbs urban sprawl and safeguards farmland and habitats in the vicinity of cities.

In education, the Party is committed to improving the quality of the province’s primary, secondary, and post-secondary systems. In regard to primary and secondary education, initiatives include imposing caps on class sizes; ensuring schools have the necessary support staff; funding full-day kindergarten and half-day junior kindergarten for vulnerable children; eliminating fees and fundraising for learning essentials, such as computers; phasing out private schools and bringing charter schools under the jurisdiction of school boards; and providing breakfast and lunch programs. In the context of post-secondary education, the Party promises to reduce tuition fees to 1999-2000 levels and fully fund a tuition freeze thereafter; reduce student loan interest rates; increase the availability of post-secondary and trade spaces in the province; and support initiatives to build additional student housing.

Wildrose Alliance Party: 2008 Election Overview

Leader bio and election platform for the Alberta Alliance

Paul Hinman: Wildrose Alliance Party Leader

Paul Hinman is the leader of the Wildrose Alliance Party, and the only member of the party to be elected to the Alberta legislature. Hinman was born in Edmonton, Alberta in 1959 and is the grandson of E.W. Hinman, who served as a Cabinet minister in the provincial government of Earnest Manning during the 1950s. Prior to entering politics, Hinman worked in the agricultural industry as a farmer, cattle breeder, and feedlot operator.

Hinman was associated with the Alberta Alliance Party since its founding in 2002, as vice president of policy, deputy leader, and then leader. He was first elected to the Alberta legislature in 2004 for the riding of Cardston-Taber-Warner. In 2008, the Alberta Alliance Party merged with the Wildrose Party, forming the Wildrose Alliance Party. Hinman was selected as its first leader. Hinman has also participated in federal politics, serving as a board member for the Conservative Party of Canada for the electoral district of Lethbridge. He was also an active member of the former Reform Party of Canada.

Wildrose Alliance 2008 Election Platform

The Wildrose Alliance website provides a general statement of the Party’s political stance, which is as follows:

“The Wildrose Alliance believes that this province’s prosperity was built on the innovation and effort of individual Albertans and not by government. For this reason, the Wildrose Alliance will fight for less tax, a smaller, more responsive government, principled values and the freedom to develop Alberta as economic leader.”(Wildrose Alliance, The Wildrose Alliance Policies)

In addition to this general statement, the Party also provides a detailed summary of its policies in key areas, including health care, the economy, democratic reform, education, the environment, and social justice and issues. The following highlights some of the Party’s key policies in these areas.

For more on the Wildrose Alliances’s policies:

Wildrose Alliance Party: The Wildrose Alliance Policies

In the area of health care, the Party commits to fully endorsing the five principles of the Canada Health Act, which are: Public Administration, Comprehensiveness, Universality, Portability, and Accessibility. In the context of public health care funding, the Party promises to eliminate health care premiums and ambulance charges; increase funding for home care and other out-of-hospital care services; restore funding for chiropractic and physiotherapy services; fully fund and implement a mental health strategy; and to hold a referendum to prioritize health care spending. In regard to health care delivery, the Party promises to develop and implement a decentralized model for health care services, which encourages local accountability and community participation. This includes abolishing the current system of government-appointed regional health boards, and replacing them with democratically elected local hospital boards. In addition, the Party will allow all hospitals and other health care facilities to compete with one another, in order to promote efficiency and choice in health care delivery.

For more on the Party’s health care policies:

Wildrose Alliance Party: Health Care Policies

In the area of the economy, the Party will recognize agriculture as one of Alberta’s most important industries and will work to strengthen the industry. Within the context, the Party promises to support the family farm; work towards a freer market system of agriculture; develop an effective and financially viable long-term agricultural safety-net program; allow farmers to sell grain independently of the Canadian Wheat Board; and will eliminate all indirect taxes and tariffs on farm inputs, as well as reducing provincially controlled input costs for farmers. The Party will also support free and profit-orientated enterprise and a limited role for government in the economy. As such, the Party will institute privatization of Crown corporations and phase out all government subsidies to businesses and industries. The Party will also support continuing the free market approach to energy production and will strive to reduce the industry’s cost of doing business in Alberta.

For more on the Party’s economic policies:

Wildrose Alliance Party: Economic Policies

In the area of government finances, the Party promises to institute a mandatory yearly balanced budget provision for the Province, and will use surplus funds to pay debts owed by the Government of Alberta. The Party also promises to limit growth in government spending to the rates of inflation and population growth; to make major capital spending and land-use decisions openly in the Legislature (as opposed to behind closed doors); and will institute complete financial disclosure of all provincial finances. In regard to taxation, the Party is committed to instituting a flat tax for personal income tax; requiring approval provincial and municipal tax increases through a binding referendum; phasing out taxes on investment and productivity to stimulate economic growth; and eliminating many nuisance taxes and user-fees. Other key promises include reforming the Alberta Heritage Savings and Trust Fund after the Alaska Permanent Fund, and working with the federal government to gain a more equitable distribution of federal transfer payments.

For more on the Party’s policies on government finance:

Wildrose Alliance Party: Economic Policies

In the area of federalism, the Party is committed to gaining greater autonomy for Alberta within Canada. Specific policies include opting out of the Canada Employment Insurance Program and replacing it with an Alberta Employment Insurance Program; withdrawing from the Canada Pension Plan and creating an Alberta Pension Plan; assuming provincial control over national parks in Alberta; and asserting provincial (as opposed to federal) control over immigration. Other policies related to federalism include working to remove inter-provincial trade barriers, establishing an Alberta police force to end provincial reliance on the federal Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP); reforming the Canadian Senate after the Triple-E model; and recognizing that all Canadians have equal status under the Canadian Constitution. The latter position means opposing any Constitution amendment which grants special privileges or status to one group in Canada (such as recognition of Quebec as a distinct society).

For more on the Party’s policies on federalism:

In regard to social issues, the Party is committed to supporting the family as the cornerstone of society and to protect and enhance the family institution. The Party will recognize and protect parental authority and responsibility. Moreover, the Party promises to address key issues within the family, such as family violence and abuse, through increased funding and training for social agencies and workers.

The Party is also committed to the recognition that Alberta is a diverse ethnic society with a uniquely distinct Albertan culture, and that responsibility for individual ethnic group maintenance rests solely with those who wish to support their heritage (and not the government). The Party also promises to negotiate with First Nations whom wish to institute municipal-style of self-government. Other key social policies include the elimination of homelessness within the Party’s first term; reform of the welfare system to assist individuals to realize their full potential and re-establish self-esteem; support the right to own, enjoy, and use firearms in a responsible manner; ensure sufficient funding for municipal policing to allow for effective policing and protection in the province; and introduce initiatives for young offenders grounded on the notion that juveniles must take responsibility for their actions and understand the impacts of their crimes on victims.

For more on the Party’s social policies:

In regard to democratic reform, the Party promises a wide range of policies aimed at improving accountability, transparency, and citizen participation. These include holding open Cabinet meetings at least once a month, which will be broadcasted on the Internet; giving Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) a greater role by reforming the Legislative committee system and allowing government MLAs to vote freely (as opposed to voting according to the Party’s preferences); restricting the tenure of a premier to two (four-year) terms; holding a Citizen’s Assembly on electoral reform to examine alternative models for electing MLAs; instituting a system by which citizens can recall elected officials; and instituting elections for all government boards and commissions.

For more on the Party’s democratic reform policies:

Wildrose Alliance Party: Democratic Reform Policies

In the area of the environment, the Party is committed to improving air quality, ensuring clean drinking water, and greater conservation of sensitive ecological areas. Specific policies include researching methods to improve indoor air quality; instituting a Clean Water Act to ensure Albertans have safe drinking water; protecting provincial parks and ecological reserves; requiring government to meet high environmental standards in their operations; requiring Ecological Assessments for all large projects in the province; and establishing an Alberta environmental ombudsman and elected Ecological Impact Assessment Review Panels to monitor environmental impacts and halt projects. The Party also promises to oppose any implementation of the international Kyoto Accord, and to ensure that ensure that environmental laws and regulations are reasonable, sensible, and have a relationship to reality and common sense.

For more information on the Party’s environmental policies:

Wildrose Alliance Party: Environmental Policies

Minor Parties in the 2008 Alberta Election

List and links to minor political parties in the election

In addition to the four major parties (the PC Party, the Liberals, the NDP, and the Wildrose Alliance), there are several minor parties participating in the election. These include:

Alberta Greens: The Alberta Green Party is an environmentally-based political party which is “fiscally responsible, socially progressive, and committed to sustainability.”

Alberta Party: The central policies of the Alberta Party are to protect the province from negative federal policies and promote better democracy at both the provincial and federal levels.

Alberta Social Credit Party: The Alberta Social Credit Party views the individual as “the most important factor in organized society, and as a divinely created being, with both spiritual and physical potentials and needs, has certain inalienable rights which must be respected and preserved."

Communist Party of Alberta: The Communist Party of Alberta is the provincial wing of the federal Communist Party of Canada, and is grounded on the principles of socialism.

Separation Party of Alberta: The key policy of the Separation Party is to promote the formal separation of Alberta from the rest of Canada. The Party also supports democratic reform and small government.

Results of the 2008 Alberta General Election

Progressive Conservatives win a majority government

The 2008 election was a landslide win for the Premier Ed Stelmach and the Progressive Conservative Party. The Party took 72 of 84 seats in the provincial legislature, and 53 percent of the popular vote. This represented a significant improvement from the last election in 2004, where the Party (led at the time by Premier Ralph Klein) won 62 seats and 47 percent of the vote.

The Liberal Party had hoped to make significant gains in this election, but won only 9 seats and 26 percent of the vote. This was in contrast to 16 seats and 29 percent of the vote in the 2004 general election. Of particular concern was the Party’s showing in Edmonton, where it was reduced from 11 seats to only 3.

The New Democratic Party had also hoped to strengthen its position in Edmonton, but was instead swept aside by Conservative gains. The Party lost two of its seats to the PC Party, reducing its total in the legislature from 4 to 2.

The final major party was the Wildrose Alliance, which held one seat in southern Alberta prior to the 2008 election. The Wildrose Alliance had hoped to sway right-wing voters from the Progressive Conservative Party, especially in rural ridings. In the 2008 election, however, the Party had lost its only seat, and saw its share of the popular vote fall from 9 percent in 2004 to 7 (in the 2004 election, the Party ran as the Alberta Alliance Party).

The 2008 election saw the lowest voter turnout in Alberta’s history, with only 41 percent of eligible voters casting a ballot (CBC.ca, 2008).

Results of 2008 Alberta General Election
Political Party	% Vote	Seats	Status
PC Party	53	72	Government
Liberal Party	26	09	Opposition
NDP Party	09	02	-
Wildrose Alliance	07	00	-
Other	05	00	-

Sources and Links to More Information

List of article sources and links to more on this topic

Sources Used for this Article

“Unofficial Poll Results - Provincial.” Elections Alberta. 04 March 200. 04 March 2008. <http://results.elections.ab.ca/wtResults.htm>
“Parties.” Elections Alberta. 26 October 2007. 02 February 2008. <http://www.elections.ab.ca/Public%20Website/603.htm>
“Elected Members of the Assembly.” Legislative Assembly of Alberta. 02 February 2008. <http://www.assembly.ab.ca/net/index.aspx?p=mla_home>
Makarenko, J. “2004 Alberta General Election.” Mapleleafweb.com. 1 November 2004. 02 February 2008. <http://www.mapleleafweb.com/features/2004-alberta-general-election>
“Ed Stelmach.” Mapleleafweb.com. 02 February 2008. <http://www.mapleleafweb.com/node/113>
“Kevin Taft.” Mapleleafweb.com. 02 February 2008. <http://www.mapleleafweb.com/node/121>
“Brian Mason.” Mapleleafweb.com. 02 February 2008. <http://www.mapleleafweb.com/node/122>
“Alberta Elect Historic 11th Straight Tory Government.” CBC.ca. 04 March 2008. 04 March 2008. <http://origin.www.cbc.ca/canada/albertavotes2008/story/2008/03/03/election-call.html>
Seskus, T. “New Party Formed Out of Merger of Alberta Alliance and Wildrose Party.” Calgary Herald. 19 January 2008. 02 February 2008. <http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=04797b41-3bd5-4d58-9301-ebcf487ebe50&k=19103>
“A Report to the Globe and Mail: Alberta Election 2008.” The Strategic Counsel. 17 January 2008. 02 February 2008. <http://www.thestrategiccounsel.com/our_news/polls/Alberta%20Jan%2010-13%20-%20Election.pdf>
“Press Release.” Leger Marketing. 24 January 2008. 02 February 2008. <http://legermarketing.com/documents/pol/080124ENG.pdf>
“Statement of Principles.” Alberta Progressive Conservative Party. 02 February 2008. <http://www.albertapc.ab.ca/admin/contentx/default.cfm?PageId=4042>
“Policy Statements: A Message from Premier Ed Stelmach.” Alberta Progressive Conservative Party. 11 February 2008. <http://www.albertapc.ab.ca/admin/contentx/default.cfm?PageId=9205>
“It’s Time. A Real Action Plan for Alberta.” Alberta Liberal Party. 02 February 2008. <http://www.albertaliberal.com/images/uploads/Its_time.pdf>
“Our 4 Priorities.” Alberta New Democratic Party. 02 February 2008. <http://www.albertandp.ca/Issues.cfm>
“Our Leader – Paul Hinman.” Wildrose Alliance Party. 02 February 2008. <http://www.wildrosealliance.ca/party/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=37&Itemid=50>
“The Wildrose Alliance Policies.” Wildrose Alliance Party. 02 February 2008. <http://www.wildrosealliance.ca/party/index.php?option=com_content&task=category&sectionid=4&id=17&Itemid=78>
“Health Care Policies.” Wildrose Alliance Party. 02 February 2008. <http://wildrosealliance.ca/party/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=34&Itemid=78>
“Economic Policies.” Wildrose Alliance Party. 02 February 2008. <http://wildrosealliance.ca/party/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=78>
“Social Policies.” Wildrose Alliance Party. 02 February 2008. <http://wildrosealliance.ca/party/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=36&Itemid=78>
“Democratic Reform Policies.” Wildrose Alliance Party. 02 February 2008. <http://wildrosealliance.ca/party/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=30&Itemid=78>
“Environmental Policies.” Wildrose Alliance Party. 02 February 2008. <http://wildrosealliance.ca/party/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33&Itemid=78>
“Safety and Justice Policies.” Wildrose Alliance Party. 02 February 2008. <http://wildrosealliance.ca/party/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=35&Itemid=78>

Links for More Information

Prime Minister Stephen Harper

Greg Farries — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 11:11:52 -0600

The Right Honourable Stephen Harper is Canada’s 22nd Prime Minister. He is also leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, and represents the riding of Calgary—Southwest.

Harper assumed the role of prime minister on February 6, 2006 after his Conservative Party won a minority government in the federal election held on January 23, 2006. The Conservatives ran a successful campaign, due in part to the sponsorship scandal, the public’s general fatigue with the Liberal Party, as well as campaign gaffes by the Liberal Party. Moreover, an RCMP investigation into insider trading over the Liberal government’s income trust decision also hampered the federal Liberal Party’s election prospects.

Since taking office, Prime Minister Harper and his Conservative government have taken a strong stand on several issues. Perhaps most notable is the emphasis on Canada’s mission in Afghanistan; generally, the Conservative government has increased funding to support Canada’s military (to purchase new equipment), while specifically pushing for keeping the nation’s troops in Afghanistan until 2009 or longer. The Conservatives also followed through on their promise to reduce the Goods and Services Tax (GST) by one per cent in 2007 and 2008, respectively. The Conservative government has introduced other tax cuts since taking office. In the 2008 federal budget, it introduced a new Tax-Free Spending Account, which has generally received positive reviews.

During its tenure, the Conservative government has also faced criticism, perhaps most strongly around its position on the issue of climate change and global warming. In an upcoming election, this will be a key election topic. Other issues will be health care, the economy and Afghanistan.

Harper and the Politics of Conservatism

Harper has had a vibrant, and sometimes tumultuous, political career. In short, he served as a political operative behind the scenes, held office, retired and then returned to public life. Harper’s involvement in politics spans more than two decades. He was leader of the Official Opposition from 2004 to 2006, to then-Prime Minister Paul Martin’s Liberal minority government. There was rampant speculation that Harper would retire when the Conservatives failed to win the 2004 election; however, he soon put the matter to rest.

Harper is the first leader of the new Conservative Party of Canada, which came into being in December 2003. This new party is the apex of a significant period of transformation — in which Harper has been a major player — in federal politics on the right in Canada. From Confederation, the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (PC) dominated the political right; however, that political landscape began to change beginning in the mid-1980s. Harper had a short-lived dalliance with the PC Party in the 1980s under Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, but severed ties because he became disillusioned. In the 1980s, a grassroots movement in Western Canada, buoyed by key themes such as Western alienation, the sitting PC government’s alleged favouritsm of Quebec and lack of fiscal responsibility, leading to the creation of the Reform Party of Canada.

Then-Reform Party leader Preston Manning invited Harper to make a speech at the Party’s founding convention in 1987, and later made him his chief policy officer. Harper is credited with having a major influence on the Reform Party’s 1988 election platform. He ran as a Reform candidate in the 1988 election, but lost, only to serve as chief advisor and speechwriter for Deborah Grey, the Reform Party’s only elected Member of Parliament, beginning in 1989. In 1993, he stepped into public himself by running as the candidate for the riding of Calgary West — a contest which he won. Harper then went on to serve one term only. During his time as a Member of Parliament, he differed with his party on some key policy issues; in 1995, for example, he was one of only two Reform MPs to vote in favour of federal legislation requiring owners to register their guns. In 1997, Harper stepped out of politics for a number of years, only to return to contest the leadership of the Canadian Alliance Party (formerly the Reform Party). He was successful in his 2002 leadership bid and also won the constituency of Calgary Southwest in a federal by-election.

As Canadian Alliance leader, Harper worked to heal divisions that had emerged within his party; several prominent caucus members had defected in favour of a coalition with the Progressive Conservative Party, led by former Prime Minister Joe Clark. By April 2002, all but one of the dissidents had returned to the Canadian Alliance. Harper then worked to consolidate the various conservative elements to end vote-splitting on the highly fractured right, entering into negotiations with then-PC Party leader Peter MacKay regarding a merger. Despite harsh criticism and discussions that initially failed, the new Conservative Party of Canada emerged — the product of a union between the Canadian Alliance Party and the Progressive Conservative Party.

Political Ideology

Between 1997 and 2002, when Harper was out of public life, he served as president of the National Citizens Coalition, a conservative think tank and lobby group that advocates free enterprise, free speech, and government that is accountable to its taxpayers.

Harper opposed new federal legislation that placed restrictions on political advertising of private interest groups during federal elections. Harper took the federal government to court, arguing that it violated constitutional rights to freedom of expression, freedom of association and the right to vote. The case of R. v. Harper was eventually heard by the Supreme Court of Canada, which upheld the legislation, concluding it was constitutional under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Harper also continued to comment on the general direction of Canadian politics. In 2001, along with five other right-wing politicians and academics from Alberta, Harper published “The Alberta Agenda,” an open letter to Alberta Premier Ralph Klein. The group called for building a “firewall” around Alberta to limit the extent to which an “aggressive and hostile” federal government could encroach upon areas of provincial jurisdiction. Specific recommendations included Alberta’s withdrawal from the Canada Pension Plan (replacing it with a provincial plan); provincial collection of personal income taxes; creation of a provincial police force to replace the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP); resumption of provincial responsibility over health care policy; and a push for Senate reform as a major national agenda issue.

Harper’s political ideology and views were shaped during his university days; he was exposed to several political ideologies and perspectives that have contributed to the development of modern Canadian conservatism. One was neo-liberalism, or right-wing liberalism, which favours a limited role for government in a nation’s social and economic development. Noted US economist Milton Friedman, former US President Ronald Reagan. and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher espoused this brand of liberalism. Another important influence was Western alienation, which argues that the interests of Central Canada (that is, Ontario and Quebec) dominate politics in Canada, while Western Canadian interests receive second billing or are completely disregarded in national policy. In this regard, a significant ‘touch point’ occurred when former the Liberal government, helmed by Pierre Trudeau, introduced its National Energy Program, which sought to stabilize national energy supplies and prices through federal regulation of the oil and gas sector in Western Canada.

A Personal Snapshot

Stephen Harper was born in Toronto, Ontario in 1959, and grew up in the suburbs of Leaside and Etobicoke. Following graduation from high school, he moved to Alberta to work briefly in the oil industry, and then entered post-secondary studies at the University of Calgary, where he graduated with a Master’s degree in economics from the University of Calgary. In 1993, Harper married Laureen Teskey. They have two children, Benjamin and Rachel.

Alberta Election Info

Jay Makarenko — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 10:44:03 -0600

2004 Election Results & Current Party Standings

Political Parties	2006	Voter %	Current
Progressive Conservative	72	53%	72
Liberal	09	26%	09
New Democratic Party	02	9%	02
Wildrose Alliance	0	7%	0
Green Party	0	5%	0
Independant	0	1%	0
Vacant	-	-	0

Leader Profiles

Related Features and Cartoons [block:block=7]

Important Links

Official Political Party Websites

Minor Political Party Websites

Unofficial Partisan Blogrolls

Government Websites

Other Election Resources

2002 Mazankowski Report on Health Care in Alberta

Jay Makarenko — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 01:00:00 -0600

In 2002, several key reports on the future of health care were released, each of which outlined visions for reforming the Canadian health care system. At the federal level, there was the Report of the Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada (the “Romanow Report”) and the Report of the Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology (the “Kirby Report”). At the provincial level, the Government of Alberta released the 2002 Report of the Premier’s Advisory Council on Health (commonly referred to as the “Mazankowski Report”). This article provides background on the Mazankowski Report, as well as an overview and analysis of its themes and recommendations.

Background on the Mazankowski Report

What is the Mazankowski Report?

Mazankowski Report Themes and Recommendations

What are the key conclusions and recommendations of the Report?

Analysis of the Mazankowski Report

How does the Report fit into the general debate on public health care?

Sources and Links to More Information

Lists of article sources and links for more on this topic

Background on the Mazankowski Report

What is the Mazankowski Report?

Premier’s Advisory Council on Health

The Mazankowski Report was produced by the Premier’s Advisory Council on Health, established, in August 2000, by former Alberta Premier Ralph Klein. The Council had a mandate to review the Alberta provincial health care system and make recommendations for both short- and long-term reform.

The Council had 12 members, including former politicians, health professionals, and academics. The Council was chaired by Donald Mazankowski, who had served in the federal cabinet of the former Progressive Conservative government helmed by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. Since retiring from federal politics, and prior to his appointment to the Council, Mazankowski had participated in the health field, serving as chairman of the Institute of Health Economics (an Alberta-based research centre) and chairman of the Canadian Genetic Diseases Network.

For more information on the Council’s members:

Government of Alberta: Premier’s Advisory Council on Health

The Council published its final report, A Framework for Reform, in January 2002. The report is commonly referred to as the “Mazankowski Report,” reflecting the key role played by Mazankowski in its development. It is important to note, however, that the report’s final recommendations were the result of consultation with all Council members and with different organizations and individuals in Alberta’s health care field.

Council’s Mission and Activities

In preparing its report, the mission of the Council was to “provide strategic advice to the Premier on the preservation and future enhancement of quality health services for Albertans and on continuing sustainability of the publicly funded health system.” Within this context, the Council was asked to:

Assess the sustainability of the health system
Propose potential approaches and strategies
Make recommendations on a preferred vision and propose a strategic framework for health and health services in Alberta, consistent with the principles of the Canada Health Act.

In pursuing this mission, the Council:

Met with over 60 different organizations and numerous individuals representing various aspects of Alberta’s health system
Reviewed hundreds of reports and studies on health care
Reviewed information about health systems in other countries
Prepared a series of context papers on such topics as how the Alberta health system operates, how long patients wait for health services, and the views of Albertans on the health care system.

(Source: A Framework for Reform, Report of the Premier’s Advisory Council on Health)

Mazankowski Report and the Debate on Public Health Care

The creation of the Council and the release of its report occurred during a period of intense debate on the future of public health care, at both the national and regional levels. Much of this debate stemmed from concerns about the quality of public health care, including concerns about increasing waiting times for some medical services, as well as the public system’s overall financial sustainability. Tensions were high between different levels of government, with the provinces/territories demanding greater federal funding for public health care. In this context, some politicians, health professionals, and academics began to question the very foundations of Canada’s public health care system, calling for greater participation by private insurance companies and health providers.

In addition to the Mazankowski Report, several other key studies on the future of public health care were released during this period. The most ambitious was the 2002 federal report produced by the Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada (commonly referred to as the “Romanow Commission,” as it was headed by former Saskatchewan Premier Roy Romanow). The Commission’s final report, entitled Building on Values: The Future of Health Care in Canada, was based on extensive public and expert consultation and comprised of 47 detailed recommendations.

For more information on the Romanow Report on Health Care:

Mapleleafweb: 2002 Romanow Commission on the Future of Health Care: Findings and Recommendations

Another key report to be released that year was the 2002 report of the federal Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology, commonly referred to as the “Kirby Report” (named after the Committee’s chair at the time, Senator Michael Kirby). All three of these reports, the Mazankowski, Romanow, and Kirby, contained significantly different recommendations and visions for reforming public health care.

For more information on the Kirby Report on Health Care:

Parliament of Canada: The Health of Canadians – The Federal Role

Mazankowski Report Themes and Recommendations

What were the conclusions and recommendations of the Report?

The Mazankowski Report outlines a broad range of themes and recommendations on reforming health care in Alberta. The following provides a summary of what the Report offered.

For complete details of the Report’s recommendations:

Alberta Health: Full Text of the Mazankowsi Report (PDF)

Key Themes of the Report

The Mazankowski Report identified 10 key themes regarding the Report itself and health care reform in general. These included:

Long-Term Reform: The Report is not about quick fixes or reducing costs in the short term. Instead, the objective is to reform the system over a longer term. Moreover, the Report is not about broad general ideas or approaches, but attempts to provide practical ideas and solutions to address the sustainability of the Alberta health care system.

Equitable Health Care: A central position of the Report and its recommendations is that Albertans should have fair and equitable access to health services. No one should be denied access to essential health services because they are unable to pay.

Promoting Health: The Report posits that the best long-term strategy for sustaining the health system is to encourage people to stay healthy. If Albertans and policy-makers focus simply on treating people when they get sick, the increasing costs of new treatments and technology could bankrupt the system.

Rejecting Rationing: The answer doesn’t lie in rationing health care services. People are concerned about access to health care services and rightly so. All Albertans should have access to the very best health care when they need it. And it should be available to everyone on equitable terms.

More than Efficiency: There is a need to extract maximum value for every dollar spent on health care. Such measures alone, however, will not be sufficient to match increasing demands and costs in the health care system.

New Ways of Paying: The burden of health care on the tax system is growing and will continue to grow with new treatments, new cures, new drugs, and growing demand. As such, there is a need to explore new ways of paying for health care.

Re-thinking Medicare: It’s time to think carefully about what medical services should be covered by public health insurance. The system was never designed to cover all aspects of health services, but people have come to expect that it will – and at no cost to individuals.

Innovation and Competition: There is a need to innovate. It is time to open the system up, allow health authorities to try new ideas, encourage competition and choice, and see what works and what does not.

Patient-orientation: There is a need to develop a patient-oriented system that encourages empowerment, accountability, and continuous quality improvement.

Made-in-Alberta Approach: There should not be a mimicking of other health care systems, be it those of the United States, the United Kingdom, or Sweden. Albertans and policy-makers must create their own alternative – one that preserves the best of the current system while also ensuring it can be sustained into the future.

Recommendations of the Report

In addition to the key themes identified above, the Report detailed 10 sets of recommendations for reforming Alberta’s health care system:

Staying Healthy: The first recommendation is a commitment towards healthy Albertans. Specific reforms include increased support for children in poverty, providing better public health awareness, reducing tobacco use, and providing incentives for people to stay healthy.
Putting "Customers" First: This recommendation involves understanding patients as "customers." Reforms include providing a 90-day guarantee of access to selected health services and providing more choice in the health care services they receive and where they receive them.
Reducing Services Covered by the Public Health System: The third recommendation calls for a reduction in the services a person would receive through his/her public health insurance plan. An expert panel would be established to review services currently insured and whether coverage should continue. Once a service was "de-listed," coverage would have to be through the private sector.
Invest in New Technology: This recommendation focuses upon the importance of new technology (in particular information technology) in making the health system more efficient and cost-effective. Reforms include the development and implementation of an electronic health record, and a debit-style electronic health card to track and improve health outcomes.
Encourage Choice, Competition and Accountability: The fifth recommendation would impose greater choice, competition, and accountability in the health system. Specific reforms include making regional health authorities more accountable and specialized, and blending private health care with public systems.
Diversify the Revenue Sources: This recommendation sees governments as the primary financial contributors to health, but also views funding from additional revenue sources as a viable alternative. Suggested reforms include increasing health care premiums and allowing regional health authorities to raise additional revenues.
Attracting, Retaining, and Making the Best Use of Health Providers: Suggested reforms include developing a "workforce plan" that defines the roles of various health providers and anticipates future demands on post-secondary education, improving morale, and introducing new approaches for paying physicians.
Make Quality the Top Priority for Alberta's Health System: Suggested reforms include the establishment of an "Outcomes Commission" which would measure outcomes, track progress, and report results.
Promote Alberta's Health Sector as an Asset to the Province: This crux of this recommendation is to enhance the economic benefits and spinoffs of the health care industry. Suggested reforms include the development of provincial centres of excellence in health research, and the commercialization of new products and services developed through medical research.
Establish a Clear Transition Plan: The final recommendation is administrative. Specifically, it calls for continued studies concerning the implementation of the reforms, informing the public when changes occur, and addressing barriers to implementation.

Analysis of the Mazankowski Report

How does the Report fit into the general debate on public health care?

Comparison to Current Health Care System

Does the Mazankowski Report represent a radical shift in health care policy, or does it simply involve making current approaches better? The answer is not that clear. On the one hand, the Report explicitly states that it is committed to the principles of Canada’s contemporary health care policy, in particular, the tenets of the Canada Health Act. Yet, on the other hand, the Report makes some recommendations which, if adopted, would seem to radically alter the health care system.

The Report’s mandate was to make recommendations for reform that were consistent with the Canada Health Act. The Act prohibits user-fees and extra-billing while requiring provincial/territorial health insurance plans to be publicly administered, comprehensive, universal, portable, and accessible. Generally speaking, then, there seems to be a commitment to the basic tenets of Canada’s contemporary health care system.

For more information on the Canada Health Act:

Mapleleafweb: The Canada Health Act: Provisions and Administration [insert link when published]

Moreover, the Report explicitly states that Albertans should continue to have fair and equitable access to health services, while regarding governments as the primary funders of health care in the province. Again, these are basic tenets of Canada’s contemporary health care system (although, the Report does not clearly define what it means by such things as “fair” and “equitable,” or governments being the “primary” funders of health care). The Report also highlights several non-controversial reforms, which, if implemented, would not radically alter the current public health care system. These include reducing health costs by promoting the general health of Albertans, searching for ways to maximize health care dollars (without reducing quality of service), and investing in new technologies to increase system efficiencies.

The Report does, however, make several key recommendations that might significantly alter the foundation of the current public health care system. For example, the Report suggests that more competition should be introduced in the system as a means of improving innovation, quality, and patient choice. Moreover, it suggests that increased participation by private medical providers would enhance this competition. Such a reform, however, pushes the boundaries of the traditional Canadian health system, which is, to a large extent, a public-monopoly of government health insurance plans and health providers (at least, in the context of medically necessary and hospital-provided health services).

The Report also makes several recommendations that may, in fact, be construed as violating the Canada Health Act. For example, the Report suggests that health authorities should be allowed to diversify their revenue streams beyond direct government funding. One might perceive this as opening the door to user fees, which are prohibited under the Canada Health Act. The Report also recommends re-thinking what services would be provided under Alberta’s public health insurance plan. Extensive de-listing of medical services could be a violation of the comprehensive requirement of the Canada Health Act.

Market-consumerism and Health Care

It is also important to draw attention to the basic language used by the Report, which provide some indication of what sort of health care system it is advocating. In several places, the Report discusses health care in terms common to market economics and consumerism. For example, it often talks about patients as “customers” of health care, whom should be provided with greater “consumer choice.” Moreover, it often references the health care system in terms of market dynamics, with different health providers “competing” with one another for “customer business.”

This type of language differs significantly from other approaches that view health care more in terms of a publicly provided, citizenship-based good. Under this alternative view, the focus is not on market competition and consumer choice, but on “social cooperation” and “citizen entitlements” to a certain standard of health care. Moreover, this sort of language is more closely associated with health care systems that are funded and administered by public entities (such as governments), than those based on competition between private medical service providers.

The point here is not to condemn or praise the Report for this language of market-consumerism, but simply to raise attention to the fact that there are different means of talking about health care. Moreover, these different languages often involve very different priorities for the health care system. The Mazankowski Report uses the language of market-consumerism, and, as a result, seems to place great emphasis on elements such as consumer choice and market competition in its suggested approach to reforming Alberta’s health care system.

Sources and Links to More Information

Lists of article sources and links for more on this topic

Article Sources

Premier’s Advisory Council on Health. “A Framework for Reform: Report of the Premier’s Advisory Council on Health.” Alberta Health. December 2001. 10 May 2007. <http://www.health.gov.ab.ca/resources/publications/PACH_report_final.pdf>
“Premier’s Advisory Council on Health Releases Comprehensive Report on Health Reform.” Government of Alberta. 8 January 2002. 10 May 2007. <http://www.gov.ab.ca/acn/200201/11771.html>

Links to More Information

Mapleleafweb: The Canada Health Act: Provisions and Administration [insert link when published]
Mapleleafweb: 2002 Romanow Commission on the Future of Health Care: Overview of Findings and Recommendations [insert link when published]
Alberta Health: A Framework for Reform: Report of the Premier’s Advisory Council on Health (PDF)
Government of Canada: Report of the Premier’s Advisory Council on Health (Alberta) – An Overview