By Geoff Smith (@smithco on Twitter)

Swann sees opportunity for Liberals if right unites under Kenney

Jan 13, 2017 | 10:32 AM

LETHBRIDGE – The interim leader of the Alberta Liberals believes a united right in Alberta led by Jason Kenney would create a positive opportunity for his party.

Dr. David Swann spoke with Lethbridge News Now ahead of a visit to Lethbridge, which was set to include a meet-and-greet Friday, Jan. 13 and remarks at the combined annual general meeting of the Lethbridge East and West constituency associations. The Liberal party will choose a new leader Sunday, June 4.

The Progressive Conservative party is itself in the middle of choosing a new leader, and Kenney has pledged to work towards a merger of the party with the Wildrose.

“I see Progressive Conservatives leaving that party if Jason Kenney is the leader,” Swann said. “I see some New Democrats who are not satisfied with the current administration coming back to the centre — what I call the sensible centre, where we balance private enterprise, private interest with the public interest in a more long-term, thoughtful, and evidence-based way.”

Swann believes a socially-conservative Kenney would pull his party to the right and repeal legislation like the carbon tax. While he’s in favour in a general way of the NDP’s environmental initiatives, he said there are a lot of unanswered questions residents want answers to.

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“What they want is more transparency about just how much all of this is going to cost,” he said. “They don’t want to follow the Ontario model, where there was a tripling or quadrupling of electricity costs. They want to see options that are affordable, and that are paced, brought in in a sensible fashion that are not going to unduly damage folks, and businesses, who are already feeling the pain of the economic downturn. And they want to know that there’s going to be opportunities for them and their children in the job market in the future.”

Swann wants to know exactly how the revenue from the carbon tax will be spent, and more details on the costs and benefits.

Other topics he expects to discuss include the economy and jobs, First Nations issues, housing affordability, and access to services.

by Geoff Smith (@smithco on Twitter)

Swann sees opportunity for Liberals if right unites under Kenney

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