Braid: The Leader’s Dinner brings wads of cash to the UCP

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Cash, cash. The UCP is elevating a small fortune because the election looms, partly by reviving an previous PC custom that lapsed underneath former premier Jason Kenney.

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It is the Chief’s Dinner, a big-ticket Conservative custom that drew almost 1,000 folks in Calgary on Wednesday night time, and 1,100 in Edmonton on March 7.

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At $250 per ticket, with out group reductions, the maths is obvious; the gross consumption in Calgary is $250,000. After bills, the get together in all probability nets $225,000.

The whole for each dinner occasions is over $500,000.

However maintain onto that calculator. There are additionally extra unique receptions earlier than the dinners – $1,000 a ticket for folks to mingle with the Premier, oops, UCP chief Danielle Smith.

Assuming 100 folks attended these receptions in each Calgary and Edmonton, that is one other $200,000.

The UCP doesn’t name it the Premier’s Dinner. This suggests a authorities occasion, not a celebration fundraiser, and violates moral guidelines.

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Former premiers, together with PC Ed Stelmach and New Democrat Rachel Notley, have each needed to cancel fundraising occasions mislabeled as promoting privileged non-public entry to the prime minister.

What’s in a reputation? A pile of cash, so long as it would not embrace “prime minister”.

The NDP does its personal variations of those occasions. Over the previous few years, Notley’s get together has been extremely profitable in fundraising of all types.

Each events are loaded for the election. Wednesday confirmed — if all of the assault advertisements have not already satisfied you — that the campaigns main as much as Could 29 are out of the gate.

The day started with stands on the politically vital affiliation for rural municipalities and small cities. First up was Joe Ceci, the NDP’s critic of municipal affairs, adopted by Smith.

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Ceci hit out, saying well being care stays in determined form regardless of Smith’s claims that the worst is over

“It’s nonetheless in disaster,” he mentioned. “The prime minister will arrive right here later this morning and declare it isn’t.

“She is both willingly turning a blind eye, or intentionally mendacity to Albertans.”

He targeted on the scarcity of GPs. “We all know there’s not a single physician presently accepting new sufferers in central Alberta or the Bow Valley,” Ceci mentioned.

Smith, who spoke quickly after, didn’t retort. In truth, she didn’t point out the NDP.

As a substitute, she targeted on UCP motion in well being care, repeated claims of success in enhancing ER and ambulance wait occasions, shortening surgical procedure lists, and recruiting docs and nurses.

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Smith and the well being care administrator, Dr. John Cowell, each declared that the system disaster is over. Smith did not use these phrases Monday morning, however her which means was clear.

Ceci additionally attacked UCP strikes in direction of a provincial police drive. “That is improper,” he mentioned. “That is a foul thought. It is a political recreation that is working rampant.”

Smith didn’t point out the police in her speech to municipal leaders, most of whom voted towards it.

She primarily caught to rural key points, resembling roads, faculties, faculty buses and particularly the VKP’s new plan to drive oil firms to pay again municipal taxes.

The political image in rural Alberta is just not ambiguous. The VKP has a big lead in most areas and in addition votes strongly in small cities.

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With Edmonton leaning closely in direction of the NDP, this election is as much as Calgary; standard knowledge which will even be true.

Smith’s speech at that night’s Chief’s Dinner was a extremely partisan, crow-rattling romp, chock-full of Calgary boosterism and jabs on the NDP.

She promised work on LRT to the airport, Deerfoot enhancements and full provincial assist for a metropolis enviornment take care of the Flames.

Smith additionally targeted closely on downtown dysfunction and security. She mentioned NDP coverage results in “open drug use; overdoses and violence on the LRT and on our streets.”

She promised “zero tolerance for public social dysfunction and violence on our streets . . . Let me be clear – our authorities will do no matter it takes to wash up our streets and provides them again to Albertans.

On relations with Ottawa, Smith accused the New Democrats of supporting Liberal and federal NDP assaults on the vitality business.

She mentioned the UCP is making progress on the financial system “however make no mistake, the job is just not completed and there are harmful storm clouds forming over Ottawa which might be aimed instantly at us.”

There may be nothing strikingly new in any of this. However the temperature is rising in a political bonfire fueled by wads of cash.

Don Braid’s column seems commonly within the Herald

Twitter: @DonBraid