Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA)

In the 2015 provincial election, the New Democratic Party, led by Rachel Notley, won an unprecedented victory in Alberta. Unseating the Progressive Conservatives -- who had won every provincial election since 1971 -- they formed an NDP government for the first time in the history of the province. Unfortunately for Premier Rachel Notley and her NDP government, revenues from Alberta’s energy sector tanked in 2015 and still hasn’t fully recovered. Nevertheless, the NDP government pressed on with their plans to rectify Alberta’s massive infrastructure deficit in support of public institutions, but in the process, they’ve amassed hefty budgetary deficits, despite implementing progressive tax changes and a carbon levy In July 2017 the Progressive Conservative and Wildrose Party merged to become the United Conservative Party (UCP) and the official opposition party in Alberta. Later that year, Jason Kenney became the leader of UCP and since then, has laid out a very different way forward for Alberta with more em