Editor:
Albertans are facing a cost-of-living crisis not seen in decades.
Grocery prices have risen astronomically, gas prices were close to $2 per litre and utility rates are nearly triple what they were under the NDP Government.
As well, as a direct result of UCP policy decisions, Albertans are paying hundreds of dollars more in income tax, property tax, school fees, tuition, student loans, camping, utilities and car insurance.
Despite all of this, UCP Finance Minister Jason Nixon recently claimed life is already affordable for Albertans, we aren’t feeling the impacts of inflation, and all is well – or even better – because of choices his government has made.
Nothing could be further from the truth. The entire UCP Government have lost touch with the challenges facing everyday families. They don’t understand the reality of Alberta families trying to put food on their kitchen table or small business owners struggling to keep the lights on with utility bills that are hundreds more dollars than they used to be.
They don’t understand the stress of parents trying to afford costly back-to-school bills come September or the reality facing future leaders who want a post-secondary education but are facing massive increases in tuition and increased interest on the student loans they may turn to.
Albertans don’t need their government to be denying the reality they are facing. They need an urgent action plan to deal with their current struggles and worries.
I hear every single day from people who feel they are a little further behind each month. There is an affordability crisis in this province. Denying it disrespects people who are facing tough decisions about buying a house, starting a family, or expanding their business, who are seeing the cost of everything go up.
Albertans deserve a government they can trust to make decisions that put money back in your pocket. A government who will get up in the morning and work hard on their behalf, fighting to make life better for people across the province, rather than fighting each other in increasingly dramatic fashions.
An Alberta NDP government will have a plan for the challenges of today and a plan for the surplus that sets us up for tomorrow. Our commitment to you is should Alberta’s NDP form the next government we will fight every day to make life more affordable for you and your family.
Shannon Phillips,
NDP Finance Critic and Lethbridge-West MLA
