Sky-high household costs caused by UCP must be fixed, says NDP leadership candidate Gil McGowan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, April 19, 2024

EDMONTON – Working class Albertans are struggling with the highest inflation and the lowest wage growth in Canada, and UCP policies deserve a lot of the blame, NDP leadership candidate Gil McGowan said at a policy launch event today.

“We’re the only province with a deregulated and privatized power market. That allowed utility companies to jack up prices by 128 per cent last year. The UCP turned a blind eye,” said McGowan.

“We’re the only western province with privatized and deregulated auto insurance and Albertans pay hundreds of dollars more each year. The UCP won’t address this problem, either.”

Smith’s “Alberta is Calling” campaign brought people to Alberta but failed to ensure newcomers had a place to live when they got here.

“We now have the fastest rising apartment rents in the country and Calgary rents are now almost on par with Toronto,” said McGowan. “And we’re one of the only Canadian provinces without rent controls.”

For the 2027 election, the Alberta NDP needs to be the party of affordability to attract the missing piece to a winning coalition, the support of working class Albertans. The Alberta NDP lost to the UCP among self-identified working class voters, a situation McGowan has vowed to fix.

McGowan laid out a detailed plan to cut household costs.

“As the president of Alberta’s largest worker advocacy organization, I know how to bring more working Albertans over to the NDP,” said McGowan.