Rosty SorokaWhile the Alberta Party leadership debate was held on campus, post-secondary education only came up once during the event.
The debate was held at Lister Centre on January 24 where the three candidates made their cases for why they should become the Alberta Party’s new leader. While they had differing stances on various policy points, including the province’s tax structure, government spending, the economy, and the deficit, the overall theme of the debate was about changing the overly partisan political climate in Alberta.
During the debate, post-secondary education came up when moderator Mike Lanteigne asked candidates Stephen Mandel, Kara Levis, and Rick Fraser what each candidate would propose to make the province more attractive to international companies and investment. Lanteigne contextualized the question with the recent story about Amazon choosing not to locate their new headquarters in the province.
Mandel, a former Edmonton mayor who was the Minister of Health during Jim Prentice’s time as Premier of Alberta, answered the question by saying competition isn’t the issue and that the province should do more in investing in its own industries, naming examples such as the tech sector and artificial intelligence.
“I think Alberta is at the cutting edge of technology,” he said. “We’ll continue to do that because of the wonderful education system we have here, so keep investing in post-secondary.”
Levis, a Calgary energy lawyer, said it “isn’t just a post-secondary issue” and proposed modifying the secondary education curriculum to better develop Alberta’s workforce, and reducing tax rates for small businesses.
Fraser, a former Progressive Conservative MLA, agreed with the other two candidates and added that the province needs to appeal to companies like Amazon by electing a “progressive and responsible government.”
Following the debate, The Gateway asked all three candidates for their thoughts on post-secondary.
Fraser said one of the things he’s heard from students is having greater transparency around student fees, and ensuring that universities run efficiently. He also said more investment is needed in mental health services for students.
“(Students) can’t get their education done if they’re suffering from mental health (issues),” he said. “Let’s face it, life is complex and students go through the same complexities as anybody else, we want to make sure that we can support them.”
Levis said jobs need to be available before the province can grow its workforce. She said the province needs to partner with the federal government in making the right kinds of investments as post-secondary education is a collaborative responsibility.
“When we’re talking about our software developers and people who are ready to work in tech, if we don’t have those jobs available then we can’t really have the workforce to support our startup scene,” she said.
Mandel spoke about the need for programs that will help students find jobs in Alberta, as well as investing in research across various disciplines.
“We need to train people for the 22nd century,” he said. “Not just in mathematics and sciences but in sociology and all kinds of areas.”
The second leadership debate is scheduled to be in Calgary on February 8. Only people who have purchased an Alberta Party membership by February 12 will be allowed to vote for the party’s new leader.
