wildrose pledge

8/2/2019 Wildrose Pledge

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TheWildrosePledge toAlbertans


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Pledge 1

Balanced Budgetand Savings Act

Page 2

Pledge 2

WildroseFamily Pack

Page 13

Pledge 3

AlbertaEnergy Dividend

Page 21

Pledge 4

Albertas Patient

Wait TimeGuarantee

Page 29

Pledge 5AlbertaAccountability Act

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Fellow Albertans,

Thank you or your interest in the Wildrose Pledge!

The ollowing pages are our pledge to you in this historicelection campaign. They contain the ve priorities o a newly

elected Wildrose government. I hope you will take a look at each

pledge item and let us know what you think.

This document the Wildrose Pledge details the ve items a

newly elected Wildrose government would act on immediately.

These ve pledges will allow us to hit the ground running i

Albertans elect us to orm government.

As you may know, we have developed comprehensive policies

o all areas o provincial aairs. You can read them all at

wildrose.ca. These policies, along with the Pledge, will guide a

newly elected Wildrose government.

Over the course o this election campaign, Albertans are

going to see two very dierent visions put orward by

two very dierent parties. On one hand, there will be the

same old PCs a party thats out o touch and only out or

themselves. On other hand, there will be Wildrose a party

with new ideas that put Albertans rst.

Ater reading through the Wildrose Pledge, Im condent

youll agree that theres really only one party in this election

that is running on the issues and ideas that put you and

your amily ront and centre.

Thanks again!

Danielle Smith

Wildrose Party leader

The WildrosePledge to Albertans

BalancedBudget andSavings Act

WildroseFamilyPack

AlbertaEnergyDividend

AlbertasPatientWait TimeGuarantee

AlbertaAccountabilityAct

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Every day, Alberta amilies makeresponsible spending decisions to

make ends meet and save money or

their uture. Our government should do

the same. The Balanced Budget and

Savings Actwill:

Balance our budget by limiting

spending increases to no more than

population growth plus infation.

Preserve unding or ront-lineworkers such as nurses, teachers,

and social workers while cutting

billions in wasteul spending such

as carbon capture and storage,

new MLA oces, and PC Cabinet

salary increases.

Wildrose Pledge #1

Balanced Budgetand Savings ActCareul spending, saving or the uture, and living withinour means better ideas that put Albertans frst.

Prohibit government rom runningdecits or spending the interest

earned in our childrens Heritage

Savings Fund.

Decrease our childrens reliance

on uture oil and gas revenues by

saving hal o provincial surpluses

to grow the Heritage Fund to

$200 billion in 20 years.

PROTECTFront-line workers

ELIMINATE

Nurses Teachers Social Workers

Carbon Captureand Storage

CCSX $New MLA oces PC Cabinet salary

increases

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Each and every day, Alberta amilies

make prudent and responsible spending

decisions and save money or utureexpenses. Sometimes, this means

delaying spending decisions and

oregoing some luxuries until they can

aord them.

The Redord government could learn a

lot rom Alberta amilies. Government

spending has exploded in Alberta,

doubling over the past ten years. And

this massive spending growth has

little to show by way o results. Health

care waiting times have increased

dramatically, class sizes have remained

high, and support or persons

with developmental disabilities is

oten inadequate.

Its time that government got serious

about controlling spending growth and

saving or the uture. The WildroseBalanced Budget and Savings Act

will limit year-over-year spending

increases to population growth plus

infation, mandate a return to balanced

budgets without the need or any cuts

to teachers, nurses, or other ront-line

workers, and grow the Heritage Fund to

bring it in line with other resource-based

unds, such as those in Alaska

and Norway.

Executive Summary

Over the next 20 years, by investing

hal o our surpluses in the

Heritage Fund, we can grow it toapproximately $200 billion. The

interest generated by this und will

replace our current reliance on revenue

rom natural resources to pay or critical

programs such as health and education,

and will allow Alberta to diversiy its

economy by lowering taxes and ees or

individuals and businesses over the

long term.

Albertans work

hard, pay their

taxes, and live

within their means

and they expect

their government

to do the same.

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Q Q

Frequently Asked Questions

What will the Balanced Budget and

Savings Actdo? What does this law mean or each Albertan?

Cap increases in annual government spending to the rate o

infation plus population growth.

Reinstate mandatory balanced-budget legislation that the PCs

repealed in 2009.

Mandate that 50% o all cash surpluses be invested in the Heritage

Fund, with the goal o growing the Fund to $200 billion in 20 years.

Prohibit government rom transerring interest earned in the

Heritage Fund into general revenues until annual earnings rom the

Fund surpass government revenues rom oil and gas.

A return to balanced budgets and a debt-ree uture or our children

and grandchildren.

A guarantee o low taxes and strong social programs long ater oil

and gas revenue becomes less than it is today.

Sustainable and predictable long-term unding increases or core

social services such as health, education, justice, and other critical

support programs.

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Budgetprogramspending

($millions)

Indexofcombinedcummulative

populationandinflationgrowth

40,000

30,000

20,000

10,000

0

500

100

200

300

400

97-98 98-99 99-00 00-01 01-02 02-03 03-04 04-05 05-06

Fiscal Year

06-07 07-08 08-09 09-10 10-11

Over the last 10 years, the PCs have raised spending by 100%

thats double the rate o infation plus population growth.

Had the PCs merely restrained spending to the rate o infation

plus population growth starting as late as 2007, Alberta would

have maintained a budgetary surplus. Instead, the PCs have run

a decit or our straight years, and have budgeted or another i

re-elected.

QWhat is the PC record on spending and saving?

At $15 billion, when adjusted or infation and population growth, Albertas

Heritage Fund isnt even worth what it was in 1976 when Premier Peter

Lougheed rst created it. This is due to the act that every year the PCs keep

skimming all the interest into general revenues in order to oset the size o their

massive spending decits.

A decade o outspending ination and population growth

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What are some examples o irresponsible

PC overspending?

$2 billion or CCS$2 billion in Carbon Capture and Storage grants or large private

companies.

34% salary increaseCabinet voted to give themselves pay hikes to the tune o $50,000 or

the Premier and $40,000 or all cabinet ministers. Thats a 34% Increase

in salary at the beginning o a provincial recession when thousands o

Albertans were being laid o and having their salaries cut.

$1 million AHS bonusesAlberta Health Services executives were paid $1 million in bonuses on

top o $4.8 million in salary in 2009, despite an ER crisis, mishandling o

the H1N1 crisis, and ballooning waiting lists.

$6 million health region payout

When all health services were centralized under the Superboard, the CEOs o thehealth regions were awarded more than $6 million in payouts, even ater millions

were paid in severance.

$275 milliondollar renovation on the Federal Building or new MLAoces, including a $100 million parkade.

$340 million or a new Royal Alberta Museum to replace the one thatalready exists.

$348,000 or anti-oilsands programsGrants o $54,700 to Dirty Oil and $239,000 to Tipping Point - both anti-oilsands

documentaries.

$735,630was paid in severance to red AHS CEO Dr. Stephen Duckett ater hisCookie incident.

$280,000on international travel in the rst hal o 2011 alone, on more than 20international trips. The PCs set the record or international travel in 2008, when MLAs

spent a total o $796,000.

$10-16 billion or transmission linesDeclaring $10-16 billion in unnecessary transmission lines critical, with the ull tab

going on Albertans power bills while transmission companies are o the hook

or costs.

$151,000 to send cabinet ministers and their assistants to the 2010Vancouver Olympics.

$390,000 in untendered contracts to Kelley Charlebois or advice toGary Mar when he was Minister o Health. No proo o any actual work done or the

Government by Charlebois was ever provided. He was appointed PC party interim

director a month ater Mar lost the leadership race.

$30 million to und new enterprises in Alberta, which was then used to nancetwo Vancouver-based companies instead.

Q

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How will Wildrose balance the budget?

As was proposed in the Wildrose Alternative Budgets in 2010 and

2011, Budget 2012 will be balanced without cutting unding or

ront-line workers in health, education, policing, childrens services,

persons with developmental disabilities, or seniors.

In addition to capping overall government spending to the rate

o infation plus population growth, Wildrose will cut the $2 billion

Carbon Capture and Storage program, prioritize and stretch

the existing three-year capital plan one additional year, and

discontinue the record o wasteul PC spending outlined above.

Based on the governments own revenue orecast, the table below

shows that these simple steps could eliminate the projected PC

decit or 2012 and produce substantial cash surpluses beginning

with Budget 2013.

Extending the three-year capital budget to our years will

result in $4.121 billion o inrastructure spending each year.

This works out to $1100 per Albertan, which is more than what BC,

Ontario, and Saskatchewan spend and equates almost exactly to

Quebec. This generates a savings o $1.6 billion or Budget

2012 alone.

* Government Estimates ound in Budget 2012.

** The PC government currently considers annual growth in the Heritage Fund as investment income; it spends everything beyond ination as ordinaryrevenue (see pp. 110 and 118 o Budget 2012). Wildrose pledges to keep Fund growth in the Heritage Fund. In the long-term orecast above, we havesimply removed this fgure rom Revenue.

*** Expenses in the Wildrose Alternative Budget 2012 were calculated by starting with the PCs Budget 2011-12 orecast minus capital grants. Weincreased this operational number by 2.5%, then added back the Wildrose proposed capital grant amount o $2.5B. The same procedure is used untilour our-year capital plan ends, at which time all spending is projected to increase at 3.9%. Stretching planned capital spending over our instead othree years is equal to $4.121B per year in capital spending. Based on the governments historic proportions o capital grants (budgetary expense) to

capital investment (non-budgetary expense), we project $2.5B in capital grants and $1.621B in capital investment annually through 2015-16. In thelong-term orecast below, all capital spending is included in expenses.

**** For the frst our years, this rate o Increase is to the operating budget only, while the amount or capital grants is held constant at $2.5B. In 20167-17,the increase o 3.9% applies to both the operating budget and capital grants.

As stated above, the government runs a real cash surplus when the total amount o revenues it collects exceeds that o the total amount o money itspends in a given year. The current accounting practices used by the PCs to calculate the size o budget defcits and surpluses are misleading. TheReal Cash Surplus is derived by subtracting Capital Investment (which the government does not classiy as an expense) rom the Budget Surplus fgure.By implementing the Wildrose Balanced Budget and Savings Act, Alberta will be returned to a sizable cash surplus in 2013-14. This Real Cash Surplusis what will be used or all surplus-related calculations (such as Heritage Fund Deposits).

Value o Heritage Fund is calculated using government projections and targets or growth (until 2014-15) with a more conservative 5% projected

annual growth ater that. The number reects the value o the und at the end o the fscal year (March 31) with all und growth retained and 50% o theyear-end cash surplus added to it. For greater clarity, the number at the bottom o the 2013-14 column represents the value it is estimated to have in2014 once 2013-14 4th quarter results are confrmed.

WILDROSE Balanced Budget and Savings Forecast

(millions o dollars) 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17

Revenues 40,263* 43,283 46,529 49,553 52,031

Increase 7.5% 7.5% 6.5% 5%

Heritage Fund Growth

(reinvested in Fund)** (785)* (839)* (881) (925)

True Revenues 40,263 42,498 45,690 48,672 51,106

Expenses*** 38,626 39,529 40,454 41,783 43,412

Increase**** 2.5% 2.5% 2.5% 3.5% 3.9%

In. + pop. Increase 4.1%* 4.1%* 4.1%* 3.9% 3.9%

Budget Surplus 1,637 2,969 5,236 6,889 7,694

Capital Investment (1,621) (1,621) (1,621) (1,621) (1,684)

Real Cash Surplus 16 1,348 3,615 5,268 6,010

Heritage Fund 15,833 16,667 19,744 23,365 27,538

Q

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With economic swings, how can you promise

to balance the budget and make predictions or

10 or 20 years?

Predicting uture revenues is certainly not an exact science, but it

is still important to plan or the uture using conservative estimates.

Failure to plan or the long term is a long-term plan to ail. This is

true o amily, business, and government nances.

Our estimates or annual revenue growth are 7.5% in the short

term, alling to 5% long term. These estimates in revenue growth

are substantially more conservative than those ound in the PCs

most recent budget.

Our estimated long-term rate o return in the Heritage Fund is a

very conservative 5%.

In almost every area, Alberta spends more per capita than other

provinces. Spending does not need to continue to rise at an

irresponsible rate in order to sustain the social services Albertans

need and expect.

As our table on page 7 makes clear, a positive gap between revenues and

expenditures will quickly be established i spending is restrained to the rate o

infation plus population growth. This will ensure balanced budgets in the uture

regardless o economic cycles.

I a serious economic downturn were to hit beore that cushion was established

and oil prices dipped to roughly $50 a barrel, we would balance the budget by

slowing or reezing spending increases, prioritizing inrastructure projects on an

urgent-need-only basis, and implementing a hiring reeze in the public sector

beore dipping into the sustainability und or cutting ront-line service personnel.

Q

Failure to plan long

term is a long-term

plan to ail.

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Fiscal

I spending is restricted to the rate

o ination plus population growth,budgets will be balanced...

and the social services Albertans

need will be sustainable.

Projected Wildrose Budget Surplus

$1.63billion

$2.97billion

$5.23billion

$6.89billion

$7.69billion

2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

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How will Wildrose grow the Heritage Fund

to $200 Billion?

By holding spending increases at or just below the rate o infation

plus population growth, government revenues will begin to surpass

spending, resulting in growing surpluses almost every year.

By investing 50% o these cash surpluses in the Heritage Fund

and keeping our hands o the interest earned in the Fund so it

compounds and grows, we estimate that nearly $14 billion will be

added to the Heritage Fund over the next ve years, bringing its

value to roughly $29 billion.

I the PCs had implemented this spending and saving plan in 2007,

we would still have the entire $16 billion Sustainability Fund and

the Heritage Fund could be as much as $30 billion this year.

As the long-term orecast below explains, projecting a 5% annual growth in

revenues (which is hal o the Governments short-term orecast) and a 3.9%

increase in annual spending, along with a modest annual rate o return o 5% on

our investments, the Heritage Fund will grow to about $100 billion by 2025, and

surpass $200 billion in 20 years.

At $200 billion, the Fund would generate roughly $10 billion per year in interest

an amount that would greatly reduce reliance on non-renewable resource

revenues or uture generations o Albertans.

With a Heritage Fund o $200 billion, not only could we aord to balance

our budget while maintaining and sustainably growing core social program

spending regardless o the price o oil, we could also begin to permanently

lower other taxes and ees. By making the Alberta Advantage stronger, we

attract new businesses and industries to diversiy our economy.

Q

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Long-Term Budget and Savings Forecast

$58.8billion

$129.4billion

$258.6billion

2021-22

2027-28

2033-34

(millions) 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22REVENUE $ 51,106.00 $ 53,661.30 $ 56,344.37 $ 59,161.58 $ 62,119.66 $ 65,225.65

Increase 5.00% 5.00% 5.00% 5.00% 5.00% 5.00%

EXPENSES $ 45,096.00 $ 46,854.74 $ 48,682.08 $ 50,580.68 $ 52,553.33 $ 54,602.91

Increase 3.90% 3.90% 3.90% 3.90% 3.90% 3.90%

CASH SURPLUS $ 6,010.00 $ 6,806.56 $ 7,662.29 $ 8,580.90 $ 9,566.34 $ 10,622.74

Heritage Fund Deposit $ 3,005.00 $ 3,403.28 $ 3,831.14 $ 4,290.45 $ 4,783.17 $ 5,311.37

Interest rate 5% 5% 5% 5% 5% 5%

Heritage Fund total $ 27,538.00 $ 32,318.18 $ 37,765.23 $ 43,943.94 $ 50,924.31 $ 58,781.89

(millions) 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26 2026-27 2027-28

REVENUE $ 68,486.93 $ 71,911.27 $ 75,506.84 $ 79,282.18 $ 83,246.29 $ 87,408.60

Increase 5.00% 5.00% 5.00% 5.00% 5.00% 5.00%

EXPENSES $ 56,732.42 $ 58,944.98 $ 61,243.84 $ 63,632.35 $ 66,114.01 $ 68,692.46

Increase 3.90% 3.90% 3.90% 3.90% 3.90% 3.90%

CASH SURPLUS $ 11,754.51 $ 12,966.29 $ 14,263.00 $ 15,649.83 $ 17,132.28 $ 18,716.15


Interest rate 5% 5% 5% 5% 5% 5%

Heritage Fund total $ 67,598.24 $ 77,461.30 $ 88,465.86 $100,714.07 $ 114,315.92 $129,389.79

(millions) 2028-29 2029-30 2030-31 2031-32 2032-33 2033-34

REVENUE $ 91,779.03 $ 96,367.99 $ 101,186.38 $ 106,245.70 $ 111,557.99 $ 117,135.89

Increase 5.00% 5.00% 5.00% 5.00% 5.00% 5.00%

EXPENSES $ 71,371.46 $ 74,154.95 $ 77,046.99 $ 80,051.82 $ 83,173.85 $ 86,417.63

Increase 3.90% 3.90% 3.90% 3.90% 3.90% 3.90%

CASH SURPLUS $ 20,407.57 $ 22,213.04 $ 24,139.39 $ 26,193.88 $ 28,384.14 $ 30,718.26


Interest rate 5% 5% 5% 5% 5% 5%

Heritage Fund total $146,063.06 $164,472.73 $184,766.06 $207,101.31 $231,648.44 $258,590.00

Heritage FundForecast

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What is the dierence between a cash surplus

and a budget accounting surplus?

The true cash defcit was

$3.6 billion in budget 2011 and

$5.6 billion in 2010.

In simple terms, a government runs a cash surplus when the total

amount o revenues it collects exceeds the total amount o money

it spends in a given year.

The current accounting practices used by the PCs to calculate

the size o budget decits and surpluses are misleading. About a

third o capital spending is classied as Capital Investments or

provincially owned assets such as roads and bridges. The PCs

have not included this spending in their decit calculation because

they oset the expense as a new asset in the budget.

Obviously, these assets will never be sold, rented out, or bring in

any income to the province, but rather will need to be maintained

at great cost to taxpayers. O course, making these inrastructure

investments is important, but to hide the spending in this manner

disguises the true size o the Governments decits and that

isnt right.

This PC accounting magic has resulted in accounting defcits o

$3.4 billion in 2010-11 and an estimated $1.3 billion in Budget 2011.

However, in reality, the true cash defcit (which includes all capital

spending as a budget expense) was $3.6 billion in Budget 2011 and

$5.6 billion in 2010.

The 2012 budget incurs another $3.1 billion defcit, and the PCs are

planning another cash defcit in 2013.

Most o these massive cash decits were paid or by taking on new debt (morethan $3 billion already) and raiding the Sustainability Fund. The Fund declined

more than $12 billion between 2009 and Budget 2012, and the PCs plan to drain

it to $3.7 billion this year.

By implementing the Wildrose Balanced Budget and Savings Act, Alberta will

see a balanced budget in 2012 and a sizeable cash surplus in 2013. A Wildrose

Government will invest 50% o these cash surpluses in the Heritage Fund as

explained above and outlined in the short-term and long-term orecasts

on page 11.

Q

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Wildrose Pledge #2

Wildrose FamilyPack


WildroseFamilyPack





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The cost o living or Alberta amiliescontinues to rise. Instead o hiking

ees and taxes, the government should

be looking or ways to make lie more

aordable or Alberta amilies.

The Wildrose Family Pack will:

Help Albertans manage the unique

costs associated with raising

amilies by providing parents

and guardians with a $2,000 taxdeduction or each o their children

under the age o 18.

Wildrose Pledge #2

Wildrose FamilyPack

Ensure there are no barriers toeducating children by banning all

mandatory school ees in public,

Catholic, and public charter

schools.

Promote healthy and active amilies

by oering Albertans a $500

tax credit or ees spent on their

childrens sports, arts, and cultural

activities.

Promoting strong, healthy, and educated amilies better ideas that put Albertans frst.

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Alberta amilies ace high costs

associated with raising young and

growing amilies. Instead o orcing

them to pay additional user ees and

hidden taxes, the government should

be looking or ways to make it easier or

amilies to pay their bills.

As the backbone o our province,

Alberta amilies occupy a central place

in our policy platorm. The targeted

tax deductions and elimination o

mandatory school ees in the Wildrose

Family Pack are important fnancial

incentives which will help Albertans raise

strong, healthy, and educated amilies.

Executive Summary

Targeted tax

deductions and

elimination

of mandatoryschool fees.

The Redord government has done

nothing to assist Alberta amilies. Instead

o wasting money on corporate welare

and government pet projects, the

Redord government should be looking

or ways to help keep lie aordable or

Alberta amilies.

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Q Q

Frequently Asked QuestionsProhibiting Mandatory School Fees

How will this prohibition on mandatoryschool fees work? What will this mean for Alberta families?

We will ensure that no parents have to pay mandatory fees to send

their kids to public, Catholic, or public charter schools.

Parents will no longer be surprised every September by having to

write a cheque in order to fully participate in mandatory classes

such as Math, Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies.

Schools will be prohibited from charging parents for school

courses that they cannot opt their child out of.

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Q

Q

Q

Q

Will this aect schools ability to oer extra-curricular activities and optional courses?

Will this apply to transportation ees?

What kinds o ees are you banning?

Who will cover the lost revenue to schools?

No, this only applies to mandatory ees or mandatory classes.

Fees associated with optional courses and extra-curricular activities

will be unaected.

Not at this time, although we are open to a discussion o this issue

with parents and school boards.

Any ees that parents are currently orced to pay or classes that

their child is not permitted to opt out o. Oten these are called

registration, textbook, instructional, non-instructional, and locker

ees, just to name a ew.

Parents will still be expected to pay or basic school supplies such

as calculators, binders, paper, pens, pencils, and other small

stationery items.

Parents will also still be responsible or paying or optional feld

trips and extra-curricular activity costs at their discretion.

Reundable deposits or things such as lockers and textbooks will

still be permitted.

We estimate that Alberta schools are collecting $40$80 million

per year in mandatory ees at this time. We will discuss with the

school boards the best way to remedy this cash shortall ater ully

understanding the purpose and justifcation or the various ees

in question.

Schools will be prohibited from

charging parents for school courses

that they cannot opt their child out of.

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Q Q

Q

Q

How will the Child Tax Deduction work? What is the PC record on per-child deductions?

What will the Child Tax Deductioncost the taxpayer?

What will this mean or Alberta amilies?

The $2000 per child tax deduction will be used to reduce the tax

bill or any amily with children under 18.

As soon as the province has a confrmed cash surplus over

$250 million, this deduction will be phased in over the ollowing

two years.

The Wildrose Balanced Budget and Savings Plan will return us to a

substantial cash surplus in the fscal year 201314. This deductionwould then start to apply to the 2014 tax returns o Alberta amilies.

The current government has never oered a per-child

tax deduction.

We expect this break or amilies to take roughly $130 million rom

tax revenues (assuming the deduction is used on behal o 75% o

Albertas approximately 880,000 children).

When ully implemented, this tax deduction will save $400 per year

or a amily o our by eectively adding a combined $2000 per

child to the basic personal income tax deduction level o parents

and guardians.

This tax break will put more money back in the pockets o

Alberta amilies.

Frequently Asked Questions$2,000 per Child Tax Deduction

$400per year$2,000per child =tax savings for a

family of 4basic personal

income taxdeduction

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F tl A k d Q ti


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Frequently Asked Questions$500 Childrens Culture, Arts, andSports Tax Credit

Q QHow will the Childrens Culture,

Arts, and Sports Tax Credit work?

Why is the Childrens Culture, Arts, and Sports

Tax Credit important?

Families with children under 18 years o age participating in paid

cultural, arts, or sports programs will be entitled to a tax credit or

those ees up to a maximum o $500 per child.

This tax credit would save a amily o our (assuming they used the

ull credit or their two children) $100 each year.

This initiative will be introduced in the next budget.

Costs are rising or children involved in sports, cultural, and arts

programs; this credit will relieve some o those cost pressures or

amilies.

Tax breaks or participation in sports will help combat the growing

child obesity problem in Alberta.

Having children exposed to and active in artistic and cultural

activities will help them become better rounded students and

people as they grow older.

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QQ

What kinds o activities will be eligible or the

Childrens Culture, Arts, and Sports Tax Credit?

What will the Childrens Culture, Arts, and

Sports Tax Credit cost the taxpayer?

Team and individual sports such as hockey, baseball, basketball,

ootball, soccer, martial arts, and others.

Artistic and cultural programs such as cadets, scouts, girl guides,

choir, crats, dance, drama, drawing, oreign language training,

lieguard training, music lessons, painting, photography, public

speaking, voice lessons, 4H, and others.

Assuming a utilization rate o 75% or all Alberta children, the

cost o the Childrens Culture, Arts, and Sports Tax Credit will be

roughly $30 million each year.

This decrease in provincial tax revenue will be partially or wholly

oset by the economic activity generated by more parents paying

or lessons and activities or their kids, and the tax revenues that

ollow rom the individuals and organizations that teach and

oversee these activities.

Frequently Asked Questions$500 Childrens Culture, Arts,and Sports Tax Credit

$500per child

tax credit or

cultural, arts and

sports programs

$30millioncost o tax credit

per year

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Wildrose Pledge #3 Balanced Wildrose Alberta Albertas Alberta


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Wildrose Pledge #3

Alberta EnergyDividend


WildroseFamilyPack


Alberta sPatientWait TimeGuarantee


Wildrose Pledge #3


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Albertans are ortunate to live in a

province with vast energy resources

particularly oil and natural gas reserves.

Alberta amilies deserve to share in the

revenues generated rom these energy

resources, especially when the prices o

oil and gas are high.

The Alberta Energy Dividend will:

Send 20% o all provincial surplusesgenerated by oil and gas revenues

directly to Albertans, providing

every Albertan with an accumulated

total o $621 by 2016, and $2381 by

2020. This means that a family

of four would have received

nearly $10,000 ($9524) in

energy dividends by 2020.

Alberta EnergyDividendSharing in our prosperity, support or seniors,and helping amilies pay their bills better ideasthat put Albertans frst.

Ensure Alberta remains

well-positioned to meet economic

challenges by paying out energy

dividends only when the provincial

budget runs a cash surplus.

Help Alberta amilies and seniors

meet the rising cost o living during

times o economic prosperity and

rising ination.

Wildrose Pledge #3

22


25/53

Albertas natural resources have helped

make it one o the strongest economies

not only in Canada but in the developed

world. This unparalleled prosperity has

made Alberta a destination o choice or

both amilies and businesses. However,

all too oten, Albertans arent allowed

to share in the wealth created by our oil

and gas revenues, which have gone to

support lavish government spending,

a massive bureaucracy, and ineective

government programs.

The Alberta Energy Dividend willsend a portion of Albertas oil and

gas revenues directly to Albertans,

to help them pay their bills and

meet the rising cost of living. Unlike

the Redord government, which has no

aith in Alberta amilies to make their

own spending decisions, Wildrose

believes that Albertans can spend their

own money better than government

ever could.

Because they will be tax-ree, these

dividends are particularly important

or seniors, young amilies, and those

on fxed or limited incomes. This

means that other income, such as

pensions, wont be clawed back by

the government because o dividend

payments.

This new plan is both aordable and

prudent, because it recognizes that our

government must live within its means,

and make balancing the budget a top

priority. By ensuring that dividendsare paid out only in years when the

government posts a surplus, the

dividend remains aordable in the

long term.

Executive Summary

The Alberta Energy Dividend also

gives Albertans a direct stake in

the success o our provinces most

important economic driver our oil and

gas sector. Instead o using resource

revenue unds or government pet

projects and corporate

welare to beneft a

privileged ew in our

province, our plan will

ensure all Albertans

experience the tangible

benefts o their

successul and growing

energy industry.

The Energy

Dividend gives

Albertans a directstake in our

most important

economic driver

our oil and gas

sector.

23



26/53

Q Q


How will this law work? What does this law mean or each Albertan? Once Alberta is returned to a cash surplus position, 20% o

surpluses will be placed into the Alberta Energy Dividend Fund.

Whenever this und exceeds $750 million, the Government will

distribute it equally among all eligible Albertans.

All Albertans will share in the provinces massive royalty wealth

generated rom our oil and gas resources.

Ater the PC cash defcit is eliminated, the Alberta Energy Dividend

Fund is projected to reach $1 billion by 201415, producing an

estimated $302 cash dividend cheque or each Albertan in 2015.

Thats about $1200 in Alberta Energy Dividends or a amily o our.

Cash surpluses are projected to be large enough to produce an

Alberta Energy Dividend each ollowing year, estimated at $319

per Albertan in 2017 and reaching $500 annually in 2020.

Over the next eight years, we project that this plan will result in

a amily o our receiving a cumulative total o about $12,000 in

Energy Dividends.

Alberta seniors and others on modest and fxed incomes will

have the help they need to keep up with the rising cost o living in

Alberta, especially during boom times.

The Alberta Energy Dividend Fund is

projected to reach $1 billion by 201415,

producing an estimated $302 cash

dividend cheque for each Albertan in 2015.

24


27/53

Energy Dividends will come from

unbudgeted cash surpluses our social

programs and infrastructure spending

will never be affected.

The Wildrose Balanced Budget and Savings Actoutlines how we

will eliminate the PC budget defcit in 2012, and return the province

to a cash surplus in Budget 2013.

Alberta Energy Dividends will come rom unbudgeted cash

surpluses (rather than rom provincial operational or capital

budgets). This means Albertas social programs and inrastructure

spending will never be decreased or otherwise aected by these

dividends.

By implementing the Balanced Budget and Savings Act, we expect

provincial cash surpluses to grow to a sizeable level by the end o

a Wildrose Governments frst term.

QHow can the Government aord to pay out

dividends given Albertas repeated defcits?

Large provincial surpluses come more rom high non-renewable

resource revenues than rom over-taxation. Still, the Wildrose is

committed to gradually decreasing taxes and ees over the

long term.

While we are confdent in predicting general revenue trends, the

act remains that government revenues are volatile, especially in

Alberta where we are so heavily dependent on uctuating oil and

gas prices. By making permanent tax cuts based on a ew years

o large surpluses resulting rom high energy prices, Alberta would

QWhen surpluses rise, why not decrease taxes

instead o paying out dividends?

risk defcits and cutbacks when the price o oil and gas inevitably goes down

again. Dividends based on surpluses ensure that Albertans receive a return on

their resources whenever its aordable. Borrowing money in lean years to payor dividends does not make fnancial sense.

By implementing the Wildrose Balanced Budget and Savings Act, long-term

spending restraint will eventually bring more permanence to annual surpluses,

because revenue rom taxation by itsel will cover over all government spending

(the PCs currently use all o our oil and gas revenues to cover these expenses

and yet still run record defcits).When non-resource-related provincial

revenues by themselves exceed overall government spending, a

Wildrose Government would look to permanently and aggressively cut

taxation levels.

25


28/53

Why give Albertans a dividend rather than letting

Government spend the surplus? Our energy resources belong to all Albertans. We believe that

hard-working Albertans deserve a share o Albertas oil and gas

riches, and trust them to make their own choices about what their

priorities are.

The amount paid out in Alberta Energy Dividends will be less than

hal the amount set aside in the Heritage Fund (which will receive

50% o all provincial cash surpluses as per our proposed Balanced

Budget and Savings Act).

Booming economies mean rising costs or all Albertans. Alberta

Energy Dividends will help amilies and seniors cover the costs

o essentials, and enable them to cope with the increased cost o

living during boom times.

QHard-working Albertansdeserve a share of Albertas oil

and gas riches.

2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19

Revenues* 40,263 42,498 45,690 48,672 51,106 53,661 56,334

Expenses** 40,247 41,150 42,075 43,404 45,096 46,855 48,682

Real Cash Surplus*** 16 1,348 3,615 5,268 6,010 6,807 7,662

Dividend Fund Deposit ($ millions) 3 270 723 1,054 1,202 1,361 1,532

Energy Dividend per person ($) 302 319 364 412 464

Cumulative dividends per person ($) 302 621 985 1,397 1,861

* Revenue gures match the True Revenue projections in the Wildrose

Balanced Budget and Savings Actpreviously released (with the Heritage

Fund growth amounts, which the PC government treats as annual income,

subtracted).

** These expense numbers also match the projections in the Wildrose Balanced

Budget and Savings Act, but with the Capital Investment amount added to

refect the true total expenditure.

*** As stated above, the government runs a real cash surplus when the total

amount o revenue it collects exceeds that o the total amount o money it

spends in a given year. The current accounting practices used by the PCs

to calculate the size o budget decits and surpluses are misleading. The

Real Cash Surplus is derived by subtracting Capital Investment (which the

government does not classiy as an expense) rom the Budget Surplus gure.


be returned to a sizable cash surplus in 2013-14. This Real Cash Surplus is

what will be used or all surplus-related calculations (such as Heritage Fund

Deposits and Alberta Energy Dividends).

NOTE: This calculation presumes a total eligible and registered population o3.3 million Alberta residents. For eligibility criteria, see page 27.

Dividend Forecast

26


29/53

Will the Alberta Energy Dividend

result in Government being more

fscally responsible? Yes. The Alberta Energy Dividend will create a healthy

incentive or the provincial government to limit spending

increases so that each Albertan receives a generous dividend

every year.

It will also provide an incentive or Albertans to encourage

their politicians to prioritize spending and pursue a policy o

continued fscal discipline to ensure strong annual dividends.

Furthermore, the Dividend will make it clear to

the provincial government that its revenues are

the revenues of all Albertans, and that when the

government goes on an unwarranted spending spree, it

is doing so at the direct expense of Albertans.

As we have learned during the last three Alberta oil and gas

booms, leaving surpluses in the hands o politicians is not

eective. The Wildrose Balanced Budget and Savings Act

coupled with theAlberta Energy Dividend Actwill take away

the temptation to massively increase spending every time

surpluses accumulate. In act, the incentive will now be or

politicians to control spending as Albertans look orward to

their annual dividends.

All Canadian citizens who have been continuously resident in

Alberta or at least three years.

Permanent residents o Canada who have resided, fled, and

paid income taxes in Alberta or three consecutive years.

Alberta-born children under the age o three.

Albertans serving with the Canadian Forces temporarily

stationed outside o Alberta.

Prisoners will not be eligible or these dividends.

In the case o Canadian citizens who have been Alberta

residents or three years but have not fled their taxes,

registration can be completed at any Alberta registry.

First Nations people, on the same terms as all other Albertans.

Who will be eligible to receive the

Alberta Energy Dividends?

Q Q

27


30/53

What is the dierence between a cashsurplus and a budget accounting surplus?

In simple terms, a government runs a cash surplus when the total

amount o revenues it collects exceeds the total amount o money

it spends in a given year.

The current accounting practices used by the PCs to calculate

the size o budget defcits and surpluses are misleading. About a

third o capital spending is classifed as Capital Investments orprovincially owned assets such as roads and bridges. The PCs

have not included this spending in their defcit calculation because

they oset the expense as a new asset in the budget.

Obviously, these assets will never be sold, rented out, or bring in

any income to the province, but rather will need to be maintained

at great cost to taxpayers. O course, making these inrastructure

investments is important, but to hide the spending in this manner

disguises the true size o the Governments defcits and that

isnt right.

This PC accounting magic has resulted in accounting defcits o $3.4 billion in

2010-11 and an estimated $1.3 billion in Budget 2011. However, in reality, the

true cash defcit (which includes all capital spending as a budget expense) was

$3.6 billion in Budget 2011 and $5.6 billion in 2010.

The 2012 budget incurs another $3.1 billion defcit, and the PCs are planning

another cash defcit in 2013.

Most o these massive cash defcits were paid or by taking on new debt (more

than $3 billion already) and raiding the Sustainability Fund. The Fund declined

more than $12 billion between 2009 and Budget 2012, and the PCs plan to drain

it to $3.7 billion this year.


move toward a balanced budget in 2012-13 and a sizeable cash surplus in

2013-14, resulting in our frst cash deposit into the Alberta Energy Dividend

Fund (see table on page 26).

Q

No. By keeping the dividend tax-ree, we can ensure that receiving

the dividend does not trigger any claw backs or seniors receiving

benefts or or those on social assistance, while guaranteeing that

all Albertans receive the ull value o the Dividend.

Will the Dividends be classifed

as taxable income?

Q

28

Wildrose Pledge #4 BalancedBudget andWildroseFamily

AlbertaEnergy

AlbertasPatient

AlbertaAccountability


31/53

g

Albertas PatientWait Time Guarantee

udget a dSavings Act

a yPack

e gyDividend

at e tWait TimeGuarantee

ccou tab tyAct

Wildrose Pledge #4


32/53

Despite unprecedented levels o

government spending, Albertas health

care system continues to underperorm

and leave Alberta amilies and seniors

at risk. Through the Patient Wait

Time Guarantee, Wildrose will ensure

Albertans have timely access to the

quality health services they need,

regardless o their ability to pay.

TheAlberta Patient Wait Time

Guarantee will:

Ensure that Albertans on

wait lists or longer than the

Canadian Wait Time Alliance

Benchmarks or 10 major health

procedures may choose to have

their procedure perormed at

an independent acility in or

out o province, and to have

Provide openness and

accountability in Albertas health

care system by publishing wait

times or all publicly insured health

services at all Alberta hospitals

and clinics.

Albertas PatientWait Time GuaranteeTimely medical care, universal health coverage, andputting patients rst its the Alberta way.

that procedure paid or by their

Alberta Health Insurance.

Add capacity to our health

system by allowing or a mix o

public and independent health

care delivery, as long as health

care remains publicly unded and

universally delivered in accordance

with the Canada Health Act.

Implement a Protection o Public

Health Care Guarantee that

commits the Government to

increase the number o publicly

insured health procedures and

treatments perormed in Alberta

until the clinically acceptable wait

time benchmarks established by

the Canadian Wait Time Alliance

are achieved.

30


33/53

Albertans expect they will receive

quality medical care within medically

acceptable timelines rom our public

health care system. However, years o

ballooning spending growth have still

not improved health care delivery within

Alberta. Albertas hospitals, which

oer some o the best medical care

in the world, are being choked by

excessive government red tape and

massive bureaucracy. Each year, it

becomes harder to nd a amily doctor,

the time it takes to see a specialist

remains ar too long, and emergency

rooms become even more crowded.

The answer isnt simply to pour moremoney into the health system and hope

that things improve Alberta already

spends the most per capita in the

country. Albertans are demanding real

health care reorm, where patients and

their needs are the top priority.

Despite what some special interest

groups may claim, positive changes

can be made to our publicly insured

Executive Summary

health system that will improve patient

choice and ensure timely access to

health services without ever requiring

Albertans to take out their credit card

or cheque book to pay or medically

necessary services. By guaranteeing

access to medical services within

clinically acceptable wait times,

Alberta amilies will have peace o

mind knowing that they will have

access to world-class health care

when they need it.

The Redord PC government has wilullyopposed any meaningul reorm to

health care, jeopardizing patient saety

and wasting money on government

bureaucrats instead o hiring additional

doctors and nurses. Their cavalier

attitude was made only too clear when

Premier Redord broke her promise to

hold a judicial inquiry into allegations o

corruption and intimidation in Albertas

health care system.

The PC governments

cavalier attitude was made

only too clear when Premier

Redford broke her promise

to hold a judicial inquiry into

allegations of corruption

and intimidation in Albertas

health care system.

$

perpatientp

eryear

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

2,836

3,073

3,3653,587

3,850

4,2124,408

2,5042,645

2,8152,970

3,1483,357

3,526

03 04 05 06 07 08 09

Years

Growth of per capita health-care spending

Source: CIHI National Health Expenditure Trends, 1975 to 2008, and 1975 to 2011

AlbertaCanada

31



34/53

QHow will this law work?

Guarantees the right o any Albertan who has been prescribed to

undergo a medical procedure covered by Alberta Health Insurance

(AHI) to choose the doctor or the health acility where they wish to

have it perormed.

Guarantees that Albertans on wait lists or longer than the Canadian Wait Time

Alliance benchmarks (WTA 2011) or 10 major health procedures may choose to

have their procedure perormed at an independent acility in or out o province,

and to have that procedure paid or by Alberta Health Insurance.

Creates a Protection o Public Health Care Guarantee mandating that the

Provincial Government shall maintain or increase the number o publicly insured

health services it perorms until the WTA 2011 standard is achieved.

Mandates public disclosure o public wait times or all health procedures

covered by AHI, including or all hospitals and other medical acilities that

perorm them.

Cancellation o the $2 billion Carbon Capture and Storage grant program will

pay or the added cost (roughly $180 million) o the Patient Wait Time Guarantee.

Albertans will no longer

be forced to wait for an

unreasonable length of time

to undergo vital medical

treatments.

32


35/53

QWhat does this law mean or each Albertan? No longer orced to wait or dangerous and unreasonable

lengths o time to undergo lie-saving and pain-relieving

medical treatments.

The right to have prescribed medical procedures perormed by the

doctor or acility o their choosing.

A guarantee that our public health system will be protected,

strengthened, and compliant with the Canada Health Act.

With public access to wait-times inormation, citizens will be

empowered to hold government and public health acilities more

accountable, and make the health system more efcient.

Source: The Fraser Institutes national waiting list survey, 1995-2011

Number

ofweeks

25

0

5

10

15

10.5

9.1

10.512.2 12.4

14.0

16.3 16.917.5

18.517.8

16.8 16.3

19.518.5

19.6

22.121.1

20

93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00-01 01-02

Years

03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11

Number of weeks from referral by general practitionerto treatment by specialist

33



36/53

Wait times have grown dramatically or many medically

necessary procedures in Alberta over the last decade,

leading to unnecessary suering, complications, and even

death. The problem has worsened considerably since the move

to a Superboard in 2008. From 2007 to 2011, or example, wait

times or a knee replacement doubled, and waits or

cataracts tripled.

In 2004 the PC government signed on to a pan-Canadian initiative to reduce

wait times in 5 key areas: cardiac, cataract, cancer, joint replacement, and

diagnostics. As shown in the chart on page 35, despite these promises, ar too

many Albertans are being orced to suer or longer than they should in these

vital areas.

In 2007 the PC government agreed to create a wait-time guarantee

o eight weeks or radiation therapy by mid-2010 (compared to a

pan-Canadian benchmark o our weeks) in return or $63.3 million

rom the ederal government. Today, in 2011, there is no guaranteein place.

The PCs have created a monolithic and highly centralized public health delivery

monopoly wherein there is virtually no competition or patients, no incentives or

providing eective service or excellent treatment, and no reason to run hospitals

or utilize operating rooms more eciently. They have created a system where

they are ully in charge: they are the unders, providers, regulators, and monitors

o the health care system. This structure creates a deep confict o interest in

which the PCs judge their own perormance and monitor their own behaviour.

This is why Alberta has among the highest wait times in the western world

despite spending 40% o our annual provincial budget on health care.

The PCs in Alberta have shown that a government monopoly or the delivery

o publicly unded health care has ailed, and it is irresponsible or any party to

cling to worn-out rhetoric and ear-mongering to deend it.

QWhat is the PC record on health wait times?

34


37/53

Wait Time Guarantee Direct Cost Estimate

Medical ServiceWTABenchmarks

% ofWaits-Above

Benchmark# of Patients

Eligible

Max # of PatientsLikely to Exercise

GuaranteeCost Per Patient

(Estimated $) Total Cost ($)

Cancer Care Radiation Therapy 14 days 25% 1,700 850 10,000 8,500,000

Medical Oncology 14 days 50% 3,500 1,750 30,000 52,500,000

Orthopaedic Surgery Knee Replacement 26 weeks 50% 2,800 1,400 20,000 28,000,000

Hip Replacement 26 weeks 33% 924 462 20,000 9,240,000

Sight Restoration Cataract Removal 16 weeks 33% 7,000 3,500 1,300 4,550,000

Diagnostic Imaging CT Scans Within 30 days 10% 12,000 8,000 900 5,670,000

MRI Scans Within 30 days 75% 90,000 67,500 800 54,000,000

Cardiac Care Valvular Surgery 6 weeks 40% 320 160 38,000 6,080,000

Permanent Pacemaker 6 weeks 30% 128 64 20,000 1,280,000

Bypass Surgery 6 weeks 45% 450 225 35,000 6,750,000

Total Cost $178,100,000

Notes

1. An estimated distribution o patients has been calculated using procedural wait time data rom the Ministry o Health and Wellness at

waittimes.alberta.ca.

2. Estimates or the maximum number o patients likely to use the guarantee are 50% or all procedures and 75% or diagnostic imaging.

This is surely a generous estimate, especially or cancer care, which would require a patient to be out o the province or many weeks.

3. Costing data or Orthopaedic Surgeries and Cardiac Care are derived rom the CIHI cost estimator combined with the Schedule o Medical Benefts

published by Alberta Health. For the remaining procedures, which are not clearly enumerated in any specifc source, estimates were based on

inquiries to independent health care providers and numbers used in academic articles. A Wildrose Government will make veriying the cost o these

procedures a top priority moving orward.

4. Costs o procedures conducted within Albertas public system are generally either unknown or kept secret by the Superboard.

5. These are direct cost estimates per procedure, exclusive o administrative and other fxed costs.

35



38/53

Is the Wildrose party committed to

public health care?

Why should the government pay or

some Albertans to receive medical

treatment at independent acilities in and

outside o the province?

Shouldnt the government just decrease public

wait times rather than pay to have people

receive medical treatment at independent

acilities in and outside o the province?

Q Q

Q

Yes, Wildrose is committed to upholding the ve key principles o

the Canada Health Act, namely that health insurance coverage be

publicly administered, comprehensive, universal, portable, and

accessible. Wildrose does not advocate extra billing or medical

procedures covered by AHI.

Wealthy Albertans already leave the province to have procedures

they need done instead o waiting on long and sometimes

dangerous wait lists. Meanwhile, Albertans with average incomes

are orced to strain their nances when they eel the cost o their

health condition on their career or well-being is too great to wait or

treatment any longer.

Wildrose believes that wealthy Albertans should not be the only

ones able to aord timely health care when they need it most; nor

should average Albertans have to drain their savings to receive thecare they desperately need. Other health treatment options should

be made available to all Albertans when their treatment is delayed

or a medically risky or painully cruel length o time.

The most important part o the Wildrose policy is ensuring that

Albertas health system meets the WTA standards as soon as

possible so that it is unnecessary or Albertans to seek treatment

elsewhere. That is why the Patient Wait Time Guarantee mandates

that the Provincial Government annually increase the number o

publicly insured health services perormed until the WTA standard

is achieved. Until that goal is achieved a goal which has eluded

the PCs the Wildrose guarantee will protect the health o those

acing long delays.

Wildrose is committed to health

insurance coverage thats publiclyadministered, comprehensive,

universal, portable, and accessible.

36


39/53

Should the government pay the entire cost

or people who receive a health procedure

or test outside o the province?

Will Albertans be able to have procedures

at independent clinics paid or using their

Alberta Health Insurance card?

Albertans already pay or MRIs at

independent acilities to avoid waiting.

Will this be covered?

Q Q

Q

When medically necessary treatment must be perormed

outside the province (i.e., or procedures that are not available in

Alberta), the ull cost will be covered by Alberta Health Insurance.

However, in the interests o cost-management we do not think

that reimbursement or a health procedure perormed outside o

the province should exceed what it costs taxpayers to perorm the

same available procedure in Albertas public system; nor should

the Government pay or procedures outside the public system i

the wait time or having that procedure perormed in the public

system alls within the WTA standard.

Yes. Just as cataract specialists in Calgary and amily doctors

oces across the province are independent clinics that bill the

public health insurance system, we believe that it is essential or

the sustainability o our health system to allow more competitive

delivery o publicly unded procedures.

I an Albertan is placed on a health waiting list exceeding the WTA

benchmarks, that individual will have the option to use their Alberta

Health Insurance card to receive that needed health procedure or

test at an independent clinic. I that procedure is conducted at anindependent acility in or out o province, Alberta Health Insurance

will cover up to the amount it would cost to have that procedure

perormed in the Alberta public system. In order to comply with

the Canada Health Act, independent health providers in Alberta will

only be paid by Alberta Health Insurance or the same amount it

would cost to have the procedure perormed at a public hospital

and will not be permitted to extra-bill patients.

Yes, or those scheduled to wait longer than the WTA benchmark,

we will pay up to the regular provincial cost or medically necessary

MRIs at independent acilities.

We believe that it is essential for the

sustainability of our health system to

allow more competitive delivery of

publicly funded procedures.

37



40/53

Q

Q

QAre independent clinics allowed under

the Canada Health Act?

How will Wildrose administer our public

health care system?

How will Wildrose use choice and competition

within our public health system to reduce wait

times or Albertans?

BC, Quebec, Alberta, and other provinces have privately run

surgical centres and amily practices. In addition, the Canadian

Medical Association has repeatedly appealed to politicians to allow

more independent acilities as a way o improving health care

in Canada.

The rst thing we need to do is make sure that more health

unding is spent on treating patients, and ar less spent on what

has become an enormous Health Superboard bureaucracy as

well as all the added administration in hospitals demanded by

this Superboard.

Working with our health proessionals, Wildrose will gradually

decentralize the delivery o health care services to locally unded,

managed and integrated hospitals, Primary Care Networks, amily

physicians, specialty centres, long-term care acilities, chronic care

programs and other health service acilities and organizations.

This will generate a proper continuum o care or patients and

encourage fexible innovation to address unique local needs while

meeting established care standards.

Wait times will be urther reduced by empowering Albertans to use

their Alberta Health Insurance so that public unding ollows each

patient to the service provider o their choice, allowing or more

competition and innovation within our publicly unded health care

system.

Many Western European health systems have proven that building

a culture o patient choice, competition and accountability within a

public health insurance system successully incentivizes hospitals,

emergency rooms, surgical centres, specialists, doctors andothers to provide world-class health treatments in a timely,

patient-ocused, and cost-eective manner.

Opening delivery o publicly paid-or health services to any

accredited health service provider (whether public or independent)

will be essential to reducing wait times. I an independent provider

can deliver better quality o care, more quickly, and at a reduced

cost to government, that provider must have the opportunity to

compete with the public sector or each and every patient.

38


41/53

Why is it important or there to be continual

public disclosure o health wait times? What is the Canadian Wait Time Alliance?

How did you select this list o procedures toput in the Wait Time Guarantee?

Q Q

Q

Albertans pay or the health care system, and Albertans rely on it.

They deserve to know whats working and what isnt. They have

a right to know what acilities are running eciently and which are

mismanaged. Increased transparency will help Albertans to make

better-inormed choices about where to get their care.

The Canadian Wait Time Alliance (WTA) was ormed out o

concern among Canadas doctors over delayed access to critical

medical treatments or their patients.

The WTA is comprised o several national medical specialty

societies whose members are directly involved in providing care

to patients, including the Canadian Medical Association, Canadian

Cardiovascular Society, Canadian Association o Emergency

Physicians, and the Canadian Association o Radiation Oncology.

The health wait-time benchmarks created by the WTA are

considered the gold standard in the medical community. The WTA

benchmarks are based on expert medical advice rom the various

associations o specialists. They are not based on political advice

rom governments.

The benchmarks were created in 2004 or some o the priority

procedures we are starting with: Hip and Knee replacements,

Radiation Oncology, Cataract Surgery, and Coronary Artery

Bypass Grat Surgery. In the last ew years they have added

various procedures in important categories such as cancer care,mental health, heart treatments, paediatric surgery, chronic pain,

and others.

For the time being, the Patient Wait Time Guarantee will apply to

these 10 common and critical health treatments and tests. Rather

than use the wait times agreed to by politicians, weve chosen the

doctor-recommended benchmarks o the Canadian Wait Time

Alliance (WTA).

As Alberta achieves the WTA benchmarks or these frst

10 treatments and tests, a Wildrose Government wouldlook to expand the Patient Wait Time Guarantee to

additional procedures while simultaneously reducing wait

times or all procedures in the public system.

39



42/53

QHow much will the Patient Wait Time

Guarantee cost?

As the schedule below illustrates, this initiative will cost roughly

$180 million in the rst year according to available data. This

$180 million o new health unding will be taken primarily rom the

cancellation o the $2 billion carbon capture and storage initiative.

The $180 million is not really an extra cost, it is rather a

prioritization. Albertans want timely access to health care rather

than billions in direct subsidies to private companies (such as the

$2 billion CCS program). In act, there are even savings in terms

o minimizing the complications and extra treatments that arisewhen Albertans are orced to wait beyond a medically

recommended period.

Guaranteeing medically healthy wait times is both nancially and

morally responsible.

$180millionin new

health care unding

X$2

billionCarbon Capture andStorage initiative

40

Wildrose Pledge #5 BalancedBudget andSavings Act

WildroseFamilyPack





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AlbertaAccountability Act

Guarantee

Wildrose Pledge #5


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Ater orty years in power, Premier

Redords PC party has lost touch with

the values o everyday Albertans and

must be held accountable accountable

or broken promises and backroom

deals, and or MLAs putting the interests

o the PC party over those o their

constituents.

TheAlberta Accountability Actwill:

Ensure MLAs are accountable to

their constituents by allowing MLAs

a ree vote on every proposed law

and giving voters the right to recall

MLAs who put the interests o

themselves or their party over the

interests o their constituents.

AlbertaAccountability ActEnding the culture o entitlement, promotingdemocracy, and demanding ethical and accountablegovernment better ideas that put Albertans frst.

Set fxed provincial and Senate

election dates and allow

voter-initiated reerenda to

strengthen democracy and

empower Albertans.

Promote a culture o honesty and

openness in government by rolling

back the 30% increase in salary

or Cabinet Ministers that Premier

Redord supported, prohibitingMLAs rom setting their own salaries

in the uture, passing whistleblower

protection, and requiring the public

disclosure o Ministerial and MLA

expenses.

Open up government by making

it easier or everyday citizens to

access government documents

and inormation.

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Albertans deserve better than a

government that puts its own interests

ahead o those o Alberta amilies. The

politics o entitlement and corruptionmust be replaced by a culture o

accountability where doing whats right

is the rule, not the exception.

TheAlberta Accountability Actwill

restore accountability and democracy

to government, empower MLAs to be

true representatives o the people in

their ridings and not just mouthpieces

or the government, and restore

transparency to how we are governed.

Albertans dont expect their politicians

to be perect, but they do expect their

government to respect our hard-earned

tax-dollars, to be open and accountableor how they make decisions, and to

make the Legislature a place where

Albertans voices are heard.

These reorms cant come rom within

the Redord government, which has

made government even more closed-o

and hidden rom public scrutiny.

Executive Summary

We need a party and a Premier who

want to throw open the doors o

government and operate within a culture

o accountability, not a cultureo entitlement.

It takes more than a triple-A credit

rating to run an eective government,

it takes a triple-A rating on integrity and

accountability thats what theAlberta

Accountability Actwill create here

in Alberta.

Redfords PCshave made

government more

closed-off

and hidden from

public scrutiny.

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QHow will theAlberta Accountability Actwork?

MLAs will be ree to vote however they wish on all votes in the

Legislature. Every bill will be voted on individually, and regardless

o its content, will not be considered a confdence vote unless it is

explicitly so designated.

General provincial elections will be mandated to take place on a

fxed date every our years and will include Senate elections or any

existing or expected vacancies or the next our years.

A Wildrose government will immediately roll back the salary increase o over

30% that Ms. Redord and most o her current Cabinet voted or themselves.

MLA salaries will be rolled back 5% and translated into a transparent, ully-

taxable amount, the severance pay ormula will be slashed by 2/3 and capped at

a 12-month maximum, and committee pay will be eliminated.

An independent, non-government panel that includes typical Alberta citizens will

determine air pay and benefts or MLAs and Ministers every our years beore

elections, not ater them.

Ministerial and MLA expenses will be posted online.

MLAs will be recalled i 33% o eligible voters in that riding sign an ofcial petition

within a 60-day period.

A reerendum on a specifc piece o legislation will be held at the next provincial

election i 20% o all eligible voters across Alberta have signed an ofcial petition

within a six-month period. The legislation must be deemed constitutional and

cost-neutral prior to being voted on.

Whistle-blower-protection legislation will be passed so government employees

may alert MLAs and media to waste and corruption without ear o reprisal.

The onus will be placed on the Government to prove to the Inormation and

Privacy Commissioner why a reedom o inormation request should be denied,

instead o the onus being on the citizen making the request, as it is currently.

A Wildrose government will

immediately roll back the increase

of over 30% to the salaries of

the Premier and Cabinet thatMs. Redford and most of her current

Cabinet voted for themselves.

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MLAs will be accountable to their constituents frst and oremost.

Democracy will be strengthened, as governments will no longer

be able to call snap elections or political advantage, nor cancel

Senate elections they ear losing.

Albertans will be able to orce a reerendum on popular initiatives that

government reuses to take up.

MLAs will no longer set their own pay and benefts.

Government transparency and accountability to citizens and the media

will improve.

QWhat does this law mean or each Albertan?

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QWhat is the PC record on democracy

and transparency?

Ater 40 years in power, the current government shows utter

contempt or the democratic checks and balances needed or

good government.

PC MLAs do not represent their constituents views; they are

instead responsible to vote as directed by the Premier and to

promote the party line to their constituents. Those who speak up

or constituents or vote against government legislation, such as

MLA Guy Boutilier, are kicked out o caucus.

In 2008, the Government voted down a private members bill whichwould have legislated fxed election dates.

Despite Albertans taking pride in being the frst province to elect senators, the

PC Government cancelled planned Senate elections in conjunction with the

2010 municipal elections because they eared losing to Wildrose candidates.

Shortly ater the 2008 election, the PCs gave cabinet members a 30% raise, and

the Premier a 34% raise, making our Premier the highest paid in all o Canada.

In May 2009, Lorne Gibson, Chie Electoral Ofcer o Elections Alberta, was

summarily dismissed ater publishing two reports that were highly critical o

Albertas election laws and called attention to numerous instances o

illegal donations.

In 2004, the Auditor General revealed that $390,000 in untendered contracts

or verbal advice were awarded to Kelley Charlebois, a ormer Gary Mar aide

and 2011 Gary Mar leadership campaign volunteer. Upon urther review, no

evidence was ever provided to show proo o any actual work being done or

this money. Charlebois is now executive director o the PCs.

In the summer o 2009, Alberta Health Services released a drat Code o

Conduct that required employees to report on their colleagues behaviour and

barred them rom speaking to the media about issues critical to patient saety

and health.

As o April 2011, the Auditor General counted 280 outstanding recommendations

that the government had yet to implement.

During her leadership campaign, Alison Redord promised to bring in

whistle-blower legislation. She has not delivered on that promise.

PC MLAs are responsible to

vote as directed by the Premier

and to promote the party line

to their constituents.

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How can ree votes work in a

parliamentary system?

Government MLAs being orced to vote as instructed by the

Premier is an undemocratic tradition that has evolved over

many years. Legislation overriding this tradition, making ree

votes mandatory and separating votes o non-confdence

rom votes on proposed bills, is necessary to make our

parliamentary democracy accountable and relevant to voters.

I the government cant garner the willing support o a majority

o MLAs or a piece o legislation, the legislation should ail.

The government, however, should only all i it loses astand-alone confdence motion.

Since BC passed a fxed-election-date law in 2001, six other

provinces have ollowed suit. Despite Premier Redords campaign

promise, Alberta is one o the ew that have not set a fxed date.

The law must, o course, make accommodations or a minority

government situation, or i a government alls on a non-confdence

motion. These smaller details should be discussed and vetted by

the Legislature during debate on this proposed legislation.

Fixed election dates are more democratic because every party has

an equal chance to prepare or elections. Also, better candidatesor MLA may emerge because they do not have to put their lives

and jobs on hold indefnitely while waiting or the government to

decide the time is right.

Beore being fred by the PCs, the head o Elections Alberta,

Lorne Gibson, recommended fxed election dates as a means o

boosting turnout and giving Elections Alberta adequate time to

prepare or a transparent and air election period.

How can you have fxed election dates

in a parliamentary system?

Q Q

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Does MLA recall cause too much

political instability?

Q Recall is the best way to ensure real accountability o electedrepresentatives between elections. Should an MLA turn out to becorrupt, dishonest, or a liability to his or her constituents in anyproound way, it is only right that voters have the opportunity to

recall that MLA and choose a replacement.

Recalling an MLA, however, should be a serious aair. Only

where an MLAs perormance is deemed by voters as entirely

unacceptable should the cost o a by-election be undertaken. The

recall provision should not be so easy as to make it susceptible

to abuse by those with a personal vendetta or partisan agenda.

To that end, theAlberta Accountability Actwill mandate that

33% o all eligible voters in a riding must sign the ofcial petition

within a 60-day period in order to trigger the MLA recall provision.

Furthermore, an MLA may only ace a recall petition a maximum

o once each term. When compared with other jurisdictions in

North America and Europe who have this kind o legislation, this

threshold is on the high end, and will ensure that only MLAs who

have truly lost the confdence o their constituents will ace recall.

In states such as Georgia, Oregon, and Rhode Island, the recall threshold is

only 15% o votes cast in the previous election. In many others, such as Arizona,

Colorado, and New Jersey, it is 25% - but again only o votes cast in the last

election. The proposed threshold o 33% o all eligible voters is considerably

higher than these other examples.

British Columbia passed recall legislation in 1995. That provinces threshold

is slightly higher at 40% o enumerated voters. While BC has ofcially had

24 petitions initiated or recall, none have actually succeeded in getting the

necessary 40% o voters in 60 days (although one petition was halted because

the MLA resigned beore the petition was completed).

Recall is the best way to ensure

real accountability of elected

representatives between elections.

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Will voter-initiated reerenda result in poor

or unconstitutional laws?

Q Albertans should be able to orce a reerendum on popular

initiatives that government reuses to take up. Ordinary citizens

should have the right to drive popular public policies that are

sometimes stonewalled by government bureaucracy and

politicians.

Any drat legislation subject to a voter-initiated reerendum

must also meet two key requirements. First, it must be deemed

constitutional by a Justice o the Court o Queens Bench. Second,

it must be deemed cost-neutral by the provincial Auditor-General.

TheAlberta Accountability Actwill set out the process or meeting

both o these requirements.

As with MLA recall, a voter-initiated reerendum must also be

treated as a serious aair. Only a well-thought-out piece o

legislation with a large amount o popular support should be able

to circumvent the regular legislative process to become a law o

Alberta. To this end, theAlberta Accountability Actwill mandate that

20% o all eligible voters must sign an ofcial petition within a six-

month period to trigger a reerendum at the next provincial election

on a piece o proposed legislation. This threshold is quite high

compared with other jurisdictions in North America and Europe

that have this kind o legislation.

Alaska, Arizona, and Maine require 10% o voters to sign a

reerendum petition. States such as Oregon, Massachusetts, and

Nebraska require even less. In Ohio, or example, the threshold is

only 3% o voters in the last election. The 20% threshold contained in the Alberta

Accountability Actis very high and will ensure only the most popular and well-

thought-out initiatives are put to a reerendum.

Voter-initiated reerenda are common in Europe. Typical thresholds in Europe

are quite low. In Austria, Holland and Switzerland, the threshold is less than 1%

o eligible voters.

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Q Q

Q

What is whistle-blower protection and

how will it work?

Why is it important or an independent

MLA salary and beneft committee to be

established and how will it be set up?

Why is the existing access to government

inormation process unacceptable?

Whistle-blower protection is needed so that ront-line civil servants

can speak up about violations o law, intimidation o employees, or

mismanagement o public unds. I such protection is not in place,

employees who speak up can be fred or intimidated into silence

while abuse and waste continue.

Nobody knows better than ront-line workers where inefciencies

and corruption are taking place. We need to encourage them to

speak out in order to keep the government transparent

and eective.

Intimidation o ront-line employees is a problem in Alberta. The

Alberta Health Superboard issued a gag order to make sure

doctors, nurses, and other sta could not speak out or their

patients. World-class surgeon Dr. Ciaran McNamee is an example

o someone who let the province because o intimidation. He now

teaches at Harvard Medical School.

Currently, the government can deny any reedom o inormation

(FOIP) request based on its interpretation o privacy requirements.

The onus is then on the citizen making the request to appeal

the decision to the Inormation and Privacy Commissioner. This

can be a very expensive and time-consuming process that most

individuals choose not to undertake, and it gives the government an incentive to

withhold inormation. TheAlberta Accountability Actwould reverse the onus and

would mandate that any denials to government inormation should be approved

by the Commissioner so that the Government is not tempted to hide inormation

and hope there is no appeal.

Months ater being elected in 2008, Cabinet members (including

Alison Redord) gave themselves a 30% pay raise. It was decided

in secret, behind closed doors. Premier Stelmachs raise was

equivalent to the average annual salary in Alberta and made him

the highest-paid Premier in Canada.

When MLAs choose to give themselves raises the private sector

would never dream o, they lose all credibility, especially when

austerity is needed. Asking department heads to control their

budgets is completely unrealistic i MLAs and Cabinet Ministers are

doing just the opposite.

An independent committee would provide salary recommendations

one year prior to a fxed election date so as to provide an incentive

to adopt the recommendation. The Members Services committee

in the Legislature could opt or less salary and benefts than

recommended, but not or more.

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