NDP in-person pension town halls begin in Edmonton Tuesday

Leader of the NDP Rachel Notley gives her concession speech in Edmonton on Monday May 29, 2023. The Canadian Press has projected a United Conservative Party majority government in Alberta. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson)

The Alberta NDP begins its own Alberta Pension Plan public consultation process on Tuesday.

Sunday, the party announced two dates for its Your Pension is Yours in-person town hall series.

The NDP said it's holding the events due to "overwhelming public concerns" from Albertans over the UCP's plan to pull the province out of the Canada Pension Plan (CPP).

“The UCP have refused to meet with people face-to-face, so we’re going to give Albertans that outlet to express their concerns,” said Heather Sweet, Alberta NDP MLA for Edmonton-Manning, in a press release Sunday.

Premier Danielle Smith has defended the telephone town hall format, saying the phone allows more people to participate.

The UCP held its third of five call-in events on Thursday, taking calls from the Calgary area.

During the town hall, the panel argued with some callers who voiced concerns over leaving the CPP.

"Albertans trying to expose the UCP’s scheme to gamble away CPP are being yelled at,” Sweet said. “That is completely unacceptable."

Sweet, alongside fellow MLAs and NDP Leader Rachel Notley, will co-host the first town hall Tuesday night in Edmonton at the Kingsway Legion on 143 Avenue and 50 Street.

A second town hall originally scheduled for Calgary on Nov. 29 at the Temple Community Association on 167 Templegreen Road N.E. has been rescheduled to Dec.14. at 6:30 p.m. at the same location.

The NDP said anyone planning to attend should pre-register here.

Future events are being planned for Red Deer, Lethbridge and Drumheller, but those details have not been released.

The UCP government claims it is owed 53 per cent of the CPP's total assets, while the CPP Investment Board puts that number at closer to 15 per cent.

Both parties have released surveys on a potential Alberta Pension Plan.

The UCP survey can be accessed here, and you can find the NDP survey here.

The next UCP telephone town hall will be held Thursday and will take callers from Edmonton and the surrounding areas. For more information or to pre-register, click here.

With files from the Canadian Press' Dean Bennett