Tired of UCP and NDP? There are other options on most Alberta ballots

Voters who have had enough of Alberta's two-party legislature will have other options in most ridings this election, but it appears highly unlikely that any other party will grab a seat.

The province is in line for more of the same with the UCP versus the NDP, according to political analysts and several polls predicting a two-way race when votes are counted Monday.

"In the last couple of weeks, and this has shown up in the polling, is the support for the third and fourth and fifth parties has literally just evaporated," analyst and commentator John Brennan told CTV News Edmonton, referencing a recent Abacus Data poll.

"The Alberta Party is now down to two per cent, the Liberal is at one per cent and the Greens even less than that."

An Angus Reid poll done earlier this month found all other parties combined at just six per cent among decided voters, with the Alberta Party a distant third at three per cent.

The UCP and NDP are the only parties with a full slate of 87 candidates and those are the only options in eight ridings

While both reported revenue of more than $7 million last year, third-place Pro-Life Alberta reported roughly $327,000. The Green Party, for example, reported just $17,000.

Still, candidates not dressed in blue or orange are out there knocking on doors.

'IT'S DIFFICULT TO GET PEOPLE TO RUN'

Gaining support, candidates and money is not easy right now, allowed the leader of the Alberta Liberals.

"Quite often people hear the name Liberal and they close us off," John Roggeveen told CTV News Edmonton.

His party has just 13 candidates.

"It's difficult to get people to run when your party is so far down in the polls," Roggeveen said.

The Liberal bank account is also running low. The party raised about $100,000 in 2022 and its leader said they have about two or three per cent as much as the big parties.

He acknowledged that he and NDP Leader Rachel Notley are like-minded on many things.

"I would say that our policies are closer to the NDP than they are to the UCP. We have a lot of overlaps with their policies, or frankly, they overlap with us in a lot of ways," Roggeveen said.

Still, he feels Liberal voices in the legislature would help "tone the rhetoric down" and lead to better government for Albertans.

The Liberal platform includes supporting the federal Liberals "just transition" plan to create jobs for oil and gas workers, building more affordable housing and maintaining the Canada Pension Plan in Alberta. 

Former Liberal Leader Dr. David Swann endorsed Rachel Notley and the NDP Thursday.

'WE JUST SEE BICKERING GOING BACK AND FORTH'

The Green Party agrees with Roggeveen that the legislature needs more diversity.

It is running 41 candidates, third most in Alberta.

Leader Jordan Wilkie, who is on the ballot in Edmonton-Rutherford, said his party needs to get a seat on Monday in order to increase "accountability" and "collaboration" in the province's political scene.

"People are really starting to wake up to the idea that these third parties are important, that we can break up a two-party system and that we can represent Albertans better," he told CTV News Edmonton.

"The debate sure didn't help these two parties [UCP and NDP], when we just see bickering going back and forth without real solutions or really listening to what Albertans want and need. Ever since the debate, I've had a lot more support."

Wilkie acknowledged his party cares very much about cleaning up the environment but pointed out that it will do no good if people no longer have jobs and can't afford food.

The Green Party platform includes policies on wildfire management, electoral reform and cleaning up oil and gas wells to "create 10,000 jobs per year." 

'WE KNOW WE'RE NOT GOING TO FORM GOVERNMENT'

The Alberta Party has 19 candidates on the ballot.

The party was swept out of the legislature in 2019 after going into that election with three seats.

Sherwood Park candidate Sue Timanson said she's not worried about her party winning the election and she tells people that when she knocks on doors.

Her pitch to voters is to help her get a seat so she can fight for her constituents.

"We know we're not going to form government. It takes the pressure off the expectation that that's what we're going to do," Timanson said.

"And again, puts it back onto what the job of an MLA is and I can do, and I can probably do better as an Alberta Party MLA than a backbencher on the other parties, who are restricted in what they can say and what they can do. I'm not."

Timanson said she was disappointed the party was not able to attract more candidates.

"We worked really hard to up that number, but we're in a really challenging political climate right now," she explained.

"We had a lot of people that, although they were interested, were not willing to put themselves out there, which is too bad. They were worried about some consequences if they put themselves out for a party that wasn't one of the big two."

Timanson described her team as socially progressive and fiscally responsible.

She said many people have thanked her for running and providing voters another option.

The Alberta Party platform promises to freeze funding for private and charter schools, directly fund mental health counselling and reduce the province's reliance on oil and gas revenues.

The Solidarity Movement, Wildrose Loyalty Coalition, Alberta Independence, Advantage Party, Communist, Wildrose Independence, Reform, Buffalo and Pro-Life parties are also running at least one candidate.

There are 22 independent candidates also on ballots across Alberta.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Amanda Anderson