Ed Stelmach needs to come clean on the province’s financial well-being — today and in the coming months — if Albertans are to remain confident in the embattled premier, a city political science expert says.
Mount Royal University’s Duane Bratt said he believes the premier must provide a clear message on the budget, revenue and the path back to prosperity in a televised address tonight on CTV.
“I hope it’s not a tele-ad … This is a pretty serious matter,” Bratt said.
Although the premier may allude to “all Albertans having to share the pain,” Bratt said he doesn’t believe Stelmach will provide details on spending cuts to rein in a projected $7-billion budget shortfall.
Anything short of a focused blueprint for a return to fiscal health in the address could spell disaster for Stelmach, Bratt said.
“Then he’s just wasted our time and wasted our government’s money — and in that case he’s not speaking on behalf of the government … he’s speaking as the leader of the Progressive Conservative party.”
