OLDS – Candidate Bill Tufts says if elected in the June 23 Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills byelection he would push the provincial government to be more accountable in areas of public interest.
Tufts, who is seeking election to public office for the first time, is a member of the Wildrose Loyalty Coalition party, which is also running candidates in the two other provincial byelections on June 23.
“We see ourselves as a party that will hold the current government accountable and make them keep the promises they make,” said Tufts told the Albertan. “We certainly want to bring forth the issues. For example, we think Alberta needs its own police force and we need to collect our own taxes.
“What is happening in Alberta is that there is nobody holding the major party, the UCP, to account for a lot of issues. We see them flip-flopping all around on a constant basis.”
Alberta residents should have the final say on issues such as separation and equalization payments, he said.
“Albertans deserve to be heard and let them decide,” he said.
Regarding agriculture in the district, Tufts says he would like to see the voices of farmers and ranchers given more weight when it comes to provincial programs and policies.
“We can certainly see how carbon pricing is costing our farmers a lot more and making their lives more difficult,’ he said. “Let's hope that we can get more input.”
If elected MLA, Tuft says he would push for more to be done to address issues around immigration.
“We need to make our own decisions on immigration,” he said. “We’ve had massive immigration, particularly since 2015. You can’t bring that amount of people in without being prepared and without it having a massive impact on hospitals, schools and housing.
“We think Alberta should have the ability to decide what its own means are and what the requirements are for immigration. We certainly need an investigation and discussion about immigration.
“Let’s get to the bottom of the issue and determine what our real needs are in Alberta. In the last several years we haven’t come close to building enough homes to accommodate everybody coming in.”
The situation is also unfair to the immigrants themselves, he said.
“They’ve been given promises about jobs, which are not there. It certainly hasn’t been fair to Canadians when we have a doctors shortage in Canada of 22,000; how many are we graduating every year out of our universities? Just a few thousand.”
The Wildrose Loyalty Coalition Party was formed in May 2023.
