Face of Nation : With only 100 days left until the election, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau likes his chances of picking up seats in Alberta.
“We are going to, not just bring back our MPs, but bring back more MPs to Ottawa,” he told a crowd of supporters in Calgary on Saturday.
The Liberals only have three seats in the province right now, two in Edmonton and one in Calgary. Of the 34 total seats in the province, the Conservatives hold 29.
Seats the Tories occupy are often secured by a wide margin. For example, in the 2015 election Kevin Sorenson, running in Alberta’s Battle River–Crowfoot, had the second-highest share of the popular vote. He also received more votes than any other candidate across Canada.
The prime minister may predict big things for the province, but the current poll numbers don’t seem to support his theory.
Province-wide the Conservatives are at almost 60 per cent support, while the Liberals sit a distant second at 18.5 per cent.
Trudeau acknowledged that people say his party is in trouble in the western province, but ultimately seemed unfazed.
“Every election people say that,” he said. “They were wrong last time, and they’re wrong this time.”
It’s not just the province’s federal voting record that poses a challenge to the governing party. The newly elected United Conservatives under Premier Jason Kenney came to power on an anti-Trudeau message — vowing to stand up to Ottawa. There’s also a growing sense of alienation in the province.
“Recent polling indicates that as many as 50 per cent of Albertans indicate that they support the concept of secession from the Canadian federation,” Kenney said during a visit to Ottawa in May.
Despite barbs from Kenney, the relationship between the premier and Trudeau has been without drama — so far.
