As mentioned in one of the other threads, I am finding this election to be the hardest yet for myself as none of the parties really have any appeal. Or probably more accurately all of the parties have a 'poison pill' that normally would disqualify me from voting for them, leaving me with no viable options. Normally for an election there are issues (single or a few larger ones) and parties typically align themselves heavily one side or the other of my beliefs making the decision pretty simple. This time however they are all unappealing enough that I am very undecided, if that is such a position. Not sure what I will do.
NDP:
philosophically they have always been an immediate 'no' for me due to their economic beliefs. I still feel this way but also know that the current situation in Alberta is largely not of their making. How they have responded to it may be questionable but to hang everything on them is not right in my opinion. Notley as a leader is probably the most statesman-like of them all and she has earned my respect overall. And while I am not an overall fan of their spending I do favor their moving forward on funding for may of our infrastructure projects.
UCP:
this is normally where my vote has gone in the past but this time around there are a number of red flags for me. If the recent actions alleged during the leadership race are true then I have lost most of my respect for Kenney and I question his ethics as a premier should be be elected. I also know better than to think everything will magically change in our economy the day after the elections. Pipelines, oil prices, etc. All the lost jobs will come back etc. Anyone who believes that has been sold a bill of goods. One of my biggest fears is they will slash spending on the infrastructure projects that I feel are critical to both the city and the province. Biggest plus for them is Kenney has the potential to be a huge thorn in the federal government's side right now which I think may be crucial for our country at this juncture.
Alberta Party:
has intrigued me before but some of their policies in the past seemed a little too left wing for me so I had discounted them. Discussions on CP and the Vote Compass thing made me look at them again, on the surface they seem pretty aligned with many of my beliefs. There are still some issues of importance to me that I have not found where they stand (yet) but their appeal looked promising again. Then they announced their policy on childcare yesterday which pushed them back close to the 'no go' territory for me. Until I see more details on this and satisfy myself as to the cost I will have a hard time voting for them.
Liberals, Freedom party etc. are just to fringe for me to consider.
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