Alberta’s UCP, NDP Launch Media Access Battles Ahead of Provincial Election

Smith enforces one-question rule, Notley removes independent media journalists from press conference

Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley (L) and UCP Leader Danielle Smith. (Jason Franson; Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press)

The Alberta United Conservative Party (UCP) and the Opposition New Democrat Party (NDP) are each suggesting that the other party is dodging media questions ahead of the provincial election on May 29.

Premier Danielle Smith said on April 14 that she would accept just one question from each reporter at news conferences during the campaign period, and the next day added that she would accept just one question in total from any single media outlet at events. She attributed the one-question policy to the election, saying she wants to allow as many reporters as possible to ask questions.

“Each media outlet will get one question instead of getting two while we’re in this period of the campaign, because I just need to make sure that we’re getting to as many people as possible,” she said on her weekly radio show, “Your Province Your Premier,” on April 15.

On April 18, in a response to an April 17 letter from the Alberta Legislature Press Gallery, the premier’s office clarified that the policy is one question per journalist, with no follow-up question, and not one question per media outlet.

“If a journalist requires a clarification or additional information, they are more than welcome to contact our office,” the response said.

The NDP says Smith is avoiding accountability.

“Is it just me—or does this make ZERO sense?” NDP Leader Rachel Notley said on Twitter on April 16.

“It is absolutely incumbent upon anybody who is seeking the support of voters across the province to make themselves available and accountable to mainstream and accredited journalists,” said Notley at an April 17 press conference, attacking Smith as being “a premier who’s hiding and showing the exact opposite of accountability and transparency.”

Smith’s UCP released a counterattack tweet on April 17, accusing Notley of “kicking out all the journalists whose questions she doesn’t want to answer” at her press conference.

A video released by the UCP starts with a scene showing a uniformed security guard physically removing Counter Signal journalist Keaan Bexte from the Opposition leader’s April 17 press conference, while Notley can be heard saying at the event, “I want to make it very clear that I’m happy to take any questions from the media and, any followup questions.”

The video later shows footage of Notley not taking questions from a Western Standard journalist at the press conference while criticizing the publication’s coverage.

Sharing the UCP video, Smith wrote on Twitter on April 17, “Unreal.”

Rebel News also reported that its reporter Alex Dhaliwal was kept out of the press conference by a security guard, who said he was being removed by “the person that rented the space” but without indicating where the order came from.

Election

The writ is scheduled to be dropped on May 1 for the election, for a May 29 polling day.

The two parties have already been launching campaign attacks on their rivals, each arguing why it is the one to get Albertans through cost-of-living issues and health-care accessibility.

Polls show the UCP supported strongly outside the province’s two urban centres, while the NDP shows up stronger in Edmonton and the two contest Calgary.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.