Wildrose fiscal plan clobbered by senior PC candidates

Six senior Tory candidates, who were cabinet ministers before the election was called, took turns blasting the Wildrose Party's fiscal plan for Alberta Friday. 

They claim the numbers don't add up.

"In truth their platform has made no accounting of how they'll meet new spending promises," said Stephen Mandel, a PC candidate in Edmonton-Whitemud who was appointed as Alberta's health minister last fall.

The Tories claim the Wildrose plan has a funding gap of $29 billion. They also criticized the party for proposing $10 billion in spending cuts over five years without details on what will go.

"The Wildrose is cut, cut, cut and the NDs are gonna spend, spend, spend," said Robin Campbell, who released the budget on March 26 as Alberta's finance minister.

Wildrose leader reacts

Wildrose Party leader Brian Jean was quick to swing back.

"Maybe it takes that many PC cabinet ministers to add up the numbers," he said. "Their plan is to attack the only party that comes forward with a plan to not have higher taxes."

Political scientist Melanee Thomas says the PCs are trying to show Albertans who want change after more than 40 years under their control that they are the only party with experience.

"This is pure strategy," she said.

Thomas says one of the challenges in this election is the opposition parties must lay out realistic plans even if they don't know as much about the province's books as the long-governing PCs.