EDMONTON—Alberta Premier Rachel Notley had Jason Kenney and the United Conservative Party squarely in her crosshairs as she took shots at the party’s policy and integrity in her candidacy announcement Sunday.

“That’s Mr. Kenney’s plan. The economy? Big tax giveaways. Healthcare? Privatize it. Education? Cut it. Infrastructure? Toll it. Democracy? Sell it, break it, lie about it, and the future? Run from it as fast as he can,” said Notley to a massive crowd gathered at St. Basil’s Cultural Centre in Edmonton to celebrate her official nomination to run once again in the Alberta electoral district of Edmonton-Strathcona.

Notley went on the attack, slamming the United Conservative Party for its promises to freeze educational spending while cutting the province’s corporate tax rate from 12 per cent to 8 per cent in the name of balancing the budget as a “poison pill.”

“The rich get richer, the poor get poorer and the middle gets squeezed. It’s the same story everywhere it’s been tried,” Notley said, greeted with raucous applause.

She said while conservatives are “praying” for the return of higher oil prices, her government has worked to help Albertans recover from an economic recession and downturn in the price of oil by diversifying the economy and investing in technology while championing Albertan’s oil industry through building support for the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project and investing billions of dollars into new upgrading facilities.

She also noted that the lowest paid Albertans now benefit from a $15 minimum wage and the child poverty rate was reduced while the economy inched toward recovery.

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“That’s how you build tomorrow’s economy,” Notley said.

Most of Notley’s critiques focused on UCP leader Jason Kenney himself, calling him a liar after new documents appear to show his party leadership campaign colluded with Jeff Callaway’s campaign to tear down challenger Brian Jean in what has been dubbed a ‘kamikaze campaign.’

Kenney has repeatedly denied his leadership campaign team was involved in a the alleged scheme, even as recently as Friday.

Documents leaked to media on the weekend, however, paint a very different picture.

“Mr. Kenney has demonstrated a profound absence of integrity and Albertans deserve better,” Notley said.

While Notley announced her candidacy to run for re-election in Edmonton-Strathcona — a riding where she has seen sweeping support in the 2008, 2012 and 2015 elections — she remained coy about when the 2019 provincial election will actually be called, saying voters can expect to go to the polls “either in April or May” as election regulations dictate.

Notley did confirm, however, that the election will not wait until the RCMP and Alberta Elections Commissioner finish their investigations looking into the kamikaze campaign allegations, meaning Albertans will likely have to go to the polls without having all of the answers.

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“I’m calling on Albertans to ask themselves the question, whether they want a person to be premier who has been very clearly caught on the record lying to people,” Notley said in a scrum following Sunday’s candidacy announcement.

Notley would not say whether her government is planning to table a budget before the election is called.

The premier will face challengers Kulshan Gill from the UCP and Stuart Andrews for the Green Party as she works to win back the riding.

With files from Brennan Doherty

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