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Elected or not, Liberal leader David Swann says his party will push for equal pay across the province upon returning to the Alberta Legislature.

Swann made the announcement in Edmonton Wednesday morning.

He tells 660News, Alberta is sorely lacking and needs to play catch up compared to the rest of the country.

Alberta has fallen way behind, compared to the rest of the world in pay equity, its shocking really, he said. Our children, our mothers, our grandmothers have been paid at the rate of 2/3rds of anyone else doing the same job, its not acceptable and we want to see some legislation that will fix that.

Were catching up the rest of the country. Saskatchewan pays 80 cents on the dollar that men get for the same rate and I would hasten to add its not just women that are unfairly treated, farm workers are paid significantly less in many cases and that needs to be addressed as well. We want equality for the same job.

The long-time politician and doctor calls it shameful that the provinces leadership hasnt taken this issue on and adds it should be about fairness.

We want to see the government enact legislation that would require all workplaces to demonstrate they are negotiating fairly and providing equal pay for work of equal value, thats as simple as we can put it, that sometimes can mean a negotiation framework that everyone knows when they go into a job opportunity. They can start to talk from the same language about what equity framework looks like and they can challenge bosses that are not living up to that framework.

He says the Liberals themselves are working very hard to get more women into politics, right now they have 6 which would be about 20 per cent of their compliment, but adds this isnt a favourable climate and theyre working hard to change that.

They plan on introducing it through a motion, a resolution or even a bill to get pay equity.

When I think about my own daughters, my patients, when I was a doctor, struggling with feeling discriminated against and devalued but also not being able to make payments on some of the most basic aspects of their lives.

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Liberals push for equal pay across Alberta

Religious Freedom in Indiana Attacked By Famous, Rich Liberals | ZoNation
Famous, rich, wealthy, influential liberals, from Cher to Kareem Jabbar using their status to oppose RFRA. They #39;re cultural icons, who #39;s backward world view is valued by millions. Also here #39;s...

By: PJ Media

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Religious Freedom in Indiana Attacked By Famous, Rich Liberals | ZoNation - Video

The federal Liberals are still at the top of the Nanos Party Power Index, but the New Democrats are on a definite upward trend, according to the latest week-over-week numbers.

Over the past six weeks, Thomas Mulcairs New Democrats have climbed two points in the Nanos Index, while Stephen Harpers Conservatives have dipped two points out of a possible 100:

See the latest charts and graphs in our Nanos on the Numbers home page

Supporters jumping ship?

The New Democrats have picked up momentum in the key battlegrounds of Ontario and the Prairies, two regions where Conservatives have faltered over the past month or so.

Some Conservative voters might be shifting their support to the NDP, or potentially using the polls as a way to register their dissatisfaction with the Tories.

The orange upswing is also likely recognition of the job Mulcair and the New Democrats have done hammering the Conservative party over the anti-ISIS mission expansion to Syria and the anti-terrorism bill.

While the New Democrats are trending positively, its still too early to say whether well be looking at a three-horse race for the October federal election.

The Duffy effect

The trial of suspended Senator Mike Duffy began Tuesday, which could potentially impact the polls over the next several weeks.

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New Democrats moving up on Nanos Index, Liberals still on top

23 hours ago

While greater knowledge alone is unlikely to overcome the political divide on climate change, conservatives and liberals become less polarized when the perception of harm increases, according to a new study by the University of Michigan and Ohio State University.

Lead author Sol Hart, U-M assistant professor of communication studies, and colleagues examined how attention to science and political news may influence the public's knowledge, risk perception and support for climate change policies. The data came from a nationally representative survey involving more than 1,200 people funded by the School of Communication at Ohio State University and the National Science Foundation.

Paying attention to science news reports on climate change increased knowledge for both conservatives and liberals, the study found. Attention to science news also raised conservative perceptions of harm closer to what liberals believed.

In contrast, increased attention to political news was not associated with knowledge gains for liberals or conservatives. Attention to political news did not impact perceptions of harm for liberals, but lowered perceptions of harm for conservatives.

The direct effect of knowledge on policy support was positive for liberals but negative for conservatives. In contrast, increased perceptions of harm were associated with more policy support for liberals and conservatives.

The results suggest some promising pathways for science communicators, Hart said.

"For conservative audiences, employing science/environmental news platforms to highlight the potential harm and risks of climate change, rather than focusing on factual knowledge, may increase policy support among this segment," Hart said.

Furthermore, improving the accuracy of climate change coverage in political news outlets and reducing false-balancewhich provides equal weight to climate advocates and deniersespecially in those outlets that lean conservative, may diminish the direct negative influence of political news on perceived harm and policy support exhibited in the analysis, Hart said.

Hart and colleagues noted that their study measured policy attitudes but did not observe voting behavior.

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Public views vary on climate change based on science, political news platforms

Michael Adams is president of the Environics Institute for Survey Research.

As this years federal election approaches, the Conservative government is increasingly crystallizing its offer to voters around a single promise: security. The economy has been removed from the partys display window, replaced by the global fight against ISIS and its sympathizers, some abroad, some next door.

For the government, a focus on keeping Canadians safe from terror is a strong play: fear may well be humans most powerful emotion. Academics such as Jonathan Haidt and George Lakoff have argued that conservatives and liberals have distinct sensibilities and seek different kinds of emotional satisfaction from politics. Lakoff, for instance, describes a conservative mindset that values leadership from strong, paternal figures and keeping the brood safe is an essential part of the job description for any strong papa. (In exchange, dad gets loyalty, deference to his authority, and in some cases a tie or patterned socks at Christmas.)

One drawback of the Conservatives laser-like focus on terror and security, however, is that it cedes so much other territory to challengers. It gives an opening for the Liberals and the NDP to make noise not only about their own traditional issues (social programs, the environment, and so on) but also about some issues that the Conservatives usually claim as their own. How might the Liberals or NDP show that they should be taken seriously not only by their own stalwarts but by Canadians who have voted Conservative in recent elections, especially those who gave Stephen Harpers party its surprising majority in 2011?

How about advocating for veterans?

The Harper government embraces military symbolism, and a robust armed forces that can fight evil and keep Canadians safe is certainly part of the Conservatives strong-father model of leadership. But in recent years many Canadian veterans have expressed dissatisfaction with the governments handling of their services and supports. For many, the highway of heroes seems to lead to a less exalted place at the end of the road.

Most Canadians would wish to see their military personnel honoured not only when theyre deployed, but also when they return from doing what the country has asked of them, especially if they have been injured physically or psychologically in the course of their duties. An opposition party that demonstrated a concrete commitment to meeting veterans health care and employment needs even if it were not a party that voters associated automatically with fighting capabilities might well appeal to conservative-leaning Canadians disappointed by recent headlines.

How about celebrating old-fashioned citizenship?

Civic education and pride in citizenship were once rather conservative ideals. They were connected to the patriotism and loyalty to country that right-leaning people have often claimed as special virtues. Recently, however, Canadas immigration program has taken on a more transactional character. It has become more strongly associated with short-term labour trends than with long-term nation-building. And indeed, a recent analysis has indicated that the rate at which immigrants become citizens has declined.

Despite some concerns about cultural integration (a process that citizenship and belonging only help), Canadians remain positive about immigration and take pride in multiculturalism. Shifting the immigration frame away from this quarters want ads and toward meaningful citizenship, civic participation, and inclusive nation-building might just appeal to some Canadian patriots who believe countries and their citizens do best when their responsibilities toward each other are durable and deeply felt.

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Three ways Liberals and NDP can win over conservative voters