Alberta wildfires test Premier Smith's crisis management skills ahead of election

FILE PHOTO: Firefighters search for hotspots by gridline at the Deep Creek Wildfire Complex near Evansburg, Alberta, Canada May 8, 2023. Alberta Wildfire/Handout via REUTERS

(Reuters) - An intense start to wildfire season in Canada's main oil province Alberta has put Premier Danielle Smith's disaster management skills - as well as her party's policies - under the microscope ahead of the provincial election on May 29.

The election in the traditionally conservative province is expected to be a tight two-horse race and will have a significant bearing on Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's climate policies, which Smith largely opposes. Skillful handling of the wildfires could boost Smith's popularity and help her United Conservative Party (UCP) clinch victory over the New Democratic Party (NDP), led by Rachel Notley, experts said.