It's Time to Preside Over a New Pride in Being Albertan

Today in an Edmonton Journal Op/Ed piece Preston Manning asks the question “Should the political energies of Albertans be directed toward revitalizing the governing Progressive Conservative Party or toward replacing it...?”

Tammy Maloney blogged about working to change the current government whether you are interested in the Alberta Party or the Alliance. She makes a good case for supporting either party as long as we agree that it is time to change out old for new.

Even Ted Morton thinks that it’s time to build new as he states that it’s time to bring the Alliance and the P.C.’s back together, back to the ‘mothership’ as it were; although I don’t really see that as new, I think you get the idea.

I don’t think that many Albertans would disagree that at the very least this is a government in disarray as Danielle Smith stated this week.

One of the reasons that I have personally aligned my political values with the Alberta Party is because I don’t find it hard to disagree with any of them on this point. Yes Mister Manning it is time for change, it is time to replace our current government. Yes, Ms. Smith Albertans do have “real uncertainty...”

It is time to stop putting up with the internal bickering and constant positioning of the P.C. MLA’s as they strive to retain power rather than serve the citizens that elected them.

It is time to elect a government that has its primary mission clearly aligned to serve the citizens of Alberta. It is time for the Alberta Party.

Sue Huff, the Interim Leader of the Alberta Party stated today the “We need to be courageous & dream bigger, if not for ourselves, then for our children & grandchildren. “ This statement alone encourages me to look beyond the old and to build new.

While it is true that the Alberta Party is still in the early stages of developing policy, I like that the policy that is under consideration is going to be based in collaboration and founded on what is in the best interests of the citizens of Alberta.

I also believe that we build policy from the perspective of how Alberta can be not just the best IN Canada but the best FOR Canada.  That is where true leadership resides, that is where true Citizen Servant Leaders should work, and that is what the Alberta Party is doing.

I am not afraid of ‘inspirational and aspirational leadership’. It is often in the striving to achieve that true progress is made.  I like a political party that is able to attract socialist and capitalist thinkers. A party that is able and willing to accept liberal, conservative, independent and otherwise aligned political activists. A party that is willing to do politics differently, a party that is willing to do governance differently.

Over the next few weeks I am going to be outlining my thoughts in this blog on the type of policies that the next Leader of the Alberta Party should be considering, the things that I would want to do or see done if I were the leader of this party.

As I reflect on how politics and governance have devolved in Alberta to this state of disarray and confusion I can’t help but think of what it was the Peter Lougheed helped to build back in 1971. Jeremy Barretto is blogging on his ideas of what Mr. Lougheed would do and I must say that I agree wholeheartedly with Barretto’s ideas.

It is time to “Preside over a new pride in being Albertan” as Barretto states. I don’t see that happening under our current government and now, once again, we need to build.

Finally, I have to say that it is people like Tammy and Jeremy that inspire me to continue this journey that I find myself on. They are so representative of the Alberta that can be. We just need to find a way to get there. And for me that way is the Alberta Party.