My interest in, and support of the Alberta Party is founded in my belief that it’s time to recognize how much our province has changed in recent decades – and to reflect these changes in the important relationship between our government and us, the people that they were elected to represent.
Over the past year we reached out to Albertans, in living rooms, and community halls, in coffee shops and pubs, we invited Albertans to meet us, and we listened to what they had to say.
And what I heard called me to action.
Our Province has changed but our government hasn’t changed with us.
They are still trying to perfect yesterday, but the Alberta Party is the Party of change. We don’t have to unlearn the old lessons of the party politics of yesterday.
We are going to start something new. Something that is built on the hopes and dreams, the aspirations and understandings of the citizens of Alberta, people like you and I. People that believe that there has to be a better way.
It’s Time for a New Way.
I am seeking the leadership of the Alberta Party because I bring a level of experience and understanding that I think can really benefit this new Party.
Because of my work on a Provincial level with the many boards, committees and associations that I have served with I will bring both a rural and an urban perspective to my leadership of this Party.
For the past 10 years, I have traveled throughout rural and urban Alberta; I have worked with and listened to our citizens from towns and cities, villages and hamlets right across the province.
I have a deep and abiding understanding of the challenges that Albertans face today.
One thing that I have learned is that the vast majority of us have given up on the political system, but not on Alberta.
It’s Time for a New Way for Social Responsibility.
It’s Time for a New Way for Social Responsibility.
Ask yourself; is it acceptable that our elderly, our infirm, our sick, are left waiting for care in emergency rooms across Alberta?
Like my mother-in-law, who waited for over 7 hrs in the emergency room with a blood clot in her leg only to be told to drive to another hospital to see someone there instead?
She suffered a life debilitating stroke during that trip and now sits paralysed and voiceless in a designated living facility with inadequate care, and not enough strength to look after herself.
Is it acceptable that so many of our children struggle through school looking for the acceptance that not all children learn at the same rate or the same speed?
Or for that matter, that not all children are destined for University and a classic post secondary education?
My nephew dropped out of school in Grade 10 because he wasn’t able to take the shop courses or the trades training that would have helped him stay in high school, he didn’t match the Government mandated achievement expectations.
I’ve seen the pain of a woman who lost her father, because his age pushed him to the back of the surgery waiting list. I’ve seen men waste away and die waiting for that surgery.
I’ve seen the fear in the eyes of students when they have to accept heavy debts in order to receive an advanced education in the most prosperous province in the nation.
In a province as prosperous as Alberta, every citizen that wishes to learn should be able to afford to. Every child should be able to attend school without having to worry about school supplies and extra costs.
It’s Time for a New Way of Fiscal Responsibility.
Ask yourself; is it acceptable that a party calls itself fiscally conservative but is so fiscally irresponsible that it constantly projects economic doom and gloom while demanding cuts in programs and services, only to re-consider their budget later in the year, and admit they were wrong?
The programs don’t come back though, and that quiet admission of error doesn’t help those left without the services they need.
We need to redefine success. In a way that’s credible and accountable, with clarity and honesty.
We need to be smarter about taxation and expenditures and build on our existing economic strengths and areas of greatest potential while developing a comprehensive, transparent plan for the investment and expenditure of revenue from the investments.
It’s Time for a New Way of Governance and Democracy.
However, what worries me the most, is that I’ve seen Albertans turn away from the political process when they conclude their vote makes no difference, because decisions are made in faraway places by politicians who don’t see their struggle, and when they do, fail to trust the very citizens that elected them to develop local solutions.
Our politics are broken. Our democracy needs nourishment. Our citizens need inspiration.
We need a government that understands that our MLA’s job is to be the voice of citizens into government, not the voice of government to the citizens.
Remember the meaning of democracy - by the people, for the people.
A healthy democracy means there is no fear; a prosperous democracy means there is no want.
But it’s a new day in Alberta and there is an answer: the Alberta Party. A common sense party that is connecting to Albertans and connecting Albertans to one another. A Party that is building policy by the people, and for the people, of Alberta.
It’s a new day. It’s time for a new way.
