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The Fourth Session of the 27th Legislature – Spring, 2011 – Has Begun

Alberta politics are in a state of upheaval.

Since late January, Ed Stelmach has announced his intention to resign as Premier of Alberta and leader of the Progressive Conservatives; three government ministers and a backbencher have stepped down to seek the PC leadership; David Swann announced the he would resign as Leader of the Official Opposition and Liberal leader and I switched from being an Independent MLA to join the Alberta Party;

Rarely in Canada do so many dominoes fall in such a short time.

Albertans are hungry for something more. We see ourselves as a bold and confident people, used to solving big problems, dreaming big dreams and accomplishing big goals – and we're not seeing ourselves reflected in our elected representatives.

I don't know how much more disruption we're going to see in the weeks and months to come, nor do I know who's going to prevail. I've rocked the boat a little bit...you can too. There's never a better time to get a politician's attention than when they're all a little nervous.

The Legislature is supposed to be in session until early June. With at least three parties looking for new leaders, there will be a powerful temptation to do as little as possible. However, the business of government has to go on, and I plan to do everything I can to make sure it does. Please continue to bring your concerns to me and I will continue to advocate strongly for you in the Legislature.

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Democracy and MLA Representation - Excerpt
Member’s Statement - April 21, 2010

“Mr. Speaker, I know that goodwill exists, and I’d like to see us all put it to work more frequently on behalf of and for the sake of the Albertans that we all represent. You know, in my experience, it really doesn’t matter how far apart you and I or this person or that person may be politically on quite a number of issues. If we share a concern about some other issue, when we have a common concern, we have common cause, and we can work together to solve the problem for the common good. I believe that approach puts Albertans first.

Mr. Speaker, in short order this House will rise, and we’ll all go home to our respective constituencies for the summer. No matter whether we call ourselves PCs, Liberals, New Democrats, Wildrose Alliance, or independents, let’s remember that our bosses are none other than the Albertans who elected us, and let’s come back in the fall determined to work in their interests. Where that means working across or around party lines in common cause to put Albertans first, it is my hope that we will all be prepared to do so.”