I Love Alberta

For the last several months I’ve been on an incredible journey as I have sought the Leadership of The Alberta Party. I’ve met wonderful people who have great ideas – about what they want to see this Province become.

They have told me they want a long-term vision for Alberta; not just for the next election or to grab a headline, but for generations to come. They have told me they want government and leadership that will build a solid long-term plan around that vision as well. And they want political leadership to actually make it happen.

In my campaign, I have brought these issues from the majority of Albertans – rural and urban – to our Party. Those voices reflect a clearly moderate, centrist and inclusive Alberta and Canada.

I’ve also had the opportunity to recently meet with several senior members of the Alberta Party, who told me that many of my fellow Alberta Party members find it distasteful, even offensive, that I do not (in their opinion) respect the Party’s policies and philosophies by coming out with definitive statements that “put a period at the end of the sentence”. They have also suggested I should not bring up issues that have not been raised through the “Big Listen” process. I’ve been told that the Leader of our party is to simply listen, and is not to attempt to shape policy in any way.

With all due respect – If we are not prepared to “put the period at the end of the sentence” on ending Aboriginal poverty; on ending industrial wastewater and emissions; on eliminating illiteracy; on demanding stable, publicly funded healthcare and educational systems – then, yes, my campaign is clearly at odds with the philosophies and policies of The Alberta Party.

A couple of weeks ago, Jeff Blodgett (one of President Obama’s organizers) inspired us with many things, but particularly that "leaders needed to be authentic and genuine". But during the past couple of weeks I have been asked several times by Party people to “tone down” the fact that I’m an energy CEO, and to “soften” the message that I’ve been in the energy industry for 28 years. I had hoped that my energy sector knowledge would be seen as a benefit to the Party. I had hoped it would be seen as an opportunity to build bridges and help move Alberta forward into a long-term vision of energy and the environment. Instead, I’m told this is a bad image for the Party.

To be authentic and genuine, I want to make this clear (again): The energy industry needs to make positive change. It needs to change its practices with regard to industrial wastewater and emissions. It needs to continue to improve its methods of environmental response. It needs to take a long-term view of wealth creation, and long-term capital infrastructure investment for all Albertans. I was very clear on these issues during my campaign. And I also want to be clear that I am very proud to be part of the energy industry and the new generation of professionals that are determined to bring balance to that industry.

Many Albertans have asked me to make a statement on the “power line” issue. I have held off making such a statement, as it would have been definitive, and not in keeping with the Alberta Party policy process. But it needs to be definitive, particularly for a leadership candidate. This has a dramatic impact on all Albertans, as well as the energy industry. We need to take an immediate and courageous stand on this issue. But, as a Leadership Candidate for The Alberta Party I cannot make a definitive statement because, to many in the Party, this would not respect the policy process.

I want to express my sincere, heartfelt gratitude to all of you who have encouraged me in the campaign. Your support, encouragement, thoughtful and heartfelt discussions about real issues that really matter to you, your families and your communities is what always made my day.

However, I cannot continue to run a campaign that offends the Party, including some of the Board, and causes them to say I don’t respect the Party’s policies and processes.

All of my platform issues and comments have always been within the clear context of Alberta Party policies. And, to be true to myself and not hypocritical, I will continue to “put the period at the end of the sentence” with respect to poverty, illiteracy, sustainable funding of healthcare and education, wastewater and emissions, an Alberta-first agricultural strategy, and other issues. I will not, as was suggested to me by a senior Party member, “embrace the ambiguity”.

I am a moderate, centrist and inclusive Albertan. At the 61st Annual Canadian Oilmen's Executive Association Governors' Ball, which I attended a few days ago, several senior energy executives told me they found such a notion appealing. But they would only support strength, not ambiguity.

Here is my video: http://bit.ly/fy1eDW

I will continue my efforts strenuously to bring a moderate, centrist and inclusive long-term vision and strategy to Alberta. I have listened to Albertans, and I have heard what they’ve said. And I am prepared to act on what they tell me.

Many of you know I’m on a journey to lose 50 lbs by 2012. You’ve shared your personal stories and congratulated me. I’ve talked about it a lot, thought about it a lot, and consulted with my doctor about it. I thank all of you who’ve given me encouragement. And I haven’t lost a single pound. In fact I’ve gained a few. This morning I woke up, got on the exercise bike, and had a healthy breakfast.

An Integrated Action Plan for Alberta

I am passionate about Alberta and what we can achieve. But, for Alberta to be the best it can be, we have to act on what Albertans say they want. Yes, there are real solutions, and those solutions come from the people who know the most about the challenges: Our healthcare professionals, the business people, our educators, our municipal leaders, our Aboriginal communities, and our farmers. But these solutions must go beyond the next election cycle ... they must be integrated, and have a 50-year window so political opportunity does not derail them.

Here is my vision and action plan for Alberta.

Develop a Balanced Partnership with Alberta’s Energy Sector to establish Alberta as a world energy leader for the next 50 years, including immediate transition from dirty coal usage to equivalent natural gas and renewables usage for electrical generation by 2020.

Develop a 21st Century Environmental Policy on non-recycled industrial wastewater and waste fuel by 2020, with incentives for development of new technologies and early adopters.

Develop a Balanced Partnership with Corporate Alberta to establish economic priorities, and how we will meet demands for the next 50 years in Alberta.

Establishment of a 50/50 Fund for Albertans – A $50 billion fund by 2031 for the next 50 years – for the development of economically viable “Made in Alberta” industries, post-secondary education, and long-term capital infrastructure. 50% of this fund will be allocated to “Made in Alberta” industries.

Set a Goal of Full Employment by 2020. Why would we settle for less? Not some politically palatable number of 5% or 6% unemployment, but as close to rock bottom as is humanly possible. Every Albertans who wants to work, should be able to work. We must create the environment and the opportunity to turn this into a reality.

Set a Goal of a Fully Literate Alberta by 2020. Our public & separate school systems must have the very best schools, best educational infrastructure, and best qualified teachers ... with sustainable funding. This must include a significant investment in the trades.

Create a Balanced Partnership with Healthcare Professionals to establish a market-competitive employment system for medical professionals within Alberta. This includes ending the wasteful billing system currently in place. Most healthcare professionals want to be healers, not business managers. Also put in place healthcare policies with significant incentives for accomplishing health & wellness milestones (e.g., smoking cessation, diabetes reduction).

Create a Balanced Partnership with all Provincial Unions that impact Government operations in Alberta, to establish economic priorities and how we will meet demand for the next 50 years in Alberta.

Implement a Hiring Freeze in the Bureaucracy, until a full 3rd party independent audit is completed to identify systemic waste. Systemic waste is not caused by the civil service who work diligently to help Albertans; it is caused by a broken system which must be fixed. An independent 3rd-party audit of all areas will uncover financial waste.

Implement an “Alberta Empowered, Alberta First” Agricultural Policy. Strongly promote and encourage the use of agricultural products from Alberta farmers & ranchers by all Alberta institutions. Make a significant investment in “100-Mile” agriculture solutions.

Institute a "Zero Loss" of Alberta Communities Policy. Establish an “At Risk Community Inventory”. Focus on municipal revitalization and innovation. Foster less reliance on subsidization from Edmonton. Encourage, empower and enable the local level to increase reliance on local innovation.

Institute a "Zero Tolerance on Aboriginal Poverty" Policy. Ensure that all Aboriginal communities – Status / Non-Status and Métis – are made full partners in Alberta’s economy, and that the “tribal system” is addressed and no longer supported.

Let's Keep Our Community Schools

Dozens of community schools across Alberta are scheduled to close this year. And their communities will wither even more when they do. While budgets might suggest closing a school will help with spending and taxes, the reality is quite often the opposite.

A school is often the centrepiece of a neighborhood. A school brings fond memories and the people in a community together for concerts, sporting events, music, fundraising and community meetings involving children and adults. Schools and real neighborhoods make our cities more livable and friendly.

The limited and simple "numbers crunching" practice of removing the heart out of our communities and thinking that they will somehow magically continue to thrive and prosper is ludicrous. They will not. Such simple solutions only encourage migration to the outer reaches of a City that has already sprawled out of control. It creates "bedroom communities" without neighborhoods or real community.

It is time to revitalize our inner city communities. Closing down our community schools goes to the very heart and lifeblood of neighborhoods. It does not require courage or leadership to take the "simple" road of closing down these community schools. That is an abdication of our responsibilities to our families and neighbours. 

How do we put a value - dollars and cents - on the loss of community? Some suggest the "simple" solution of just looking at the amount spent, and deciding that it costs less to close a school when a community is in transition. Simple. And a truly false economic. It assumes a community is static and will never again thrive. Most school board members and teachers know that it just doesn't work well for the children, and not for the parents nor the community. But, funding is political and doesn't address the bigger question of "what makes a community?" That's too complicated for some politicians.

We talk about bullying in schools, yet faceless bureaucracy often comes wagging its financial finger and bullies public school boards into closing community schools, leaving no reasonable alternative.

I truly believe we can and should invest in our communities and neighborhoods, starting with properly sustainable funding of public schools, investing in the students, parents, teachers and neighborhoods. This is a complex issue, but it requires a Partnership to build the communities we want. Please join me in this partnership.