The spring sitting of Alberta’s Legislative Assembly came to an abrupt end, last month, in the wake of the UCP leadership review. When the Legislature is recalled on October 31, it will be under a new Premier.

Our vision for Alberta is not complicated:

•  We believe Alberta can and should be the most free and prosperous place in North America.

•  We embrace the idea of Alberta exceptionalism. We believe that our entrepreneurship, hard work, and willingness to accept risk helps us to achieve success. Government’s role is to encourage the success of all, while resisting the temptation to interfere in the economy.

•  We believe in grassroots democracy, and our MLAs have a duty to put the interests of our families and communities first in everything that they do. We expect government to respect Albertans’ right to make the decisions for themselves and their families.

•  We believe in economic and social freedom for all Albertans. Any infringement of such rights must not take place without consent, and the consequences must be minimized to the greatest extent possible.

•  We believe government must live within its means, focus on core services, and avoid becoming an obstacle to Albertans’ success.

. The best thing for our province in the long term is winning a fair deal from Ottawa. And, given that Kenney was part of the government that saddled us with the current equalization formula, voting YES will send a message to him as well.

The bottom line is our province deserves a fair deal. On Oct. 18th, let’s vote for it.

As the Legislature's fall session nears, I think it's a good time to reflect on the state of our province and our political system.

For me, this session marks the halfway point of my third term representing our region. It has been an honour and a privilege for me to do so as part of three distinct Legislative Assemblies, first as a Wildrose, then a United Conservative, and now as an Independent MLA.

From the beginning, my first duty has always been to the families and communities of Cypress-Medicine Hat. Every step of the way, I have been clear that I will use both my free vote and my free voice to represent your interests.

A large number of Albertans tend to think of themselves as fiscal conservatives. But what exactly does that mean?

Fiscal conservatives believe that governments should avoid spending beyond their means, minimize waste, and respect taxpayer dollars. This means staying away from risky investments and other corporate welfare schemes, and resisting the urge to pick winners and losers in the market. Basically it’s a form of common sense with the added benefit of protecting taxpayers from crazy economic experiments and massive boondoggles.

In spite of the government’s economic restrictions, a $115 billion in provincial debt and bottlenecked resource movement, Alberta is in a wonderful spot.  This is because North Americans everywhere know that Alberta is one of the last places where strong, societal, conservative values like truth, economy, charity and freedom are still valued and part of culture. An Alberta that recognizes the need to foster Alberta priorities, economic freedom, allow space for Alberta family and community values, and individual opportunity.

Albertans also value fairness, community, and risk taking.  3 examples where these values are working to give citizens more freedom, a louder voice and equity are Switzerland, Wyoming and Australia. 

Part 3: If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging

One of the most common concerns I hear from folks is that our governments are getting away from the core values that once made our province and our country strong.

This is of great concern to me, because we didn’t come by our values the easy way. They are a reflection of the struggles we have faced and the lessons we have learned over three, four, and five generations. We have faced harsh winters, drought, floods, and prairie fires, not to mention two World Wars and a Great Depression. Our legacy is the values that we learned from our parents and teach our children.

This is an interesting time in the history of Canada to be a Constitutional scholar. As has been widely reported, on May 13th, the government of Quebec introduced its controversial Bill 96 in the National Assembly. The Bill seeks to unilaterally amend Quebec’s constitution, as well as Canada’s Constitution. Since that time both the Prime Minister and Alberta’s Premier have indicated that Quebec is legally able to, so long as the amendments pertain only to Quebec.

This opens up a whole new avenue for our province to stand up for Albertans and defend Alberta’s interests. It also raises a key argument I have been making for some time: Alberta needs a proper constitution.

One of the most common concerns I hear from folks is that our governments are getting away from the core values that once made our province and our country strong.

This is of great concern to me, because we didn’t come by our values the easy way. They are a reflection of the struggles we have faced and the lessons we have learned over three, four, and five generations. We have faced harsh winters, drought, floods, and prairie fires, not to mention two World Wars and a Great Depression. Our legacy is the values that we learned from our parents and teach our children.