Harry Chase
For The Calgary Herald

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Although Dr. David Swann was chosen as the Alberta Liberal leader only last weekend, the naysayers are already writing both his and the Alberta Liberal party’s epitaph. In Tuesday’s Calgary Herald editorial, reference was made to a “Swann” song. Rob Breakenridge, in an op-ed, compared David’s professorial demeanour to Stephane Dion in an effort, by association, to undermine David’s Alberta provincial leadership potential.

The fact that the knives have come out so early in an attempt to discredit Swann’s leadership ability and by connection the relevance of the Alberta Liberal opposition shows that David is perceived as a threat to those who embrace the status quo.

David possesses a number of the same character traits of his namesake whose ability, as a young shepherd boy to lead, was similarly dismissed more than 2,000 years ago. The little shepherd was mocked for thinking that he could stand a chance against the Philistine’s mightiest warrior, Goliath. Armed only with a sling, but backed by his faith in a greater good, David triumphed against what seemed to be insurmountable odds.

Even David Swann’s most determined detractors don’t question his personal integrity. David’s selfless nature has been demonstrated through his championing of the downtrodden whether in Iraq, Sudan or Alberta. For those who feel they have a historical or political right of exclusive entitlement, David’s “we” rather than “me” first attitude is perceived as undermining their traditional authority.

David Swann is not about ideological positioning of the right or of the left; he is very much, for those who have come to know him, about achieving sustainable balance.

David understands that to be able to maintain strong social programs, including education and health, you have to have a strong economy. For Dr. Swann, it isn’t a matter of either/or, about sacrificing a healthy environment for a strong economy.

David is all about inclusion and economic diversification. David’s first goal internally within the party and externally across the province will be to re-engage Albertans in the

democratic process.

There is no doubt in his mind, or in the minds of his colleagues, about the enormity of this task. The fact that in the last provincial election only 40 per cent of eligible Albertans chose to participate in a democratic process which millions have forfeited their lives to uphold is disturbing. When critics question the odds of David’s success in encouraging Albertans to demand their voices be heard, consider the fact that capturing 21 per cent of the popular vote was “good enough” for the current government to gain 72 of the 83 seats.

David realizes the need to diversify beyond our current dependence on non-renewable resources, which has and will continue in the immediate future to drive not only Alberta’s, but Canada’s economic well-being. For Dr. David Swann, a medical professional, the notion that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” will continue to be his guiding philosophy of life.

On Dec. 13, David jokingly announced that “the doctor is in.”Whether Albertans are ready to take the nonsugar-coated remedy that Dr. Swann will be prescribing over the next three years remains to be seen. However, to underestimate or to write off either David’s capability or commitment to re-engaging Albertans in a democratic process would be premature.

Harry Chase Is The Alberta Liberal MLA For Calgary Varsity.

Calgary.varsity@assembly.ab.ca

© The Calgary Herald 2008

If Swann is eccentric, then we need more of those

BY NAOMI LAKRITZDECEMBER 17, 2008

David Swann is elected leader of the Alberta Liberal Party and suddenly, I hear people labelling him eccentric. Why is he eccentric? Because he wants to lead the party? That’s not eccentric in Alberta, that’s just plain brave, considering the Tory-blue tide–no, make that a tsunami–that he’s up against. But eccentric?

When I think of eccentric, I think of some old hermit squirrelled away in a dismal apartment with stacks of newspapers and magazines piled everywhere, fighting off the city inspectors who’ve come to clean up the premises because it’s a fire hazard. As far as I know, Swann doesn’t live in an apartment and does not wade through piles of dog-eared, dusty copies of the Atlantic to get to his kitchen. Of course, I’ve never been to his house, so for all I know there may be a few National Geographics on the coffee table.

When I think of eccentric, I think of a man whom a friend of mine met on a bus once. It was July, but the man was wearing a heavy parka with hood and mittens. He sat down next to my friend (who complains bitterly and often that these types of things always happen to him) and said, “Know what?” “What?” my friend asked, resigned to his fate and to his new seatmate. “I just shot a bear. Right over there in that Wal-Mart parking lot,” the man said. My friend looked up at the bus roof, and said out loud, “God, you hate me, don’t you?” I doubt that Swann wears parkas in July or has close encounters with bears in suburban parking lots.

So what is this “eccentric” label that’s been stuck on him? I’ve heard it used ever since Swann won the leadership, which is all of about three days, but it’s gaining momentum. In a column this week, my colleague, Don Braid, labelled Swann “a bit of an eccentric,” and described how he donned a bicycle helmet and attached bike clips to the cuffs of his suit pants, after a government do at the McDougall Centre. Another colleague agreed that Swann qualifies as eccentric for that very reason. “He wears a bicycle helmet with a suit,” she said. Well, that’s a good thing, isn’t it? I don’t think we want the leader of the Liberal party riding around wearing a bicycle helmet with nothing else on. Of course, that might divert conservative Albertans long enough for them to stop wrongly blaming the provincial Liberals for the NEP, but it would be an extreme measure.

My boss, Licia Corbella, informs me that intimidating bus passengers and barricading yourself behind piles of old magazines against the onslaught of city inspectors is just nutty. Eccentric, she says, is when you build an airplane in your backyard or have an interest in collecting a species of beetle from Madagascar. The thing is, before Swann became the Liberal leader, I never heard him described as eccentric. He must be eccentric then for wanting to take on this one-party tyranny-state known as Alberta. Did I say tyranny? Oh, sorry. I meant Tory. The words have a certain alliterative je ne sais quoi, both starting as they do with a t and ending in a y.

Asked to expound upon Swann’s eccentricity, my other colleague said, “Well, he got fired from the Palliser Health Authority for speaking out in favour of Kyoto. I think he even said something about people getting sick from the air quality.” That doesn’t make him eccentric. That makes him a humanitarian, and if there is any field with a noticeable shortage of humanitarians, it’s politics. Swann’s record in that regard is truly awesome. He doesn’t content himself with issuing platitudinous press releases and then retreating to the warmth of his office. Swann is visible–everything he talks about, he follows through with action. He has championed the right of farm workers in this province to be included in the labour code. He was instrumental in establishing Calgary’s first pesticide-free park 10 years ago. He supports minority rights– yes, that was Swann marching in Calgary’s gay pride parade last June. He has visited Iraq as part of his antiwar crusade. He has been outspoken about the genocide in Darfur, including staging a hunger strike outside of Stephen Harper’s constituency office a year ago.

Last summer, he attended a water quality conference in Fort Chipewyan, where residents have long been concerned that toxins from oilsands projects upstream on the Athabasca River are responsible for the rare cancers plaguing their community. Meanwhile, Environment Minister Rob Renner was conspicuous by his absence at that same conference.

Ever since the budget cuts of the 1990s saw things like education, health care and social services slashed, Albertans have complained that the poor, the elderly, children, the mentally ill and other vulnerable groups have suffered, while the benefits reaped by a society flowing with oil wealth have passed them by.

That dynasty of dinosaurs which has held sway in Edmonton for nearly 38 years sees no need to trouble itself about such things. It’s so easy just to sit back and coast complacently to the next reelection. And for too long, too many Albertans have said: “The Liberals aren’t ready to govern.”

The Liberals, or whatever the party changes its name to, are more than ready to govern. Out with Tory entitlement, in with eccentricity–a delightful word which is merely a synonym for a leader who gets things done.

Nlakritz@theherald.canwest.com

© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald

Dear Friends and Supporters,

Without the help of others, no one can succeed in the kind of challenge I have been entrusted to lead. It’s a big job, as we all know, especially in Alberta! It’s going to take all of us…and more!

Just because it’s a challenge doesn’t mean it cannot be done. Our Party has surged in the past – on the strength of good policy and determined organization. We can do it again, except this time I want that surge to just keep on growing until we form Government!

First steps first! Right now I need your help to build confidence among the majority of Albertans who did NOT vote Conservative in the last election, the people who hold the key to the fortunes of the ALP.

In time, I hope we can recruit them to become a willing, eager and effective part of this movement for change and be the vanguard of an electoral tidal wave that and sets us off in a bright new direction.

But right now, I simply ask you to reach out and talk to them about our hopes for Alberta. Raise their awareness level, so they’ll notice what we’re saying and doing in the center – building a party for the public interest, long term; that’s my key message.

My hope is that you’ll engage with people close to you, renew hope and be an active part of shaping their future – and their children’s.

We need people to believe again in their right, and their responsibility, to create a trustworthy alternative to this negligent government, and in so doing, to shape their future.

Please call if I can help in specific ways in your area with information or a meeting.

Best of the Season to you and friends!
David Swann MD, MLA
Leader Alberta Liberals

Environmentalists Should Take Aim at Coal-Fired Power Plants“Environmentalists Should Aim at Coal-fired Electricity”
This is a thought-provoking article by prominent Calgary scientist Dr. David Keith in the Calgary Herald.

An interesting article on the most vulnerable citizens in times of recession.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/11/25/f-recession-social-costs.html