David Swann: Blog

Dr. David Swann is the elected member of the Alberta Legislature for Calgary Mountain View and the Liberal critic for the Health and Wellness, Human Services, Agriculture and Rural Development, and Aboriginal Relations.

David Swann: Blog - Dr. David Swann is the elected member of the Alberta Legislature for Calgary Mountain View and the Liberal critic for the Health and Wellness, Human Services, Agriculture and Rural Development, and Aboriginal Relations.

Monthly Archives: May 2010

MLA Expenses

Clean government involves accountability and transparency. Among my 12 Steps for Clean Government released two weeks ago I have called on the Stelmach government to open the books on expenses of all MLAs and their offices. Albertans deserve to know how their dollars are being spent by those they elected.

In Alberta, only the provincial Auditor General can access the specific information of expenses. The general public cannot. Unfortunately, the Alberta Conservative government has stated that the issue is not on the agenda and goes so far to say that there is no need for this information to be public knowledge.

As a commitment to the issue of financial accountability I will be posting the monthly statement of expenses for my constituency – Calgary Mountainview – in the coming weeks. This information will be available directly on my website for constituents and all Albertans to review.

News from the ALP Convention: Resolution on Cooperation

The biggest news out of this weekend’s Alberta Liberal Party convention and annual general meeting was the passing of a resolution on “Cooperation with Other Political Parties.” I watched with a great deal of interest as both sides of the debate made their points and counterpoints. It was a very passionate and fascinating discussion. Contrary to some media reports, I abstained from the vote, as I wanted this question to be decided by the members of our party. I will follow the wisdom of the majority, who decided in favour of the motion.

What the resolution actually says, is not very specific. The contentious part of the resolution that laid out specific instructions was removed following an amendment by one of our longtime Liberal members. The resulting amended resolution was clearly more palatable to the majority of our members in attendance and this is what we will be working with in the coming weeks and months as we prepare for the election.

This is clearly a COOPERATION resolution calling for us to work with progressive parties and voters, including progressive Tories who are leaving the Progressive Conservative party of Alberta in droves, seeking an alternative.

We ARE that alternative. We ARE the ONLY centrist party in Alberta with policies in place and a structure out there in all 83 ridings across the province. It only makes sense that we would be the party to extend a hand and offer to work together.

It’s often said that I’m not a typical politician. I would like to suggest to you that this makes me the ideal person to introduce a new way of doing politics in Alberta, as urged by the resolution this weekend. It is a less confrontational kind of politics, one that puts the interests of the citizens of this province ahead of narrow partisan interests.

The Alberta Liberal Party under my leadership will work in earnest and with the full and open involvement of our membership, to bring people together so that we can form a new kind of government for this province, one we can all be proud of. This is what cooperation means and this is what any good government does.

Alberta Liberal Policy Convention

I am gearing up for a dynamic Alberta Liberal Party Policy Convention taking place this weekend in Edmonton. I am looking forward to a great opportunity to connect with Liberal members and discuss policy to take the party, and Alberta forward. The Friday keynote address is from Warren Kinsella who will give us his insight into political strategy. Over 40 new policy initiatives will be discussed at the Convention and I anticipate a great networking opportunity with our Liberal Team as well as a chance to enjoy the hospitality of the City of Edmonton.

I very much look forward to seeing you there; it will definitely be a great weekend!

Clean Governance Initiative

Today I unveiled an ambitious new plan aimed at improving governance and restoring the confidence of voters in Alberta. The Clean Governance Initiative is a 12 step plan with an aim to make Alberta MLAs more accountable and level the playing field during the course of elections. The initiative includes an independent and binding body determining the salaries and allowances of MLAs rather than MLAs themselves setting their own pay. In addition, all MLA expenses would become publically available online.

I want to encourage ‘whistleblowers’ who expose waste and corruption in government. An Alberta Liberal administration would appoint an independent ombudsman with the power to  protect whistleblowers from job loss and other unfair consequences.  

Democratic renewal is important to me and I want to regain trust as well as better engage the people in the political process. By offering a $50 tax credit to those who exercise their democratic right we are rewarding proper behavior as a citizen of Alberta. We hope that this incentive will improve voter turnout during provincial elections and entice voters to follow the issues of the campaign as well.

I am very keen to hear your questions and comments about this initiative and democracy in our province. Please do not hesitate to contact my office at Calgary.mountainview@assembly.ab.ca or 403-216-5445 to provide us with feedback on this plan.