The Alberta government is currently fighting attempts by the federal Tories to force a National Securities Regulator on Alberta. Every once in a while, the Official Opposition must stand with the government. This is one of those times.

Alberta’s provincial securities industry made it possible for our oil and gas sector to help transform our province into one of the most prosperous jurisdictions in the world. And the presence of the Calgary Stock Exchange and local bankers who understand local investment opportunities continues to help Alberta’s entrepreneurs build a prosperous future.

Forcing a national securities regulator on Alberta threatens that future. Forcing Alberta startups to go hat in hand to Toronto for venture capital isn’t the way Albertans want to do business, and we support Finance Minister Ted Morton’s attempt to protect Alberta’s interests. Ted and I may not have much in common, but on this we can agree: standing up for Alberta is the duty of all our leaders, regardless of party affiliation.

As Leader of the Alberta Liberals I am lucky enough to meet a great variety of people. These Albertans have provided me with invaluable stories about themselves, their experiences, and accomplishments.

Recently, I had the privilege of meeting Ezzrett “Sugarfoot” Anderson. Back in 1949 Mr. Anderson was recruited by the Calgary Stampeders as one of the first African-American players in the CFL. He played for the Stamps for nine seasons. Throughout his football career and to this day “Sugarfoot” has done much to aid the Alberta African-American community in gaining equality within the province. He has never been afraid of speaking out against racism and discrimination in the province.

It was an honor to meet him at the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame. He is an inspirational man. Please visit the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame .

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.

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.

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!

After a rigorous two days of exploring heavy oil sites in Fort McMurray late last week with our Alberta Liberal Energy Critic, Dave Taylor, it’s clear to me that advances have been made by some in the heavy oil industry to reduce their water and energy use through innovative processes. I witnessed tremendous progress in the reduction of tailings ponds at the Suncor site, towards the goal of producing dry tailings. The industry representatives we met with at ConocoPhillips’ SAGD site demonstrated that they are making real efforts towards reducing their carbon emissions through corporate investment, due to changing government standards and global pressure.

This is good news, but both industry members and the Liberal party know that we can still do better in terms of reducing our industrial footprint. As signs of an economic resurgence are showing, it’s time to reassert our commitment to work with industry to learn from the past and foster innovation for the future. A responsible government will work constructively with the Alberta energy industry to ensure return on investment and good stewardship of the environment.

My time in Fort McMurray was also a reminder to me that industry accounts for 1/3 of greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels, while consumption makes up the rest. Investment in infrastructure, like public transit, is crucial if we are to make strides towards slowing down our use of this non-renewable resource. We all share in the responsibility of reducing greenhouse gases.

David

To read what the press said about my visit, click HERE

During Question Period today, I demanded that Premier Stelmach stop hurting Calgary and Edmonton by forcing school boards to close schools in urban cores.

Municipal governments in Edmonton and Calgary are trying to revitalize their downtown cores – but school closures make it impossible to attract families. Up to 70 schools in Edmonton alone could be on the chopping block thanks to the Stelmach administration’s education cutbacks. And if all the schools under review in Calgary were closed that would be that city’s largest closure of schools ever.

A school is the heart of any neighbourhood, but this administration doesn’t care about the very real possibility of hollowing out the metro cores of our two largest cities. These decisions have far-reaching ramifications, and if we don’t want Edmonton and Calgary to look like Detroit in ten or twenty years, the Premier and the Minister of Education should rethink their position.

I support a thorough review of the way government handles school closures, and demand that plans to close schools cease until that review is complete.

Five years ago, former Education Minister Gene Zwozdesky indicated that the procedure for closing schools should be reviewed. Last month, current Education Minister Dave Hancock again said “We are looking at our school closure regulations.” Why should we believe him, when five years have already gone by since the Tories last made this promise?

Closing down schools also defeats much of the purpose of the Stelmach administration’s own land-use framework to reduce sprawl and encourage development of city cores.

The right hand of this administration doesn’t know what the left is doing. The Premier needs to sort out his contradictory policies so that school boards and municipalities can work together to revitalize our cities.

I encourage parents and community leaders in Edmonton and Calgary’s cores to write or call their MLA, the Minister of Education and the Premier.

We all need to stand up for local schools.

Contact the Premier

Contact Dave Hancock- Minister of Education

I hope you are able to take some time away from the exciting Olympic action to join me tonight at the Calgary Mountain View Town Hall. I look forward to speaking together with public finance economist Greg Flanagan and economics professor V. Nallainayagam on the future of Alberta’s economy. We hope to have a stimulating discussion in which Albertans will be able to voice their questions and concerns on this vital issue.

How can we move Alberta’s economy forward? What will a healthy economy look like in 2025? At this forum I will emphasize that wise spending, investing in the future, and stabilizing revenues are the crucial building blocks of a strong Alberta economy.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Where: Hillhurst Sunnyside Community Centre
1320-5th Ave NW
Calgary, Ab

When: 7-9pm

David

On this Alberta Day at the 2010 Olympic Games, Canadians already have countless reasons to be proud of our athletes. On behalf of the Official Opposition, I’m more than excited to offer a well deserved “congratulations” to our Olympic athletes. A special recognition goes out to Spruce Grove’s Jennifer Heil and Canmore’s Mike Robertson.

These athletes make their respective sports look easy, but their shining Olympic moments are made possible only by hundreds of hours of grueling work in frigid temperatures and many early morning practices.
Athletic ability at the Olympic level takes more than just hard work and commitment, it takes years of sacrifice and a yearning to succeed that surpasses almost anything else.

Alberta’s world class training facilities draw hundreds of athletes from around the world. Thanks to these facilities, we are confident that many more medals will come from the many Canadian athletes who live and train in Alberta.

The heart of an athlete burns night and day for a chance to be the best and to make their country proud. Well done, Olympians! Thank you for inspiring us with your incredible examples of honorable sacrifice, courage, and self-discipline.

David