Alberta’s United Conservative Party is set to pick their new leader on Saturday, October 28, 2017.
Former Wildrose Leader and UCP Leadership candidate Brian Jean has been touring the Peace Country over the last couple of days.
After stopping in Fairview on Friday, he arrived in Peace River early this morning, where the Trending 55 Newsroom caught up with the MLA for Fort McMurray-Conklin.
UCP Leadership Candidate Brian Jean talks with local resident Jerrold Lundgard at a campaign stop at Peace River’s A&W. UCP MLA Todd Loewen looks on. (Photo/Peace River Broadcasting)
“It’s a privilege to meet with the people of Alberta to hear of their concerns,” said Jean. “I’ve also been reminding members that they need to register to vote by Friday, October 13. Otherwise, they won’t be able to cast a ballot.”
He says the major issues he’s heard on the trail so far is pipelines and equalization. Jean says the federal government continues to encroach on federal jurisdictions.
“Whether it’s the carbon tax, or the equalization payments that need to change,” he said. “I’ve made assurances to the people of Alberta that we will challenge the federal government in court when it comes to both pipeline capacities, as well as in terms of equalization.”
Todd Loewen, the UCP MLA for Grande Prairie-Smoky, has been traveling with Mr. Jean throughout the province. He says the Carbon Tax will be one of the first things gone if Albertans do elect the party to government in 2019.
“We’ll be dealing with that one as fast as possible,” said Loewen. “As soon as we get into the legislature and get rid of that, it’ll be gone. (The tax) has been horribly damaging, not only to businesses, but to charities who are now suffering due to the extra costs involved.”
Loewen says that the recent loss of the Energy East project just doesn’t make sense.
“It’s really too bad,” he said. “It’s something that would benefit not just Albertans, but all Canadians too. It would seriously remove all Canadian dependence on foreign oil coming to the country.”
Jean adds that what happens in terms of pipelines affects people even in the Peace Country.
“I practiced as a litigator in Fort McMurray for 10 years,” he said. “I can assure that any application defending our pipelines and changing equalizations have a very high probability of success, and I do believe that it is the only way forward that (Alberta) will be able to receive our constitutional benefits in a fair and respectful matter. The province doesn’t infringe on federal jurisdiction, they shouldn’t infringe on ours either.”
He says that once he’s elected, he’ll cut the number of managers currently on the payroll at Alberta Health Services (AHS).
“I’m not proposing that anyone gets fired,” Jean said. “The cuts will, of course, come through attrition. Currently, we have one manager to every five employees. We have far too many managers, and we do have to reduce them. Seven levels of managers at AHS is just too many.”
Other issues the campaign has heard about is how to handle the caribou population in the Peace and Mackenzie regions.
“A lot of industry, and a lot of the counties of MDs are concerned about this issue,” said Loewen. “(Mackenzie County) has been doing a lot of good work in trying to find solutions to the problems, and I hope they continue to do so as well, and that the provincial government comes to the table to listen to their concerns.”
The Trending 55 Newsroom also asked Mr. Jean about some of the accusations the other candidates leveled against him.
“You get more bees with honey than you do with vinegar,” Jean said. “You need to be positive, and you need to work with people, and to empower them, to make sure that the feel that they’re part of a team. It’s not always easy to do, but it needs to be done if we want to take back the province (from the NDP).”
Jean and Loewen will also be making stops today in Manning, High Level and Fort Vermilion, before ending his day in La Crete.
Jean says any member who wants to register to vote can do so at www.unitedconservative.ca. Or they can contact his campaign by phone at 1-855-561-4545, or by email at help@brianjean.ca.
– Posted by BET
