CalgaryLiberal

1. In the last ten years what have you done to build the party? Give three examples.

As an Independent MLA, I stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Dr. David Swann and the Alberta Liberal Caucus as we held the government to account on the mismanagement of our health care system. When I joined the party on March 15^th, 2011, it had 2100 members. Within the first few months, we sold 700 new Liberal Party memberships, and entered the leadership contest when Dr. Swann announced his resignation. Since then, we’ve registered several thousand Albertans as supporters, and we are not done yet.

2. In the last ten years what have you done to build people outside the party? Give three examples.

Aside from my work in medicine and government, as an Independent Member I worked with all political parties to help solve the crisis we are facing in health care. My staff and I have toured from one end of this province to the other educating and advocating in partisan and non-partisan town halls. I’ve worked with Seniors United Now and Friends of Medicare in their efforts to build their organizations by acting as the keynote speaker at many of their AGM’s. Finally, we spearheaded the West Edmonton Synchronicity initiative geared towards helping improve the lives of youth in our communities.

3. What is the role of the leader and how should people fulfill it?

A leader is someone who inspires others to work together to achieve a common goal, not only for themselves, but for the betterment of everyone. A leader listens first and speaks last. It is someone who takes on more responsibility, but seeks less of the credit.

This means that a leader must articulate a clear vision, set a good example for others to follow, and works behind the scenes with individuals encouraging and helping them to reach their full potential in achieving a common goal. Lao Tzu said: “When the best leader’s work is done the people say, ‘We did it ourselves.’”

4. What is the role of the leader of a political party and how should one fulfill it?

A party leader must be the face of the party and the voice of the people. Leaders need to hear what the people are saying, both their concerns and their solutions, and find a way to direct all of that input in a clear, coherent, and comprehensive way. This means not losing the common touch and working as a team to ensure the vision is being clearly communicated and understood.

5. How will you go about recruiting candidates in all 87 ridings? How will you work with constituency associations in picking candidates?

I feel that a fall election is not outside of the realm of possibility. That means time is at a premium. If elected Leader, I want to have several Super Saturday nomination events in which as many candidates as possible are nominated in a very short period of time.

In travelling across the province over the last number of years, I’ve personally met many very talented and committed people of good character. I encourage all of them to consider public service by standing for nomination, and then going out into their communities to get to know the people, to care about their problems, and to listen to their solutions.

I’ll work with constituency associations to focus on identifying local candidates who have the support of their community, and to make sure that as many nominations as possible are contested. Nominations need to be like mini elections that will grow the membership, increase interest, and build excitement in the Party.

6. What should be the relationship between caucus, candidates, and the party?

We are all members of the same team. We must respect and support one another and work together to represent the best interests of the people of Alberta. We must not play the game of politics, but serve the public.

7. In all parties there are divisions. What are the divisions you see in the Alberta Liberals? How will you mediate and solve/ease these internal issues?

I am happy to say that as a bit of an outsider, I do not know, but what I am sure of is that unity is only real if it comes from the heart. We should not have to compel people to do what is right; rather, we must set a high standard of expectation and help others to meet or exceed it.

It’s important for everyone to remember why we are here in the first place. The purpose of power is not to make a name for ourselves or to attain our own personal goals; there is but one proper use of power, and that is to help others.

8. What tools or ideas will you implement to grow the party in Edmonton?

We are fortunate that Edmonton has been a source of strength for our party. Nonetheless, the best way to crush our laurels is to rest on them. So, I would continue to open up the doors of innovation to create excitement about what is going on in our party. The more attractive we become, the more people we will attract.

Some practical steps we could take are continuing to promote the registered supporter option in all our nominations, and to make sure all future nominations are contested. Competition has a way of refining us and sharpening our skills for the next challenge.

Of course, we also want to reengage certain demographics that used to belong to the party, but for one reason or another are now lacking: the youth, the ethnic/immigrant communities, the business community and the agricultural industry.

9. What tools or ideas will you implement to grow the party in Calgary? 

Calgary is quickly becoming the city of the future, so what better party to represented them a dynamic, growing, and expanding Alberta Liberal Party?

I would continue to open up the doors of innovation to create excitement about what is going on in our party. The more attractive we become, the more people we will attract.

Some practical steps we could take are continuing to promote the registered supporter option in all our nominations, and to make sure all future nominations are contested. Competition has a way of refining us and sharpening our skills for the next challenge.

Of course, we also want to reengage certain demographics that used to belong to the party, but for one reason or another are now lacking: the youth, the ethnic/immigrant communities, the business community and the agricultural industry.

10. What tools or ideas will you implement to grow the party in rural Alberta? 

Rural Alberta is the backbone of our province. It feeds us, employs us, and entertains us. Do not let stereotypes fool you. Rural Albertans share our Party’s values of honesty, hard work, fair play, and taking care of others.

The contrast could not be clearer between what the conservatives say and what they do when they get into power. I think Albertans are sick of it; they are looking for the right leader and the right party that will capture their imaginations and earn their trust. 

11. If you are a sitting MLA, why haven’t you implemented the tools or ideas in questions eight through ten? 

I am currently an Independent MLA, which means my first loyalty is to my constituents. They have asked me to remain as their MLA and to follow my heart, and I have done so. We have tested our ideas in my own constituency of Edmonton-Meadowlark, and they have worked. We were able to sign up hundreds of new members, thousands of supporters, and to have one of the most successful AGMs in recent history, all in a few short months.

A person with an experience is never at the mercy of someone with an argument. We’ve said it, we’ve done it, it works, and we can do it again all across the province.

12. What skills do you have to build up the Alberta Liberal Party as leader?

First of all, I don’t like to toot my own horn, but, what I can tell you is that in medicine, I make life and death decisions everyday. Many of my professional skills of teamwork, problem-solving and decision-making are easily transferable to the political arena.

Equally important, I know what it takes to win in education, sports, business, and politics. If we want to be winners in the next election, we have to start behaving like winners right now.

13. What are your skills in conflict resolution?

Moments of conflict are moments of opportunity, both for good and for bad. Ideally, we want to solve problems before they become emergencies, but sometimes situations can get out of hand, and if we’re not able to stop them, the best thing we can do it to immediately repair any damage caused.

An emergency doctor never runs to a crisis, we walk because we must keep our heads cool while all of those around us are losing theirs. In my many years of working in the inner city, I’ve seen it all. Resolving conflict requires patience, caring, and reminding everyone one of what is really important. It is often amid conflict where we find the best opportunity to re-evaluate and change.

14. If you lose the leadership will you stay on as a leadership figure in the party?

I’ve made a public commitment that, no matter the outcome of the leadership race, I will seek nomination as an Alberta Liberal Party candidate for Edmonton-Meadowlark in the next provincial election.

1. What issues make the Alberta Liberals attractive to Albertan voters and Albertans in general?

Here is where I fundamentally disagree with many of my colleagues and contemporaries. I believe that political parties exist to advance the interests of the people, not the people for the interests of the party.

The party policy must come from the grassroots up, not from the top down. People know what their issues are, and many already know what needs to be done to address them. It is up to us as a Party to listen to them and to accurately represent them to the larger public.

Finally, everybody loves a winner. When the Party is open, dynamic, and growing people will take a look to see what is going on. When the Leader, MLAs, and candidates become attractive by what they say and do, they will draw a following.

2. What is your stance on Bill 44?

I walked out of the government caucus meeting when they wanted to remove the entire section 3 out of the Human Rights Charter and dissolve the Human Rights Commission. I fought to maintain and improve the Commission and put “sexual orientation” into the Charter. That said, the decision regarding the education system needs to be reversed.

3. What is your stance on Bill 50?

Bill 50 caused a huge controversy in my area because one of the preferred routes for the 500 kV power lines ran right through Edmonton-Meadowlark. My constituents organized rallies, packed churches and arenas for “information sessions”, which I attend and spoke at, despite my government colleagues’ warnings to stay away.

Bill 50 is one of the best examples of bad legislative practice.

4. Would consider you merging the Alberta Liberals with the Alberta Party?

Quite simply put, I am running to be the Leader of the Alberta Liberal Party. My intent is to take us from Official Opposition status to the governing party.

5. Would you entertain the idea of cooperation (before, in, or after) with another party for electoral purposes?

I am a problem-solver, which means every option is placed on the table, and then it is evaluated before a decision is made. However, I plan to run quality, local candidates in all 87 ridings in order to give every Albertan the chance to help build a better Alberta.

6. Are you in favour of changing the name of the Alberta Liberal Party?

The name of the Party isn’t the problem. The people of Alberta will support a party that accurately represents them and shows them that it has what it takes to win. I had the opportunity to join any party, but I am running to be Leader of the Alberta Liberal Party, not because of its name, but because it stands for something important, and I think Albertans are smart enough to make the same choice.

7. Proportional Representation: Are you in favour of a PR system being introduced into Albertan elections.

Nothing will change unless we elect a new government. The current reality is that the Alberta Liberal Party must compete and win in a first-past-the-post system. I have always said that all options are on the table, but this conversation must take place on the floor of the Legislature where the people ultimately make the final decision.

8. How do we fix postsecondary education?

Alberta has one of the highest high school drop-out rates and lowest post-secondary participation rates. This means young people are either not seeing the value of their education, or there are too many barriers stopping them from going forward. We need to encourage, motivate, and enable as many people as possible to invest in themselves and commit to lifelong learning; our collective futures depend on it.

A successful post-secondary education sector gives us the opportunity to grow our economy by training researchers, entrepreneurs, and equipping people for work in all industries. We need to make education open and affordable and provide students with tools necessary for students to be successful. This means a well-rounded funding system where students have a mix of options from loans, to grants, to other government programs to help them with their finances.

9. How do we fix education in general?

Our problems in education are not just government problems; they are societal problems as well. Fortunately, education is a key to solving them. That is why it’s important to make sure all Albertan families have access to an affordable, quality education. We need to make sure our schools have stable, predictable funding and the wrap-around services needed to allow them to focus on the job of educating, so let’s resource our schools so that they become hubs for community involvement and activity.

10. How do we fix healthcare? 

Simple, but it begins with leadership. First, we need to stop privatizing and make a commitment to fix our publically-funded universal health care system. Next, we must stop building buildings and use our investments to support public home care, rehab care, seniors’ supports, and long-term care. Once those who don’t need to be in the hospital are back in their homes, our wait times will immediately decrease. We need to switch our focus away from treating illness to promoting prevention and wellness. We need more family doctors and primary care teams to keep you from getting sick in the first place. Finally, we need strong performance and accountability measures for those who govern, administer and work in the system. Something which all opposition parties have been vocal on wanting to legislate.

11. How do we fix the environment?

We don’t need to fix our environment; we need to fix our relationship with it.

Alberta is one of the most beautiful places in the world with a diverse landscape and ecosystem. We need to be responsible citizens, protecting the environment we inhabit, and making sure that the land we use for economic purposes is reclaimed.

We need to work together as government, industry, organizations and citizens, to educate and motive everyone to do their part to make Alberta a cleaner and safer place to live, work, and play.

12. How do we safeguard the economy?

Any economy based heavily on commodity prices is at risk from forces beyond its control. We need a stable knowledge-based economy making use of education, innovation, and technology to make Alberta a centre of excellence and service. Let’s add more value to our products here at home instead of shipping off our raw materials to someone else. Furthermore we need to expand our markets beyond the U.S.A. and make a pipeline to the west coast a priority. We need to support and expand all of our industries, including agriculture and forestry, in order to compete in a global marketplace. And, we need to make sure we stop the boom/bust approach to decision-making and spending. We should ensure stable and predictable funding so that our stakeholders are able to plan and administer complex and costly programs. Finally, paying ourselves first means not only increasing our savings, but maintaining important investments so that we don’t fall behind in other areas while we work on eliminating our deficits.

13. What is your stance on Carbon Capture and Storage?

This was a 2 billion dollar decision made exclusively by the Premier and Cabinet. The government caucus was not consulted and the taxpayer did not have a say. The people of Alberta are owed an apology and this issue needs to be brought back to them.

14. How will you present issues and ideas to the Albertan public in a way that will (a)  grow the party and (b) increase Liberal electability?

I do not accept that Albertans won’t vote Liberal because of our Party’s name; they are more sophisticated than that. Our history shows us that Albertans have an amazing potential to vote for a change when they feel it is necessary to get behind an idea. What the people of Alberta won’t do is embrace fantasy, negativity, or mediocrity.

We grow the Party by better representing the people of Alberta on the issues that matter to them, by providing common sense, not ideological, solutions to everyday problems, and by being the kind of Party that people want to be associated with: open, dynamic, and relevant.

We will have no problem getting elected when our candidates are local, respected members of the community whose main goal is to serve the public, not the Party.

15. Would you pledge never to take a political appointment from the federal Liberals?

I know this is an issue because the federal Liberals have a history of luring away our best and brightest, often leaving a gaping wound in our Party at the worst possible moment.

I have no intention of abandoning Alberta in favour of Ottawa. I am running to be Leader of the Alberta Liberal Part for one reason alone: to fix the province’s problems and to help build a better Alberta.

16. Do you believe that the separation between the federal and provincial Liberals should continue? Why?

We must not let the failures of the past determine our future. Where there are wounds, we must heal them. Where there are divisions, we must mend them. There is more that unites us than divides us. Let’s seek common ground, not just between our political parties, but individually and collectively as well.

The problem in Alberta today is not P.E.T. or the N.E.P., it’s the PCs.