MLA Report: Worried about their own legacy, the benefit of few
By Medicine Hat News Opinon on March 23, 2018.
There has been a lot of talk and reminiscing in the province regarding political legacies — particularly surrounding two of Alberta’s former premiers. Premier Peter Lougheed has long been held as the gold standard of Alberta’s political leadership with Ralph Klein figuring in prominently but without the near unanimity of admiration of his predecessor. But while some Albertans hold both in high regard, trying to emulate the political legacies of both is like trying to suck and blow at the same time. While Lougheed built hospitals, Klein either blew them up or sold them off. Lougheed wasn’t afraid to invest public funds in Crown corporations to ensure Albertans had the services they deserved while Klein wanted the province to get out of the business of being in business. The crowning achievement and enduring legacy of Klein is something Lougheed never did — ridding Alberta of financial debt. But only at the cost of dismantling Lougheed’s legacy and putting the province’s municipalities behind the eight-ball when it came to infrastructure deficits. To be fair, they were both premiers of their respective times. Albertans holding each in high regard is not necessarily contradictory. What is a contradiction is stating that you intend to continue the legacy of both while advocating for the policies of neither. There are those in our community who are promoting an ideologically radical, free-for-all policy than supporting both Albertans and businesses equally. There are some in our community who feel Alberta should sell off public grazing lands — that generations of southeastern Alberta ranching families have relied on — to the highest bidder to fulfill this economic policy. The supply-management system which has supported family-run dairy and poultry producers for generations is also an atrocity for such individuals. There are residents in our corner of the province who feel a $23-million infrastructure investment to help build a $360-million potato processing facility is wrong and are actively working against this deal that will help our local growers. There are those whose radical economic policies are so deeply held that they would condemn government programs that helped diversify Alberta’s petro-chemical products and have created billions in investment through a capital-cost recovery program that made the oilsands what they are today. Klein defended ranchers by rejecting the type of initiatives the Fraser Institute has proposed regarding selling off public grazing lands. Lougheed wouldn’t think twice about investing in a food-processing facility that would create hundreds of millions of dollars in private-sector investment, hundreds of jobs and support Alberta growers all at the same time. Both Lougheed and Klein supported creative government solutions to promote economic development. Unlike Lougheed and Klein, there are those in our community who would let the chips land where they may and let the market figure out what’s best for Albertans. But those individuals who advocate for such radical economic policies aren’t continuing anyone’s legacy but their own — for the benefit of the few. Bob Wanner is MLA (NDP) for Medicine Hat constituency. 21-20
