News and Media
The PC Government is ready to go!
October 26, 2011 by Scott Sakatch in Columns News
Well, it’s been a busy and exciting month in politics here in Alberta, and it’s not even the end of the month yet! After a long leadership campaign, Alison Redford has emerged as the 14th premier of Alberta and your members of parliament are ready to get back to work with a short session this week followed by a full session starting in November.
The leadership race was definitely competitive, with six excellent candidates, but now that it’s over, I’m confident that the members of your government have moved forward and I believe that caucus is united behind our new leader. We’re ready to move ahead with a new slate of legislation next month.
I was very pleased to attend Premier Redford’s swearing in ceremony on Oct. 17 and the caucus meetings that followed. The premier outlined the government’s priorities in a speech earlier this week, focusing on education, health care and making sure that Alberta’s economy stays in the enviable position we enjoy right now.
I personally am excited to work with Premier Redford in the coming months. We’ve know each other since we were both elected in 2008 and have worked together on the legislation review committee and a number of legislative issues. Alison is an extremely bright and dedicated person who I believe is very much in touch with the wants and needs of Albertans. Her cabinet is an exciting group of ministers with creative ideas who will bring a new perspective to their various ministries. I’d like to congratulate all the new ministers and I look forward to working with them in the near future.
Of course, I was very pleased that the premier decided to keep me in my post as Alberta’s minister of advanced education and technology. There are a lot of exciting things happening in post-secondary education and in research here in this province and I’m grateful for the opportunity to see some of these measures through to completion.
Campus Alberta continues to move forward with several initiatives to increase transferability between post-secondary schools in Alberta. The goal is to clear away obstacles that have made it difficult for students to transfer their credits between schools and make it easier to further their education. Ultimately, we want students to have as much choice as possible for continuing on in post-secondary schools, which will continue to grow our reputation as a “smart” province.
We’re also committed to revamping and streamlining student finance policy in Alberta’s post-secondary system. The ultimate goal of student loans must be accessibility; Campus Alberta’s mandate is to make sure that every single Albertan who wants to pursue higher education has that opportunity. I acknowledge that the current system is far from ideal, but I want to assure everyone that we are working on it and have already made some great strides toward a system that is easier to use and will increase access for those who want it.
On the research side, we’re continuing to define and develop Alberta Innovates as a key investor in post-secondary schools and in key research projects. Alberta is a leader in a number of exciting areas, including nanotechnology, epigenetics (including groundbreaking work right here at the University of Lethbridge) as well as in health and the energy sector. One such project involves research into tailing ponds and is part of a five-year memorandum of understanding agreement with the federal government.
I hope all Albertans join us in looking to the promising future of this great province in the months and years to come. Your government is committed to maintaining and even improving the excellent quality of life we enjoy in Alberta and to opening up even greater possibilities in the future. As I’ve said many times before, when we all work together toward a common goal, there’s nothing Albertans can’t accomplish.
