The Alberta Party is Alberta’s centrist political alternative. It is a party that seeks to eschew any affiliations to the political left or right and instead focus on a sort of empirical approach to governance through the rigorous collection of information and the objective analysis of hard data. It is a party that prides itself on basing its policies on confirmed facts and expert long-term projections rather than a predetermined political ideology. Greg Clark was elected to the position of party leader in September and his party will be running a full slate of candidates in 2016. Greg agreed to answer a few questions in the present tense.
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Alberta is…
- Greg Clark: …a place where we look out for our neighbours and where hard work is rewarded.
Alberta was…
- Greg Clark: …in a position to invest in the Heritage Fund, but our window is closing.
Alberta should be…
- Greg Clark: …sustainable: economically, socially and environmentally.
The greatest thing about Alberta is…
- Greg Clark: …our can-do attitude.
The problem with Alberta is…
- Greg Clark: …the lack of vision from our provincial government.
My goals for the Alberta Party are…
- Greg Clark: …to reflect the values of Albertans, earn their trust and form government by the year 2020.
The Alberta Party’s greatest accomplishments have been…
- Greg Clark: …starting to change the tone of politics, giving a viable option for Albertans looking for a moderate political home.
The greatest challenge facing the Alberta Party is…
- Greg Clark: …getting on Albertans’ political radar, then managing the rapid growth of our party.
The oilsands are…
- Greg Clark: …an important part of the energy equation for Alberta and the world.
The “bitumen bubble” is…
- Greg Clark: …something made up for political purposes. We’ve been dealing with a price gap between world prices and what we get for Alberta’s heavy oil since the oilsands started production.
The Keystone XL pipeline is…
- Greg Clark: …an important project that, with the appropriate environmental and social considerations, should be approved.
Renewable energy is…
- Greg Clark: …a critical part of Alberta’s – and the world’s – energy future.
The Alberta Party is…
- Greg Clark: …a party for the moderate middle. We’re good managers, good neighbours and we take a long-term view of politics.
The Progressive Conservative party is…
- Greg Clark: …past its best-before date.
The Wildrose Alliance is…
- Greg Clark: …an effective opposition.
The (provincial) Liberal Party is…
- Greg Clark: …principled, but has failed to capture the imagination of Albertans.
Education in Alberta is…
- Greg Clark: …the cornerstone of a strong society and the key to economic diversification.
Healthcare in Alberta is…
- Greg Clark: …made up of caring people who deliver world-class healthcare in challenging circumstances. It’s also a public system and should stay that way.
Alberta’s economy is…
- Greg Clark: …strong, but relies too much on non-renewable resources.
An Alberta provincial sales tax would be…
- Greg Clark: …something only the people of Alberta can implement through direct referendum.
Alberta needs the Alberta Party because…
- Greg Clark: …Alberta needs change, but it’s got to be the right kind of change. We need to shift the focus away from narrow political gains towards working in the long term best interests of Albertans.
As premier I would…
- Greg Clark: …change the tone of politics; implement evidence-based policy and think long-term.
You can learn more about the Alberta Party by visiting albertaparty.ca. Membership information is available at albertaparty.ca/join_the_alberta_party.
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Theodore Wiebe is a writer living in Calgary. You can follow more of his important nonsense on Twitter (@TheodoreWiebe) or Tumblr (writingafterdark.tumblr.com).
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