As has been reported, I have made the decision to join the Wildrose Alliance Party.

Ultimately, however, my political loyalties reside with the people of Alberta and especially with those in the constituency of Airdrie-Chestermere who elected me to represent them. And it is principally to all of those that I wish to explain my decision to cross the floor. 

Most Albertans will be disappointed to know that politics in our province has evolved into a process that is almost completely undemocratic. Not only are there rarely free votes in the Legislature, there are very few free votes in caucus. Virtually all legislation is created and developed by various unelected government appointees with direction from the Premier and a small cadre of Cabinet Ministers whose distinguishing attribute is unconditional allegiance to their Leader. All other elected MLAs generally have little, if any, real input into the decisions that impact the lives of their constituents. 

Final government decisions are highly influenced by the Premier’s chief-of-staff. This unelected government appointee is now paid more than the Premier (nearly $400,000 per year) and has effectively been given the power to override the views of the elected caucus. As a result, Albertans essentially have governance by bureaucratic fiat rather than by the people’s democratically elected representatives.

Predictably, this undemocratic system has resulted in policies that are contrary to the small-c conservativesensibilities ofmost Albertans.From massive royalty hikes on our energy entrepreneurs, to awarding untendered transmission line contracts worth billions of dollars, to the return to debt-financing, to failing to protect the rights of free speech of our citizens, to behind-closed-door salary increases, to the highly questionable $2 billion carbon capture and storage experiment (I could go on) – the advice and words of warning from many caucus MLAs have been largely ignored and dismissed, and extremely poor policy decisions have resulted.

Equally disturbing is that the Premier and his inner circle consider it a serious offence if elected MLAs speak up publicly for their constituents. By way of example, Guy Boutilier, a former Cabinet Minister, was ejected from caucus for simply speaking up on behalf of his most vulnerable constituents. 

In response to publicly suggesting the need for improved fiscal responsibility, I and some of the other so-called ‘Fiscal Seven’ had our positions within government threatened. Even behind closed doors, MLAs who contradict the chief-of-staff, the Premier, or a prominent Minister are often derided, shouted down, and threatened with having their political careers limited in some fashion.

Simply put, our system of governance has become entirely dysfunctional and is not something I can continue to be part of. 

Over the past two years, I have committed myself to trying to make a positive impact within the government caucus by advocating for the views and needs of my constituents both in private and in public. That is what the citizens of Alberta pay me to do. That is what my constituents expect of me. I believe that defending poor public policy that has been developed by a small band of out-of-touch government appointees and insiders would be a poor investment of my life and of taxpayers’ money.

I entered public life to try to make a difference for our province. I believe, with the right leadership, Alberta can become an example to the world of the unparalleled success that comes from protecting economic and individual freedoms, adhering to principles of fiscal and personal responsibility and remaining true to authentic democratic values.

These are principles I believe in. They are also principles held by the majority of my constituents who entrusted me with the honor of representing them. I have therefore determined that I will support the political party that best reflects and respects those principles. 

In the Wildrose Alliance, I see a party which understands that the role of elected representatives is to vote in the best interests of their constituents, rather than to inform constituents of their political party’s talking points. 

I see in Danielle Smith a leader who is articulate, competent and committed to the modern, small-c conservative principles that I and the majority of my constituents hold dear. 

And it is for those reasons that I have decided to leave the Alberta PC Party and join Danielle Smith’s Wildrose Alliance.