Bill 203 Alberta Get Outdoors Weekend Act

April 18, 2011

Mr. Anderson: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, I was just reading over this bill over the weekend, and I thought it was interesting. I really do enjoy hearing about some of the physical exploits of the Member for Calgary-Lougheed in a former life, when he was climbing Mount Everest. Twice. At the same time. No, I’m just joking. [interjection] To the bill. That’s right. Obviously, it is an extremely impressive accomplishment that he was able to do that once let alone twice.

Mrs. Forsyth: With the Sherpas.

Mr. Anderson: With the Sherpas. That’s right.

I actually saw a video on that new Netflix thing. It was a documentary on Everest. It was just wild. I mean, they went and followed this team up, and some people lost their life. Some people were losing hands and feet. It was one heck of a dangerous thing to do. So I do respect this member for what he’s done in that regard. He’s represented our province very well in that regard. He’s always been very committed to physical activity and to making sure that our kids and all of us are very aware of the need for physical exercise and so forth.

I think Albertans, frankly, are known for that and are known for getting out into the outdoors. I saw a stat that I think the minister of tourism was sharing a little while ago, during the Olympics, when she mentioned that Alberta athletes accounted for a huge percentage of the amount of athletes in Vancouver. I think it was close to half if I remember right.

An Hon. Member: Over half.

Mr. Anderson: Over half. That’s right. I mean, that’s really quite something. If you think that we only have about 10 per cent of the population or thereabouts, to have 50 per cent of the athletes is remarkable.

Also, we have a great facility going up by Canada Olympic Park. That’s only going to strengthen those numbers. So we have a lot to be proud of in Alberta. We have some fantastic facilities. We have the most beautiful mountain parks, frankly, in the world, certainly the most accessible of beautiful national parks in the world. People come from all over the world, and it’s right in our backyard. Just to think that we can go out our door, and in 15, 20 minutes – well, with the new ring road half an hour and you’re from Airdrie into the Kananaskis. It’s a good deal. We sometimes forget how lucky we are.

I really do like the intent of this bill. I do have to say that I question somewhat the reason we would want to enshrine some-thing like this in a piece of legislation. I don’t quite see the need for that. I think that there are other ways to do that. I’ve got to say that I guess I’m slightly ambivalent with regard to this. I don’t mind it because I like the idea, but at the same time we have so many – I think we’re just making the Speaker’s life far more complicated because he has to get up and recite all of those: every week, every month, all of those different days that we have to recognize. To add one more to that every April . . .

An Hon. Member: Naked gardening day.

Mr. Anderson: Exactly. Who knows?

I just think there are so many of them now that it’s getting lost in the shuffle. Really, it’s almost inherently meaningless because we have so many of these days that we recognize stuff. It almost becomes meaningless, which is unfortunate because it is important to get outdoors, and we don’t want to undercut that.

Again, I think I’m kind of ambivalent to it. I would say, though, that I would like to on behalf of the constituency of Airdrie-Chestermere urge my constituents, I guess you could say, to certainly get outdoors and enjoy these incredible landscapes and viewscapes and recreational facilities that we have in our back-yard. I know that Anita and myself and the boys got an RV the year before last. We get to the mountains six or seven times a year now. It’s just kind of a thing we do almost every weekend during July and August. We’ll even just sneak out there for a day on a Wednesday or a Thursday if we have an open evening sometime, just go have a campfire. It’s just an amazing place to grow up and to live and to raise kids because it teaches them.

People have this conception of Albertans as not being good environmental stewards or, you know, not interested in their environment. Nothing could be further from the truth. We are very much people that respect the outdoors. We have more national parks and provincial parks together than any province or place in the country, and we really do value our environment and the great outdoors that we have.

I know I only have about another minute, I believe, before the hon. member can wrap up, so I’ll sit down in about 30 seconds, once that comes, and give the floor to him. I just wanted to say that I think that although the idea behind the bill is good and it’s good to even have this discussion, maybe this bill, if anything, just gives us an opportunity to explain and to speak to the thousands and thousands of people watching this Assembly right now, riveted by this discussion.

Mr. Mason: Absolutely.

Mr. Anderson: People like the hon. Member for Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood and people like myself and the Member for Calgary-Fish Creek are completely committed to getting outdoors and making sure that Albertans know that.

With that, there’s about five minutes to go. That’s it, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Dim lights