Southern Alberta deserves a voice at the table
By Lethbridge Herald on November 12, 2022.
AT THE LEGISLATURE
Nathan Neudorf – UCP MLA for Lethbridge East
Well, I guess it is true what they say: “the times, they are a changing!”
We are entering the first legislative session under Premier Danielle Smith, her first speech from the throne as Premier, and my first session as Deputy Premier and Minister of Infrastructure.
Before I get into the recent changes, I want to pause and take a step back and look at the bigger picture.
I entered politics to represent people.
My background is in construction. Early mornings, black coffee, hard work and a training ground where contracts are made on a handshake, a look in the eye, and based on one’s character and integrity.
In fact, I ran my business under the name “Integrity Builders” for over 13 years. I built a reputation over that time for characteristics that allowed me to win a nomination and an election and be appointed as Deputy Premier and Minister of Infrastructure.
The new jobs are very different from my former career. Plain language isn’t plain, a single word can change the meaning and connotation of an entire phrase, and nothing is as straightforward as “snapping a line and cutting a sheet of plywood.” I understand the world where you measure twice and cut once. I’m continuing to learn this new one, but am always up for a challenge.
So what are my new roles, and what are the responsibilities involved?
As Deputy Premier for the South, I bring a unique voice to the Premier and the cabinet table as a representative of southern Alberta. Anyone from this area of the province knows we have our unique way of life and doing things. We range from office buildings in downtowns in places like Lethbridge and Medicine Hat, to century-old family farms next to our highways and down our range roads. This is a widely-known Albertan experience, but we do it a little differently down south. It’s not a right way or a wrong way; it’s just our way. It is about time that these experiences had a big voice at the table, and it is my commitment to bring our unique experiences, both good and bad, to the decision desk and ensure our voice is heard.
As for my other new title, as Minister of Infrastructure, I oversee many projects that impact our daily lives. Infrastructure forms the backbone of services through hospitals, schools, universities, colleges, and housing, and it also provides the water, power, and electricity that households and communities rely upon. It is a privilege of a lifetime to bring my decades of experience in construction and infrastructure development and management to this role. I intend to run this office transparently and accountable to you to enhance the lives of all Albertans.
Now, as we begin this new legislative session and governance under our new Premier, all of us — ministers, MLAs, constituents- need to collaborate as a team and work together. As constituents of Lethbridge-East, my success is your success, and your success is my success. In the same way, the Premier’s success is our success, and our success is her success. Life is a team game; now is the time to come together. I have been extremely encouraged by the way our caucus has come together. After the leadership election, we held a three-day retreat where we all got together, discussed our ideas, similarities and differences, and ultimately found common ground on which we all stand — serving you first and putting politics second.
While we are far from perfect and will always have similarities and differences, our imperfections and differences make us a diverse and unique team that is the best fit and ready to represent Albertans. As with any “work in progress,” separately, we are just pieces. Put each piece in its proper place, and we are one big framework coming together, stronger, and ultimately supporting you. Like we used to say in construction: keep nailing, and it’ll all come together.
14-13
Together? Not boding well, despite the attempt here.
This, particularly the closing paragraphs:
“Nontraditional road to Edmonton in Smith’s ascension, SACPA told”
https://www.lethbridgeherald.com
We’ll see what happens with the restructuring of AHS; the greatly unwanted expensive replacing of the RCMP; the protection of our environment, parks, and waters; giving a royalty gift to oil and gas companies to clean up their messes courtesy of us taxpayers; far out libertarian views and policies…..on and on…..certainly, not progressive conservatism, not one bit.
Many of us will be voting for who holds the dibs on the more hopeful moderate political center in Alberta, the Notley NDP.
If you are actually a functional deputy premier, voice of the south, and minister in charge of infrastructure, then why don’t you provide “lights on” funding for the great new science building at the University of Lethbridge? I bet that you and your party could not care less.
If you mean the lights are not on, maybe the Uni can find it in their budgets to turn them on.
Ya, with a 24% budget cut from this government it should be a snap, they just need to lay-off some more employees. More good news for the Lethbridge economy.
So the 70 billion debt left needs to be taken care of. A recent study has government employees earning 5.6% and better benefits than the private sector. There should be layoffs as that may induce more private investment, private payrolls I.e tax contributors and balance the tax consumers out. Another study has health care in Canada number 1 in spending and near the bottom in results. So more money seems to be not an answer.
Yes, Southern Alberta deserves a voice but not Nathan Neudorf or the UCP. Before the pandemic turned everything upside down, the UCP under JK reduced itself to a sad caricature of the Republican party south of us. Your party’s response to the pandemic and the FreeDumb convoy was irresponsible and lazy. Foisting Danielle Smith on us was… what?… a UCP act of revenge on Albertans for not loving JK enough? JK was bad but Smith is a whole new version of cuckoo land. She will go nowhere fast and Nathan Neudorf will be right there behind her all the way grinning and bobbing his head while she spews the most insane nonsense I’ve ever heard.
You are such a whiney pathetic complainer! Never anything good to say! My advice to you like whiners that live in this province is GO!!! Leave us alone, take the first jet, train, car out of here and if I can help you go as soon as possible I would be “Down” for that!