Doug Horner has resigned as MLA for Spruce Grove-St. Albert effective Jan. 31. On Thursday, Horner announced he is leaving provincial politics – a decision he said has been in the making for more than a year.
Doug Horner has resigned as MLA for Spruce Grove-St. Albert effective Jan. 31.
On Thursday, Horner announced he is leaving provincial politics – a decision he said has been in the making for more than a year.
The move comes as his riding association moves toward selecting a new candidate to run in the next provincial election, with a nomination vote scheduled for Feb. 21 if needed.
Horner, 54, has served as an MLA for the area since 2001. He's held numerous cabinet posts, including agriculture, advanced education, finance minister and deputy premier, along with his recent appointment as a senior adviser to new Premier Jim Prentice.
“Fourteen years, five premiers, 10 years in cabinet, it's time. It's time for me, for my family, for my career to move on,” said Horner in an interview on Thursday.
He said he delayed the decision to make sure the right leader was in place for the Progressive Conservatives.
He plans on exploring opportunities in the private sector, with an eye on industries like infrastructure or international trade, which would be a return to his pre-politics career path.
“I've also been very, very interested in the Asian marketplace,” Horner said. “I guess I'm going to brush off my resume and we'll see what happens.”
Horner has faced heavy fire from the opposition in the past year. As finance minister and president of the treasury board his budget format was heavily criticized, then, the auditor-general's report found his department was responsible for the government air fleet that former premier Alison Redford misused.
He supported Prentice in the PC leadership race – opting to not run again himself, after losing to Redford in 2011 – but found himself out of cabinet this fall.
Still, Horner said he's seen many of the items he wanted to see accomplished – schools, roads and hospitals – completed since he took office in 2001.
Highlights have included working with high quality teams of public servants, though he admitted his favourite cabinet portfolio would have to be his first one, agriculture.
With a background in the agriculture industry, rookie agriculture minister Horner found himself tackling issues like the mad cow breakout.
He didn't rule out an eventual return to politics in one form or another, though he said it'd be awhile.
“When I told the premier that I didn't think I was ever going to run for anything again, he said never say never, so I wouldn't say never but certainly not in the next four or five years for sure,” Horner said.
Horner's family has long been involved in politics – his grandfather was in the Senate, his father Hugh was an MP, MLA and deputy premier, and his uncles and cousin all served as MPs as well.
Horner's resignation immediately triggered even more rampant speculation that an early election is in the cards – and while Horner played down the idea he could be that important, he said the premier and PC caucus have a lot of difficult decisions to face in the coming months.
Horner's departure will result in a byelection in his riding unless there's a general election call in the next six months.
He was careful in his announcement to say he'd remain a “committed member” of the PC party.
“I don't want anybody to think that I'm leaving because I'm unhappy with what's going on,” Horner said.
He still believes in Progressive Conservative values and principles.
“Where we've got in trouble in the past is when we as a party have moved away from those values and principles, so I don't want anybody to think I'm moving away from them,” he said.
Stephen Khan, who is MLA for the St. Albert riding, praised his colleague for contributing so much to Alberta.
“I don't think I could have asked for a better partner in terms of … representing St. Albert,” Khan said. “Doug has been unbelievably supportive and offered incredible advice and guidance in this past two and a half years that we've had the chance to work together. Doug has been the best colleague you could possibly imagine.”
The PCs announced this week that a nomination vote in St. Albert would be held Feb. 28 if one is needed. Khan said he's not holding an announcement about his future intentions until his constituency association's annual meeting Jan. 31.
A Feb. 28 vote will be held for Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock as well.
Spruce Grove-St. Albert and Athabasca-Sturgeon-Redwater PC associations will hold a nomination vote on Feb. 21 if the nominations are contested. MLA Jeff Johnson has announced he will seek re-nomination in Athabasca-Sturgeon-Redwater.
