It’s a new year with a semi-brand new cast of players for Premier Ed Stelmach who lifted the curtain on a revamped cabinet this week. Overall the cabinet shuffle may do little to fix perceptions of a tired party led by an awkward leader whose abilities to lead Alberta out of deficit remain in doubt. There are, however, a few notable changes that are bound to shine a spotlight on the areas of health, energy and finance.
Locally, the cabinet shuffle largely means status quo for Spruce Grove-Sturgeon-St. Albert MLA Doug Horner, who retains Advanced Education and Technology, but also gains a new title — deputy premier. Though the understudy role is largely symbolic, it nevertheless rewards Horner’s years of loyalty, including the past few tumultuous months as Stelmach’s leadership was called into question even within the party, and a new right-wing cast rose to prominence in the Wildrose Alliance.
One star turn to watch is Ted Morton’s move into Finance. Stelmach’s former leadership rival is suddenly thrust into a position to tackle Alberta’s burgeoning deficit, currently at $4.3 billion. Morton, known as a far right fiscal hawk, has already promised to end Alberta’s all-you-can eat spending “buffet,” and will be tasked with trimming $2 billion in government expenditures in 2010. Morton’s appointment signals a shift further to the right in an apparent bid to ease fears among the party’s conservative base that has grown uncomfortable with successive record-spending budgets and now record deficits.
Morton’s appointment has already created worries of job losses among Alberta’s labour unions, including the Alberta Federation of Labour, which claims public service cuts are not warranted given recovery from the recession is on the horizon. It’s a rather puzzling statement given the government forecasts a deficit position in 2010 even with the $2 billion in cuts, at a time when the natural gas sector still faces an uphill battle after a rock-bottom 2009. The public sector has an obligation to respond to economic realities and for Morton that means taking swift action. The challenge will be balancing the ledger without repeating the mistakes of the 1990s, when cuts gutted health care, education and left Alberta’s infrastructure to deteriorate to the point we’re still playing catch up. A new fiscal course must not ignore the needs of our society’s most vulnerable members, as is the case with $11-milllion in funding clawbacks for people with developmental disabilities.
Perhaps the most fascinating change sees Ron Liepert take over Energy. The Calgary-based MLA with a sharkskin-like demeanour could be exactly what the government needs to reverse a negative groundswell from the Calgary oil patch still grumbling about Stelmach’s new royalty framework. Liepert did not waste time putting a stamp on his new portfolio, promising the government will swiftly implement changes to the framework if recommended by a competitiveness review. But he did not shy away from challenging an industry he describes as being led by capitalistic entrepreneurs straight from the “Wild West.” On Thursday he also indicated the government could look at ways to moderate the pace of development in Alberta’s oilsands so the chaotic free-for-all that saw the price of labour, construction and housing soar during the boom is not repeated.
Liepert’s departure from Health and Wellness will no doubt be greeted with a sigh of relief from those in the health care profession after the minister aggressively pursued reform that shook the status quo, often with little regard for popular opinion — as seen in the Alberta Hospital closure. Liepert clearly was not perfect, as evidenced in the fiasco that was the H1N1 vaccine rollout, but he was also in a difficult position to begin with. Alberta’s health care system is sick and requires change, but that’s far from an easy sell to Albertans, especially when the debate is largely dominated by lobbyists and special interest groups.
Taking Liepert’s place is the much more congenial Gene Zwozdesky, who, based on Stelmach’s past statements in support of health reform, will continue down the path towards a more sustainable health system. Zwozdesky’s abilities and past cabinet experience should help stabilize the debate and follow through with the kind of reform that keeps Alberta’s health care system universally accessible and protects society’s most vulnerable while looking for cost improvements and improving wait times.
