As the tremors stemming from the historic May 5 provincial election begin to subside, Wildrose leader Brian Jean took several steps towards getting his house back into order last week when he officially announced a 21-member strong shadow minister roster.
Amongst those to be included in the official opposition's new shadow cabinet is brand new Bonnyville – Cold Lake MLA Scott Cyr. After strolling to victory last month, Cyr has been tasked with keeping up with the Justice and Solicitor General file, while also being named the Wildrose party's Deputy Whip in caucus.
“I'm really happy (to have been selected) by our leader to serve (as the shadow minister for the) Justice and Solicitor General department and I'm excited to take on this position,” Cyr said. “I've been an accountant for a lot of years and have a lot of experience when it comes to dealing with case law. I think this is a really nice fit for me and I'm looking forward to sitting down and getting to work with my colleagues to make sure we're addressing any and all concerns in the Justice and Solicitor General file moving forward.”
In a brief statement sent in to the Nouvelle last week, Jean said he was happy to be able to welcome Cyr into the fold and spoke of the confidence he has in the local MLA's ability to properly represent the Wildrose party.
“I was pleased to make Scott Cyr our new shadow minister for the Justice and Solicitor General's department. Scott understands that Albertans want an effective law and order system that protects victims rather than criminals,” Jean said. “Further, Scott's commitment to Wildrose principles and his common sense will make him a great deputy whip.”
In shadowing the Justice and Solicitor General file, Cyr will be responsible for providing analysis and the Wildrose party's position on any and all decisions made by new department minister Kathleen Ganley. As Deputy Whip, Cyr will serve to ensure party discipline in legislature in the absence of regular Whip: Rimbey – Rocky Mountain House – Sundre MLA Jason Nixon.
Now, just over a month on from the groundbreaking election, Cyr said things were “pretty much getting back to normal” in the Bonnyville – Cold Lake region, with an official constituency office back up and running.
“I think that was the most important thing, getting the office set up,” Cyr said. “Now that the office is in place, we've started to hear from some of our constituents regarding some of the things they'd like to see happen or changed (in the coming months).”
While there are those hoping for provincial fireworks in the short-term future as Alberta prepares to welcome a first-ever NDP government into Legislature, Cyr is anticipating a fairly low-key start to proceedings when our new provincial politicians get back to work later this summer.
“For now, I think everyone with the Wildrose party is looking forward to working with the NDP's and seeing where they go with government,” Cyr said. “In the short-term, I would say we need to sit down and think about how we're going to interact and work well with our new friends and doing what we can to bring the best government forward for all Albertans.”
He added, “Obviously there will be some concerns off the bat, I'm sure we'll have to say there are some things that need to be changed, but overall I'm optimistic. The bottom line here is that people voted for change, so I think we're all looking forward to seeing where Premier Notley decides to go with this change.”
