LAKELAND - When asked if the new facial hair was an Edmonton Oilers playoff beard or a UCP election beard for the May 29 provincial vote, incumbent Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche MLA Brian Jean said it was bit of both.
Either way, it's been grown to support a victory for Alberta, he said with a laugh last Thursday during a chat with Lakeland This Week.
"It's a playoff-politics beard. We've got a big cup politically we are going for at the end of May, on the twenty-ninth, and I'm going with it until then," he said with a laugh, explaining the new facial hair isn't what you'd expect from "a ginger." He describes it as mainly grey with a "dots of red" in a few places. "It's a bit of a joke, but it's my playoff beard."
As the OIlers continue their playoff run, Jean says he too is focused on the prize. It's something he's been focused on provincially for the last eight years, returning to provincial politics in 2015 after stepping down as the federal representative for the riding after 10 years in 2014.
"Since 2015 I have not left the re-election mode," he said.
Jean has been the provincial leader of the Wildrose Party, and was a co-founder of the United Conservative Party in 2018. That same year he also ran for the leadership of the UCP, but lost in a heavily contested race to Jason Kenney. Jean left provincial politician 2018, but returned in 2021 to seek the nomination for the MLA position left vacant when Laila Goodridge resigned her Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche seat to become a federal MP.
Elected as the constituency's representative in March of 2022, Jean next campaigned to be the UCP leader, but lost to current Alberta Premier Danielle Smith in the October 2022 leadership vote.
"I've been campaigning now, quite literally for 16 months, in leaderships and others. I don't know what it's like to have a normal life now," he said, adding that he misses his family, in particular his four-year-old daughter, while he's on the road. But he knows the importance of strong leadership, decision-making and economic strength when it comes to helping Alberta families.
Families first
"I've always put people first," he said, focusing on the service of the political job. While his last provincial portfolio had him as the minster responsible for jobs, the economy and northern development, Jean says he has never strayed from the idea that the people come first. He's comitted to continuing his fight to bring household expenses down for average Albertans. One of those battles will continue to be with the retail fuel industry.
"I will continue to fight that until the end of time. We get the gas prices down and get inflation under control," he said, adding that the UCP party, through fuel rebates, have helped to reduce household fuel costs and transportation costs for goods and services that also help families make ends meet. Other focus points of his continuing campaign include Indigenous programming and support for new Canadians and disadvantaged residents to get meaningful jobs.
"We are making sure we are getting as many people as we can to participate as they can in our economy."
Jean expects to be in the Lac La Biche region several times over the coming weeks leading to the election. He says the Lac La Biche community is a very important part of the large rural constituency, and he makes it a point to be in the community often.
As of May 7, there were only two candidates officially listed by Elections Alberta as running in the Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche riding — Jean and Calan Hobbs, an NDP candidate.
Candidates have until May 11 to officially enter the provincial race.
In the Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul constituency, UCP candidate Scott Cyr is up against NDP candidate Caitlyn Blake.
Lakeland This Week will have further coverage of the current election online and in next week's edition.
