Shayne Saskiw, MLA for Lac La Biche – St. Paul – Two Hills, spent months campaigning for the recent win at the doors and community halls across the constituency. He put in the effort to persuade voters and deserves his spot in the legislature as the MLA for the constituency. With his finger on the pulse of local concerns, where no doubt it is after speaking to so many voters, he will be a strong advocate for rural people and concerns in Edmonton.
St. Paul’s Raymond Germain also deserves applause for a great Senate nomination campaign. While he came short of winning a nomination spot, Germain placed an impressive fifth out of thirteen candidates and took 11 per cent of the Senate vote. Congratulations to Germain for a well run campaign that voters clearly respected. We hope this isn’t the last of Germain’s foray in electoral politics.
Premier Alison Redford deserves credit for leading what many saw as a doomed party to an astounding win, the province’s 12th majority PC government. Redford promised change and now has the opportunity to prove it. She can start by following through on fixing MLAs’ outrageous severance packages. This unearned money will be shoveled out to fired and retiring MLAs. Unlike a pension, MLAs have not contributed a single cent to the money they are about to chow down on, which is three times higher than the private sector. This is millions of taxpayer dollars that can be put to better use.
After election day, Redford spoke of working with opposition MLAs, a good sign that with the election out of the way, the government can get back to business.
