Former MLA for the area Ray Danyluk says he’s enjoyed his downtime away from politics, but says his belief in the party, the province and his ability to contribute to both has drawn him to run for the presidency of the Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta.
The PC party announced on Sept. 7 that Danyluk will run against Calgary businessman Jim McCormick and Lac Saint Anne county councillor, Lorne Olsvik.
Danyluk notes that as a former cabinet minister, before his defeat by Wildrose MLA Shayne Saskiw in this past year’s provincial election, he held four portfolios, which gives him experience that will be an asset in the role of president. Three major reasons played a role in his decision to run, he said.
“Number one, I very much believe in the party, and more than anything, I believe in the people of this province. Secondly, I believe we can do a better job as the party supporting government . . . and when I say supporting, I think we can have better communication between the party and government,” he said. “Thirdly, I very much support this premier and this government. We need to have a voice, and we need to have a rural voice and we need to have a party voice in the government and I believe I can do that.”
His hope is to let the delegates of the party know that he is running, what he stands for, and what he hopes to achieve. “A lot of people know the work that I have done as a politician. Many don’t know about my community involvement,” he said.
If these delegates hear him out and then decide that he’s not the man for the job, “that’s fine,” he said, noting he has a lot of other items on his plate. However, he added, “I believe I can make a contribution in a positive direction.’
Although Danyluk lives in rural Alberta, he says he understands the challenges and attributes of rural and urban areas, and believes that as the president of the PC party, just as he did as a cabinet minister, he would look at things at a provincial level.
“I have a lot of people who have called me, who are interested in supporting me, that are interested in the work that I have done and they believe I can do the job and to me, that’s very encouraging,” he said.
Don Schultz, past president of the riding’s PC association and current member of the executive, will be running for the position of vice-president for the north zone.
Darrell Younghans, current president of the local PC association, said both Danyluk and Schultz have several years of experience working with the party. Danyluk has the experience of being an MLA, which “should bring in more cohesiveness between the party and the government,” if he were to become the president, said Younghans. At the annual general meeting, the party will also be redoing its constitution to usher in a new style of governance, he noted, adding, “And I think Ray is just the guy to implement that.”
The party’s annual general meeting will be held on Nov. 9 and 10 in Calgary.
