Dave Hanson officially took up the reins as Lac La Biche-St. Paul-Two Hills MLA, as he was sworn in yesterday in Edmonton.
The local Wildrose constituency association held its annual general meeting last Thursday in St. Paul, and before the AGM, Hanson took a few minutes to talk to the Journal about the whirlwind ride he’s had since winning the seat in the May 5 election.
When asked how steep the learning curve has been, he said with a laugh, “It’s straight up – it’s not a curve.
“There’s lots to learn, and we’re trying to learn as fast as we can,” he said, adding he would be attending a mock session, planned for June 2, to help familiarize the newly sworn-in MLAs with legislature protocol. A record 70 MLAs of the 87 elected are first-timers in the legislature, including Hanson.
And in the first month since the election, things have been eventful. Hanson welcomed the government’s May 27 announcement that it would restore $103 million to education spending, to help fund enrolment growth and to reverse funding cuts to transportation, inclusive education, spending for First Nations, Inuit and Metis, and other support services.
He criticized the budget put forth by the former PC government, saying “it was not a good idea” to cut spending to these areas, particularly with 12,000 new students projected to enter the system.
However, he felt the new NDP government is delaying on putting forth its own budget, since it has indicated it will only provide interim supply funding and will wait until September before introducing a full budget.
“I think that’s a mistake. I think there’s too much uncertainty, especially in the industry,” he said, adding he felt it was important that the government put forth a clear policy and lay out its spending priorities.
He also expressed concern about the NDP government’s decision to have a 12-person cabinet, with each of those people juggling multiple portfolios. For instance, he pointed to Brian Mason, who will be the new minister for Infrastructure and for Transportation, saying those are two “huge” portfolios for one person to handle.
“I think all of them are going to be very stressed,” he said of the new cabinet.
In the midst of decision-making and learning the ropes of his new job, Hanson’s also making sure to continue to talk to local people in the coffeeshops and on the streets.
“People are just as important after the election as during the campaign,” he said.
