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Wildrose leader tours Westlock

Wildrose Party leader and Fort McMurray-Conklin MLA Brian Jean was in Westlock last week, making a stop at Memorial Hall July 28 for his ‘Beef with Brian’ fundraiser Jean spoke about losing his home in the Fort McMurray wildfires, farm safety legisla
Wildrose leader and Fort McMurray-Conklin MLA Brian Jean speaks to supporters, including local MLA Glenn van Dijken (left), at Memorial Hall July 28. The
Wildrose leader and Fort McMurray-Conklin MLA Brian Jean speaks to supporters, including local MLA Glenn van Dijken (left), at Memorial Hall July 28. The

Wildrose Party leader and Fort McMurray-Conklin MLA Brian Jean was in Westlock last week, making a stop at Memorial Hall July 28 for his ‘Beef with Brian’ fundraiser

Jean spoke about losing his home in the Fort McMurray wildfires, farm safety legislation and the government’s new carbon tax.

The Wildrose leader also addressed another hot topic, a potential merger between his party and the provincial Progressive Conservatives.

Though media are always quick to key in on the potential of a conservative merger, Jean assured those present such a decision wouldn’t occur without consulting constituency members.

“Until the PCs figure out their house, and where they are and what they stand for or against, I’m not going to deal in possibilities,” Jean said.

“We will be open so long as you say we can be open, but I’m not going to waste my time on it.

“[The party’s] time is devoted to one thing: defeating the [New Democratic Party] in the next election and slowing them down as much as we can until then.”

Jean’s criticism of Alberta’s governing party was biting throughout the night, though he also acknowledged the PCs role in creating Alberta’s current economic circumstance.

“The PCs brought us here, but the NDP are making it far, far worse,” he said.

“There’s no question that the NDP sometimes have noble intentions, but they’re enslaved with high taxes as a consequence,” Jean said to the hundreds in attendance.

“The NDP are cloaking higher power bills, and they will be higher, in green rhetoric, making excuses to change the way we live here in Alberta.”

Jean also cracked wise about the government’s plan to phase out coal energy by 2030. Coal currently accounts for nearly half of the province’s energy production.

“We’re going to have to put something [else] in our stockings after [premier Rachel] Notley is done,” he said.

Jean also spoke on the Fort McMurray wildfires. His home was amongst those destroyed by the flames, leaving him temporarily homeless, a point of commiseration with those in attendance.

The incident, he added, has given him more confidence than ever in the resilience of Albertans and the need to rebuild the oil town stronger than before.

“I did lose my home. My brother lost his, too. But we can’t give up. We can’t give up on a beautiful place like Fort McMurray. We are going to rebuild Fort McMurray better than ever,” he said.

Event organizer and Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock MLA Glenn van Dijken spoke on Jean’s leadership since taking over as boss in March 2015.

“He’s a man dedicated to the conservative cause here in Alberta. He stepped up to the plate when we needed him most and has worked tirelessly ever since to rebuild our party,” van Dijken said.

That leadership inspired many in attendance, amongst them Edmontonian Charles Southgate, who joined the party following Jean’s speech.

Southgate said Jean’s speech seemed to align closely with his own personal values as an Albertan.

“I’m not a conservative. I don’t like the names of parties, but I am an Albertan, third generation, so same the values,” Southgate said.

“All of the things he talked about transcends party lines. I think [the Wildrose] is the only party that truly believes what Albertans believe in.”

Dapp-area resident Richard Seatter said Jean’s comments helped paint a picture of the party that often gets missed in mainstream media.

“What you might see in the media is just little clips,” Seatter said.

“He’s really down to earth and the principles of grassroots running a party are very important to him. He makes it clear that that is very important.”

Perhaps most strongly emphasized by Jean during his half-hour speech, the party leader spoke about the importance of sticking together as a province, whether talking about rebuilding in Fort McMurray or creating fiscally conservative policies.

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