Maureen Kubinec is Alberta’s new minister of culture, tourism and recreation.
Kubinec, who was elected as MLA for Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock in the 2012 provincial election, was sworn in as Alberta Minister of Culture and Tourism Sept. 15.
“It’s very exciting,” she said. “I’m honoured to have been asked and I think it’s going to be a very fun and exciting portfolio.”
It was “quite a surprise” to be appointed to cabinet, Kubinec said, partly because she knew it was going to be reduced in size, and she’s still in her first term as an MLA.
Even so, she said she feels “honoured” to have been asked to take on the task of promoting Alberta not only to the rest of the world, but to Albertans themselves.
“Being able to promote the culture in our province, it’s going to be a great portfolio because we’ve got so much in Alberta that we need to celebrate and tell Albertans, as well as the world, about,” she said.
Right off the hop, Kubinec was hard at work, as she was in Calgary Sept. 18 for the opening gala of the Calgary International Film Festival.
As minister, Kubinec will be responsible for overseeing and promoting the arts, culture and recreation realms in Alberta. That collection of files comes about following some changes to the province’s ministries over the past few years.
Previously culture and tourism were in separate files, with tourism grouped with parks and recreation.
Then things shifted to combine culture and tourism, with parks and recreation grouped with Sustainable Resource Development.
On Sept. 18, recreation was shifted into the culture and tourism file, Kubinec said. Whether the ministry’s name will change to reflect that addition has yet to be determined, she added.
Having all three of those files within one portfolio makes a lot of sense, she said, as they all touch on Alberta’s high quality of life.
“I think Alberta is the best place in the world to live, work and raise a family, and to enjoy the quality of life,” Kubinec said. “This will give me the opportunity to really try and spread that word.”
Becoming a minister brings with it added duties, she said, but she has no intention of neglecting her duties to the people who elected her in the first place.
“There’s definitely going to be extra work, but we’re still going to try to maintain Friday as my constituency day to be in the constituency as much as possible,” Kubinec said, adding she’ll do her best to attend as many local events as possible on other days.
That, of course, will be easier while the legislature is not sitting, she added.
