Ken Hughes launched his website albertaleadership.com March 24 to engage Albertans in a dialogue as to whether or not he’s the right fit to become the next PC leader and possible premier.
The Minister of Municipal Affairs kicked off the exploratory phase of his possible contention for the role in Cochrane on the afternoon of March 24 — walking along Main Street, talking to Cochranites and chatting with media at Legacy Guitar and Coffee House.
Hughes will decide in the next 2-3 weeks whether or not he will throw his hat in the ring for the Sept. 6 leadership vote; he is the first potential candidate to reveal his decision publicly so far.
“It’s a good chance to talk to a lot of people and figure out where we want to go as a province,” said Hughes, adding that his website had already had thousands of hits since its morning launch.
“I think we have to start by listening, by being humble and acknowledging we have a responsibility to serve the province of Alberta.”
With respect to Redford stepping down, Hughes only said it is time to “put the past behind us”.
Redford stepped down officially March 23, following weeks of ‘caucus unrest’ and suspicions over the premier’s ‘lavish spending habits’; the PC caucus chose Dave Hancock as interim leader and premier.
With respect to how we would regain the faith of Albertans in the PC Party, Hughes said that there would be “questions to be answered after we have gone through our leadership process.”
In response to whether the Wildrose Party posed a threat to the 43-year-reigning PCs, Hughes said that the challenges faced by the party over the last couple of weeks were not reflective on the province’s delivery on programs and commitments.
Moving forward, Hughes said as a leader he would combine a “practical, common sense approach” with a “clear eye on fiscal resource management.”
So far, Hughes has spent $50 on building his website, is reliant on a growing group of volunteers in this ‘exploratory phase’ and said he would continue to focus on his duties as a minister, stepping down from that role if he chose to run for the leadership role.
“Politics is a great window on the world — you have a chance to make a difference,” said Hughes on the prospect of running. “I’m in a place in my life where I can give a contribution.”
The former Conservative MP for Macleod, elected in April 2012 has climbed the provincial political ranks quickly with a subsequent appointment to Minister of Energy, followed by being named Minister of Municipal Affairs in Dec. 2013.
Hughes said his strengths lie in his well-rounded background and the fact that he hasn’t been a ‘career politician’.
Raised in a cattle family in Longview, the lifetime Albertan spent 1993-2012 building an insurance brokerage business with multiple locations across the province.
His career in public service includes serving as chair of the Alberta Health Services (AHS) board from 2008-2011; chair of the former Headwaters Health Authority from 1994-1995; and former MP for the Macleod riding from 1988-1993, including appointment as Parliamentary Assistant to the Deputy Prime Minister.
He said, with respect to his role as chair for AHS, that he was very proud of the “constructive contribution and level of accountability” that resulted out of the merging of 12 organizations into one.
“We have one of the strongest health care delivery services worldwide.”
He has served in a variety of leadership roles through community and volunteering organizations.
In August of 2011 Hughes and his son, Aidan, were part of a group of 37 Albertans who climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro to help raise more than $1 million for orthopedic services in Alberta.
Hughes lives in Springbank with his wife, Denise, and their three teenagers.
Learn more at albertaleadership.com.
