Brian Jean took over the leadership reigns for the Wildrose Party on the evening of March 28, followed by an announcement two days later that he would be running to become MLA for Fort McMurray-Conklin.
The 52-year-old retired businessman and lawyer is motivated to fix Alberta’s health care system and stop gauging the taxpayer — following Premier Prentice’s 2015 budget announcement last week, which has been under fire by the official opposition for its tax increases in response to the largest budget deficit in Alberta’s modern history ($4.99B).
“The budget includes 59 taxes that will cost the average family $2,500 more a year,” said Banff-Cochrane MLA candidate for the Wildrose Party, Scott Wagner.
“Rather than protecting families, Jim Prentice and the PC Party want families to pay for their mismanagement. I will fight to protect families from unaffordable tax increases while protecting front line workers and ensuring that Albertans have the services that are needed.”
Jean’s personal motivation to fix Alberta’s health care system, which he has called ‘fundamentally broken’, has been of note among media — as his youngest son, 24-year-old Michael, died in hospital March 20, following a misdiagnosis which turned out to be lymphoma.
The former PC supporter spent 10 years as a federal Conservative MP — representing Athabasca from 2004-2006 and Fort McMurrary-Athabasca from 2006-2014.
He resigned from federal politics to return to private life in his hometown of Fort McMurray.
Jean was acclaimed as party leader over the weekend, with 55 per cent of the vote defeating Cypress-Medicine Hat MLA Drew Barnes and former Strathcona County Mayor Linda Osinchuk.
“Brian is an incredibly hardworking, dedicated and capable man who has a vision,” said Wagner.
“He believes in a fiscally responsible government that runs its finances the same way I would manage my business. He knows if Prentice thinks he can get away with it, taxes will continue to rise while Albertans continue to suffer under sub-standard government services.”
Alberta is anticipating the announcement either next week or the week after of an early provincial election — which is not supposed to take place until 2016.
To learn more about your local Wildrose Party MLA candidate, Scott Wagner, visit wagner4mla.com.
