SPEAKING NOTES Premier Alison Redford Tribute Dinner Honouring Peter Lougheed, Canadas Best Premier of the Last

40 Years, hosted by the Institute for Research on Public Policy

Wednesday, June 6, 2012 Palliser Hotel, Calgary

8:45 pm (Check against delivery)

Thank you, Jim (Prentice). And good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

It is an honour to join you tonight to pay tribute to a great Albertan and a great Canadianan outstanding leaderone of my personal role modelsand our countrys best premier of the last 40 years, Peter Lougheed.

Before I begin, I want to thank the Institute for Research on Public Policy for hosting this gala dinner, and for the tremendous work it does to improve public policy in Canada. It is in this context that we honour Peter Lougheed.

The foundation of good public policy is engagement.

To me, that means being able to discuss the issues of the day, not only in political forums or formal consultations, but over backyard fences and around dinner tables.

I want Albertans to do this.

I want to invite people who have felt themselves to be outside of the circle of decision-making to get involved.

I want Albertans to feel they have a voice in the decisions that affect them, and to use that voice.

I want these things because public policy matters.

We shouldnt be surprised when bad policy leads to bad results, as it inevitably does. So I believe that as government, and as an engaged citizenry, we have a shared moral obligation to craft the best policy we can.

This happens when people are fully engaged in the issueswhen they debate and discuss and come to a consensus on what the outcomes of policy should beand when together, we find ways to reach those outcomes.

That builds the trust that we need to achieve greatness here in Alberta, and in Canada.

This is why the work of the Institute for Research on Public Policy is so vital it drives good public policy.

In this case, the institute is furthering good policy by recognizing real leadership, in the form of our countrys most transformational provincial leaders over the last four decades. And looking at what lessons we can learn from them to improve public policy going forward. Tonight, Id like to share with you the lessons I have drawn from a truly inspirational leader the IRPPs best premier over the last 40 years.

[pause]

An Inspirational Leader Our country is fortunate to have had many outstanding leaders, including several from Alberta.

Each has put their own stamp on the job, and each responded to the issues of the day with insight, fortitude and dedication.

But for me, as for the majority of the IRPP jury, Peter Lougheed stands head and shoulders above his peers.

[pause]

Ive been fortunate to have many mentors and role models in my life.

Among these I include my grandparents, whose dinner table discussions got me interested in church, community, government and politics from an early age.

I also learned from the many political leaders I worked with during my time overseas.

I was fortunate to work all over the world in some very interesting places, including in some countries that were making a difficult transition to democracy. Those were real learning experiences!

But I found one of my first and most powerful inspirations right here at home, in Alberta. I was 7 years old when Peter Lougheeds Progressive Conservative government defeated Social Credit, launching a political dynasty that I have been honoured to be part of.

Peter Lougheed was the Premier of my formative years, politically speaking.

I was always interested in politics, from a very early age. So I was very excited to have the opportunity to meet Peter Lougheed at a policy convention.

A Great Canadian In him, I found a role model I could look up to a dynamic, young leader. None of us in Alberta had seen anybody quite like this!

One of his greatest qualities was that while Peter Lougheed was unquestioningly devoted to Alberta and Albertans interests, he was also a great Canadian. He didnt see Alberta succeeding despite or at the expense of the rest of Canada. He saw our province as a proud and contributing member of the Canadian family, in which all members succeed together.

Peter Lougheed saw an Alberta that was on the cusp of something remarkable.

He recognized that this province could play a greater role within Canada and share its many gifts with other Canadians and the world. I speak of our Western valuesour traditions of selfreliance and compassion, entrepreneurial drive and community spirit -- that wonderful blend of socially progressive views and fiscally conservative practices that has shaped our province and made it such a remarkable place.

These are Albertas gifts.

And Premier Lougheed saw that they could enrich not only our own province, but also our country and we would all be better for it. It was true then, and its true now. Albertans are rightfully proud of our province, and they want to engage with our country and the world around us, and play a meaningful role in its future.

Peter Lougheed saw those qualities in Albertans, even before many Albertans saw them in ourselves.

A Man of His Times That brings me to my second point: that Peter Lougheed was very much a man of his times.

After I became Premier, I was often asked if I thought my victory symbolized a change in Alberta. My answer was that Albertans had already changed and our politics were just catching up to Albertans.

I believe the same could be said for Peter Lougheed when he first became Premier.

Our province had indeed changed but our politics hadnt caught up.

Peter Lougheed sensed that change.

He represented the new Alberta, with candidates and policies that reflected the new times our province was living in, and the new aspirations we had as Albertans.

He was not easily defined as right-wing or left-wingIm not sure those labels had any more relevance then than they do now.

He was simply someone who was dedicated to providing leadership for the real world and the real Alberta, with common-sense solutions for real problems.

A Man of Vision Peter was (and remains today) a man of vision. His goals for Alberta were big, bold and ambitious.

Where others looked at the oil sands and saw no prospect of commercial success, Premier Lougheed saw potential. And we all need to thank him for that. (Applause)

He had great optimism (a quality Albertans continue to display in everything they do).

And he had faith that the creators and innovators in our province would find a way to do what was thought to be impossible to turn an unwieldy resource of questionable value in an isolated corner of the province into a multibillion-dollar international energy producer.

Premier Lougheed launched the Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority (the first AOSTRA) and it spurred many of the technological advancements that have made the oil sands what they are today a solid foundation for long-term stability and prosperity for our province and our nation.

Our government is looking to build on that work with AOSTRA 2 a renewed effort to drive the development of cleaner, greener extractive technologies in the oil sands to build on a continuing legacy that started with Peter Lougheed.

The Lougheed legacy also includes Albertans cherished Heritage Savings Trust Fund.

This is an Alberta innovation that demonstrated tremendous foresight planning for a post-oil and -gas era at a time when that industry had yet to reach its peak. This is the long-range thinking we expect but so seldom see.

In government, the pressures of today are always upon you.

Setting money aside for tomorrow instead of spending everything you have now makes intuitive sense but its a very hard sell in politics. Its tough to make decisions for decades down the road when electoral cycles are every four or five years.

Taking this kind of step requires fortitude and long-range thinkingdoing whats right instead of whats politically expedient or popular. Peter Lougheed was that kind of leader.

Finally, I want to mention a third example of Peter Lougheeds vision, and that is culture. Ive had the pleasure of attending several events recently where Peters influence on culture was celebrated, including the recent Alberta Film and TV Awards. The list of his accomplishments is truly stunning.

He supported the first provincial film festivalthe Banff International Television FestivalCanadas first film and television incentive program, the Alberta Motion Picture Development Corporationthe first film commission office in Canadathe Alberta Foundation for the Artsthe Banff Centreand Calgarys Epcor Centre.

This is because Peter believes, as do I and most Albertans, that quality of life is not determined by the size of your paycheque or the size of your house. Its about culturethe arts, museums and music that speak to who we are, as a people, and what we aspire to be, as a province.

His legacy here, like so many great things, is the result of a collaboration of great minds a co-production from a legendary team comprised of Peter and his wife, Jeanne, on whose sage advice the first provincial ministry of Culture was created.

I know the pressures that political life puts on a household and a family. In my own case, I know that I couldnt do the job I do without the tremendous support of my family, especially my husband Glen.

And I know that Peter couldnt have done the job he did as Premier without Jeannes support. She is caring and kindsmart and funnytough when she needs to be (like her husband)and always charming.

I also know that to be the spouse of a Premier is very difficult. You share in all the heart-aches of the job, and you feel every criticism of someone you love.

Yet its a role Jeanne handled with her trademark grace and good humour. Jeanne is one of Albertas great treasures!

[lead applause for Jeanne Lougheed]

Peter and Jeanne were guided by an ethic of public service.

We saw this time and time again when he was Premier. But I think its just as significant that Peters public service and dedication to this province did not end with his time in elected office. His commitment to Albertans has never wavered.

Conclusion Nearly 30 years after leaving office, Peter remains a wellrespected and eminent voice on matters of public policy, and his opinion is still highly sought-after.

I felt very honoured to receive his support during the recent provincial election. That was a very emotional day for me.

Here is a man who Ive always regarded as a great leaderan icon in our provinceand the father of our party. And I was touched that what he saw in our party today is part of what he built himself almost 5 decades ago.

A couple of weeks ago when we were attending a legislature event together, Peter asked if he could come to the Legislature and see his old officenow my office.

I sit in that office nearly every day, doing business and paperwork, but that was the first time it really struck me that it had been the office of a long line of remarkable premiers, with Peter Lougheed foremost among them.

I took the opportunity to ask Peter for some advice.

His words were simple: Peter, you told me to govern for all Albertans no matter where they live, north, south, east or west. You reflect Albertans values, and provide the services that Albertans want and need.

As guidance for a new Premier (or any political leader), I think that advice is as sound as it gets. Thats advice I intend to follow, knowing that I serve at the pleasure of Albertans, as part of a long, proud political tradition that began with Peter Lougheed.

Premier Lougheed, you created a direction that we can all be proud of today, one that gives us the quality of life that we enjoy as Albertans that gave many of us in this room, and our families, the opportunity to excel, to succeed, and to define the future we want, in our own terms.

[pause]

Peter, it has been an honour for me to get to know youto sit in your officeand to learn from you what a real leader is and does. You were the kind of Premier that I aspire to be.

Congratulations on being named the best Canadian premier in 40 years! No one deserves it more.

And I know everyone here and Albertans across this province join me in congratulating you...and thanking you...and wishing you and Jeanne all the best, and many more blessings in the days to come.

And, I say most humbly, on behalf of Albertans and Canadians Thank you.

Before I close, I have the honouring of presenting a certificate from the Institute for Research on Public Policy to Canadas best premier of the last 40 years. Peter, will you please come up?

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