Calgary MP Rajan Sawhney has resigned as Alberta’s transport minister and added her name to the list of candidates running to replace Prime Minister Jason Kenney as leader of the United Conservative Party.
Kenney announced his intention to resign as leader after securing a narrow majority in a leadership review in May.
After launching his campaign Monday at an open-air event near the Alberta legislature, Sawhney, representing Calgary-North East, told reporters that it is an alternative to other candidates who are “more of the same.” .
Albertans want change, he said.
Plans for the consultation of COVID-19
Sawhney is committed to launching an independent investigation into the provincial government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There were several communities across Alberta who felt that their voices were not being heard, that they were not being consulted, that they did not have enough information about how decisions were made,” Sawhney said.
“We can’t ignore these voices: they matter and are all over Alberta, not just rural communities.”
Sawhney said he believes it would take at least a year to complete the investigation and therefore did not commit to completing it before the 2023 provincial election.
Prior to becoming Minister of Transportation, Sawhney served as Minister of Social and Community Services when the UCP government de-indexed benefits paid under the Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped Program (AISH). Indexing helped ensure that payments would increase with the cost of living.
Sawhney says he plans to reverse that decision now that the province is in a different financial situation.
“Indexing AISH and benefits for the elderly and tax brackets is something I would do,” he said.
Sawhney’s other plans include looking at the UCP’s promises and initiatives as a provincial police force and Alberta’s pension plan before moving forward, and examining the effectiveness of the so-called “Energy War Room,” the Canadian Energy Center.
Airdrie-East MP Angela Pitt will chair the Sawhney campaign.
Sawhney acknowledged that she and Pitt, a vocal critic of Kenney, do not always see each other face to face, but said it is an example of how she plans to unify the party by bringing together people with different opinions.
“Rajan has a great ability to listen to those who sometimes don’t share the same opinion and to find a common ground,” Pitt said, noting Sawhney’s promise to launch an investigation into COVID-19.
“Put it all on the table. Part of the problem is that we haven’t had all the information open and transparent.”
Sawhney was the first MLA in Calgary to join the race.
Later Monday, Calgary-Shaw MP Rebecca Schulz announced her own intention to run. Schulz has resigned as Minister of Child Services, a position he has held since the UCP formed a government in 2019.
He plans to announce the start of his race on Tuesday in Calgary.
Other candidates for leadership include current lawmakers representing rural and northern Alberta and outsiders such as former Wild Rose Party leader turned media personality Danielle Smith and Bill Rock, the mayor of Amisk, a town in the center east of Alberta.