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Justin Wright: UCP Cypress-Medicine Hat

May 2, 2023 | 9:28 AM

Pattison Media is helping voters get to know the candidates vying for your vote in the provincial election.

We provided the candidates with the same list of questions and here are their responses:

Tell us a little about yourself :

I’m a husband, a father of two sons and a daughter, and local business owner with over 18 years of business and management experience. I’m active in the community, coaching two hockey teams, working with local charities, and I’m currently serving as president of the Spectrum Festival.

Why did you decide to run in this election?

I am running for my kids. We can’t take things for granted. It’s not by accident that Alberta is leading the country in economic growth, or the highest weekly pay cheques in Canada, or the lowest inflation rate in the country, or a balanced provincial budget. It’s not by accident that dozens of new schools are being built in our communities, surgical and EMS wait times are going down, or that the Alberta economy is diversifying with opportunities in tech, agriculture, energy, and film and television.

The UCP did that. Albertans are hardworking, determined people and they need a government that will ensure their success isn’t by chance—it’s the result of a commitment we make every day to Alberta families and Alberta communities.

What do you believe is the biggest issue facing the constituency right now?

Preserving our prosperity and economic growth.

How do you plan on addressing that issue?

Alberta’s economy is booming. We are welcoming historic numbers of new Albertans, as families come from across Canada to participate in the renewed Alberta Advantage. And under the UCP, Alberta has seen significant investments from major international companies, such as Air Products, DOW, de Havilland, etc. Southeast Alberta is a crucial part of these successes and in continuing to diversify our economy- we need to continue this incredible momentum. When the NDP was in government, we saw billions of investment dollars flee this province. Another NDP government will put all this incredible new investment at risk. Danielle Smith and the UCP want to keep moving Alberta forward by growing and diversifying the economy, and protecting the services and values Albertans hold dear.

If elected, at the end of your first term, what do you hope to have accomplished?

An MLA’s most important job is to be responsive, open and accountable to the people who’ve elected them. Every day, I will work to accomplish being the representative the people of Cypress-Medicine Hat deserve. As a government, we have protected parent choice in education, continued our successful inflation reduction efforts and made

Substantial progress in helping Albertans suffering from addiction and mental illness to pursue recovery. And for us here in Cypress-Medicine Hat, I hope our gorgeous corner of the province will have taken its seat at the table as an economic powerhouse and as a place where Albertans from all walks of life meet and exceed their potential.

If you could have dinner with three people living or dead who would you choose and why?:

The first two are political leaders who I’ve long admired: Ralph Klein and Winston Churchill. Complex and flawed men both, they understood their people and the reality of their times. I’m confident they would be sources of wisdom and have insights that would transcend time. My third choice is someone I miss dearly, my grandfather. He passed away a few years back and I would cherish just one more meal together.

Oilers or Flames?

Neither, Go Leafs Go!