The Alberta Party is pleased to announce our final approved list of candidates for the Alberta Party Leadership race.
Monday (January 15) at 5pm, the deadline for submission of candidate applications passed at which point we had received three packages, from Rick Fraser, Kara Levis, and Stephen Mandel.
The Provincial Board of Directors met this evening to grant waivers of the one-year membership requirement for Mr. Fraser and Mr. Mandel, and to approve the candidacies of all three.
The first official event of the leadership contest is tomorrow evening in Calgary, with an all candidates meet & greet.
“We are incredibly excited to have three high-quality candidates with diverse political backgrounds and experiences. Whether you lean left, right, or centre; Whether you’re a long time Alberta Party member or new to our team; Whether you’re a seasoned politico or newly engaged, we are confident there’s someone here for you,” said Party President Rhiannon Hoyle.
“I’m looking forward to seeing the leadership candidates lay out a positive, uplifting vision for Alberta. These candidates will bring an exciting platform for the future of Alberta and the Alberta Party, and I can’t wait to see them in the debates,” concluded Hoyle.
Rick Fraser
“Working together to better the province as a whole is the key”, says Fraser. “Government should create policy that is both fiscally responsible and socially modern. This should be done in a collaborative fashion, with people from all different backgrounds contributing to the process.”
Rick Fraser, who joined the Alberta Party caucus with 6 years of experience in the Legislature, announced his intention to seek the Party’s leadership a week ago. He’s “excited to have the official race under way.”
Rick’s vision is “to have several community leaders in the Alberta legislature after the next election. These people will be effective representatives and make sound, informed decisions for Alberta. The current partisan politics simply don’t do justice for our province!”
Since his announcement, Rick has been inspired by the support from many long time Alberta Party members and current constituents alike. Support for Fraser’s leadership bid has been flooding in from all corners of the province and he knows running for Leader was the right decision.
Fraser is a lifelong Albertan and has served in the Alberta Legislature as MLA for Calgary-South East for the past six years. Prior to his government post, he spent more than a decade working as an advanced-care paramedic.
With a family history dating back 100 years in the province of Alberta, today Rick and his wife Mishelle reside in southeast Calgary with their two teenage sons, Carson and Thaine, and dog, Rusty.
Rick encourages personal connections. Feel free to contact him directly at http://www.fraserforalberta.ca/contact
Kara Levis
Kara Levis is a commercial lawyer, a community organizer, a wife, and a mother. Kara and her husband Rob make their home in Calgary with their three daughters, Alexandra, Lillian and Lee.
A dedicated force in all she does, Kara was recently awarded the Women in Law Leadership Award for Tomorrow’s Leader.
A lawyer for 10 years, Kara started her career practising corporate tax law, before moving to the Energy Law group at one of North America’s leading infrastructure companies, TransCanada Corporation. From her work at TransCanada, Kara knows firsthand the challenges faced in Alberta’s biggest industries and the impact those challenges can have on Albertans and their families.
Active in Alberta politics at the federal, provincial, and municipal levels, she co-founded the Calgary-based non-profit Ask Her, an organization dedicated to encouraging more women candidates to run in the 2017 Calgary Municipal Election and beyond.
In seeking to lead the Alberta Party, Kara wants to engage with Albertans throughout our province who are not currently active in the political process, who are looking for a pragmatic, positive vision to vote FOR, instead of being driven by fear or anger in their voting choices. As leader of the Alberta Party, Kara wants to start making decisions that are right for this province, not just right for politics.
Stephen Mandel
Stephen Mandel is an experienced political leader, business person and community volunteer.
He served as Edmonton’s mayor from 2004 to 2013. During this time he positioned Edmonton for the future by building new infrastructure, renewing older neighbourhoods, and spurring investment in the city. Stephen worked collaboratively with council, other orders of government, the social sector, and businesses to get things done. He led initiatives to fast-track LRT expansion, road improvements, and the construction of new libraries and community recreation facilities, and helped to bring billions of dollars of new development into Edmonton’s downtown. He also organized focused efforts to address homelessness and community safety, expand seniors housing, and promote engagement with multicultural communities. With Stephen’s leadership, the Capital Region’s 25 municipalities united for the first time under a common growth management plan.
Before entering public service, Stephen built and ran a successful business. As President of Mandel Group, he led the company’s activities in residential and commercial real estate development and construction. Stephen is active in the community, volunteering his time on behalf of numerous local organizations including the Mazankowski Heart Institute, Heart and Stroke Foundation, Jewish Community Centre, and Allen Gray Continuing Care Centre. Most recently, Stephen was appointed Chancellor of Concordia University. Stephen and his wife Lynn, are long-time residents of Edmonton, where they raised their children and now enjoy spending time with their grandson.
Stephen was a Progressive Conservative MLA and Minister of Health for Edmonton-Whitemud from 2014 – 2015.