(Claresholm) Former Member of Parliament for Macleod and long time PC supporter Ted Menzies announced at a campaign event with supporters on Monday evening that he will be supporting Jim Prentice for Leader of the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta.
Menzies worked for thirty years as a farmer, and from 2004 – 2013 represented a rural constituency in southwestern Alberta in the House of Commons where he worked alongside Prentice. During his time in Ottawa, Menzies held key positions as Minister of State for Finance and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance.
“During our time together on the Conservative benches in the House of Commons I’ve had the chance to see first-hand that Jim is a man of integrity who never lost sight of his ethics or where he comes from,” said Menzies. “I’m putting my full support behind Jim’s campaign because he a proven track record. The Prime Minister has called him the Chief Operating Officer of the federal government, and that is the kind of leadership Alberta needs right now.”
“Where I live in Claresholm and across southern Alberta, the agricultural industry is critical to economic development and quality of life,” said Menzies. “Jim has an in-depth understanding of the issues we’re facing in rural Alberta. He built his legal career standing up for the property rights of farmers and ranchers, and has a strong vision for increasing market access for Alberta’s agricultural sector to make sure we’re getting fair prices for our products.”
During his campaign stop in Claresholm, Jim spoke about the importance of Menzies’ support for his campaign, and the critical tasks that lay ahead for the next Premier of Alberta.
“Ted earned the respect of every one of his colleagues during his nine years in Ottawa, and truly embodies the values of hard work and public service,” said Jim Prentice. “He brings a wealth of understanding about the agricultural sector to our campaign, and I’m looking forward to continuing our work together to maximize the economic potential of rural Alberta and return our province to good government.”
“Jim is the man for the job,” said Menzies. “We can’t win this race without your help, so I’m asking all of you to take out a PC membership today so you can vote for Jim on September 5 & 6.”
Prentice’s campaign remains focused on connecting with Albertans in their communities in every corner of the province, talking about his five key priorities and hearing from them about the issues affecting our province.
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