Mar makes stop in Olds while on campaign trail

Gary Mar, the latest entrant into the race to replace outgoing Premier Ed Stelmach, made a stop in Olds on Friday, meeting with members of town council as well as officials at Olds College during an informal gathering at the Land Sciences Centre.

Mar said he has been travelling throughout the province since announcing his intention to seek the leadership about three weeks ago. He said he was especially impressed with Olds College and the programs it offers.

“I met with the president and the student union here and it's been fantastic. This college has done so much in the last 10 years, it's sensational. It's providing important skill sets to young people to participate in a growing Alberta economy,” he said.

Before being posted to Washington, D.C. as an ambassador for Alberta for the last three years, Mar was an MLA and held various provincial cabinet posts for 14 years. In promoting Alberta's trade interests in the United States capital, Mar said that experience gave him the ability to see what the challenges are for Alberta in the U.S. and elsewhere.

“What it's done for me is it's given me a chance to see what the challenges are for Alberta outside of Alberta, not just in the U.S. but in other parts of the world, and also to see the opportunities that are there for our province to grow our economy,” he said.

Asked how he would govern Alberta differently than the current Premier, Mar said his record as health, education and environment minister showed that he will consult with stakeholders before making any decisions.

“By listening carefully and speaking clearly, that is what gives Albertans trust in their leadership. And then you can go from there and express an important vision for the province that can encourage people to move in the direction of that vision,” he said.

Mar said he has confidence that the future is bright in Alberta — and it's the main reason he decided to run for the Progressive Conservative leadership.

“I'm very optimistic about the future of Alberta and that's the reason why I'm happy to return from Washington and come back here and be the leader,” he said.