SUNDRE — Jason Nixon, current minister of Environment and Parks as well as MLA for Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre, has taken over as acting minister of Finance and President of the Treasury Board, Premier Jason Kenney said Thursday.
Nixon replaces Travis Toews, who resigned this week after announcing he will be seeking the UCP leadership. A date for the leadership vote has not yet been set and Kenney has committed to continue serving as Alberta's premier until a new leader is elected by party members.
Kenney made the announcement on social media earlier today (Thursday, June 2) that effective immediately, Nixon has taken over the Finance portfolio on a interim basis.
Nixon will keep his current Environment and Parks portfolio as well, Kenney said.
Nixon says he is confident he can handle two portfolios at a time.
“It will be a little bit of extra work juggling two portfolios,” Nixon told Great West Media. “I’ve already done that during my entire time in cabinet, serving as Minister of Environment and at the same time as government House Leader.
“I’m looking forward to this role, being able to focus on continuing to keep the province driving towards this outstanding economic recovery we are having and keeping Alberta’s fiscal house in order.”
Asked if he will be retaining the House Leader position, he said, “We haven’t had a chance to talk about that yet with the premier’s office. The Legislature has risen for the summer, so it’s not a significant issue at the moment with the Legislature not anticipated to come back until October.”
Shannon Phillips is the NDP finance critic. She calls Nixon’s appointment as acting minister of Finance a mistake.
“Nixon is the wrong person to install investor confidence, diversify our economy, or restore public trust,” Phillips was quoted as saying in a press release. “Albertans deserve a Finance minister who they can trust to restore respect and stability in health care and protect them from rising monthly costs. Today’s appointment of Jason Nixon as minister of Finance fails on all counts.
“Nixon has a long history of unacceptable and unprofessional behaviour, including firing a female employees for reporting workplace sexual harassment, boozing on the Sky Palace patio during COVID restrictions, and, most recently, threatening the careers of fellow MLAs while yelling obscenities in the legislature.
“Nixon’s financial mismanagement while president of the Athabasca University Students’ Union in 2015 disqualifies him from managing a $60-billion budget on behalf of the people of Alberta.”
Asked for his comments on Phillip’s remarks, Nixon said, “I won’t be lectured by the NDP when it comes to managing the finances of this province. They devastated this province just over three years ago and destroyed many people’s lives with their incapability of managing the fiscal situation in Alberta.
“All the NDP can do is make up fake conspiracies and be focused on smearing people rather than making lives better for Albertans. I don’t get sidetracked by NDP conspiracy theories.”
Meanwhile, Nixon says he has decided not to seek the UCP leadership.
He added that he “100 per cent” plans to run in the next provincial election, scheduled for May 2023.
“I’m looking forward to that and will continue to have a significant role in the party for years to come,” he said.
Premier Kenney has said that any cabinet minister who runs to become UCP leader will need to step down from his or her portfolio.
