Wildrose kicks off the year

Melissa Strle
Times Reporter

 

The Strathmore-Brooks Wildrose Constituency Association held its annual general meeting on Oct. 20 at the Strathmore Civic Centre and the meeting, chaired by John Hilton-O’Brien.
The meeting featured the president’s report, the treasurer’s report, election of officers and directors, and keynote speaker Derek Fildebrandt, Strathmore-Brooks Wildrose MLA.
According to Ronda Klemmensen, president of the Strathmore-Brooks Wildrose Constituency Association, the past year has been a successful year for the constituency.
“The people in this constituency are hard-working Albertans and they want honest representation from their elected officials,” she said. “In this constituency we’re fortunate and proud to have Derek Fildebrandt as our elected Wildrose MLA. Derek works relentlessly to sell Wildrose memberships. He helps fundraise all over the province and, most importantly, he works for all the constituents in this riding and for all Albertans.”
Klemmensen said she was looking forward to the new board this year.
David Hemsing was nominated from the floor for the officer position of VP Communications during the meeting and he attained this role during the evening.
The board now consists of 28 people including Fildebrandt, seven officers and 20 directors at large.
“It’s been a hell of a year, and without all of you standing shoulder to shoulder with me, I don’t believe I could be able to do the job I’m doing right now,” said Fildebrandt as he started off the night. “I sincerely thank all of you.”
Fildebrandt, who is expecting his first baby with wife Emma in March, went on to state that this riding has strong membership and is the strongest Wildrose constituency association in Alberta. It raised more money than any other constituency association of any other party in Alberta, he said.
In his travels throughout the province, Fildebrandt said there are a few consistent things that he has heard, including “that the minimum wage is going to kill job creation, particularly for young people.”
He went on to explain that while a higher minimum wage may help some who are content to stay in those positions, it is “very destructive” to young people or others trying to enter the job market.
Fildebrandt also said, “the carbon tax is going to strangle the economy of this province.” He added he is against the carbon tax and that it is senseless, “and [Albertans] are getting nothing for it.
“It is our duty as Albertans to fight every single hostile intrusion from the federal government,” he said. “They have no right to come in our backyard, to violate the constitution and tell Albertans how we should govern in our own house.”
Fildebrandt said the message throughout the province is that he must try to do everything in his power to defeat the NDP and minimize the possibility of a second NDP government in Alberta.
Fildebrandt said he was proud of the fact his party has the “biggest official opposition in decades.” He noted it is important to continue to build the party into “the strongest, most ferocious conservative vehicle to displace the NDP that we possibly can.”
According to Fildebrandt, Albertans are counting on the party to “be real conservatives” and stand by conservative values.
He talked about the importance of the party to future generations. “We must not merely defeat the NDP, but we must destroy its legacy and ensure it never returns to this province ever again.”
The 2016 Wildrose annual general meeting goes Oct. 28-29 in Red Deer.