Alberta Liberals have a St. Albert standard bearer with the announcement of former school trustee Kim Bugeaud as the party's candidate.
Bugeaud will run for the party in the St. Albert riding. She served as a trustee on the protestant board from 1995 to 1998, before a narrow defeat when she sought a second term. She most recently ran in the board's December byelection, where she was also defeated.
Bugeaud said it she is running because she believes in the Grit platform for Alberta and because healthy debate is important to the province.
“I think it is really important that we have broad representation to have a vital democracy,” she said. “I think the platform speaks to strengthening our human capital as Albertans.”
Party leader Raj Sherman attended a kick-off event in St. Albert Wednesday night and said Bugeaud is a great candidate for the party.
“Kim is a very impressive candidate; she has a background in health care, in social work, in education, it is great to see the support she has in the community,” he said.
He pointed to past MLA Jack Flaherty and former leader Bob Russell who were both in attendance and said she would have a lot of great support in the coming campaign.
Sherman said he was committed to working for St. Albert and believed the party's platform would resonate in the community.
“As a leader, I am personally committed to improving the lives of the people here,” he said. “You don't have enough ambulances in town because they are stuck in the emergency department and why, because half of our hospitals have become long-term care centres.”
Bugeaud said she was impressed with the party's platform, which among other things calls for the establishment of several endowment funds.
“The endowment funds are a really smart way to strengthen our ability to be able to have reliable funding sources for the important services like education, health and municipalities.”
She said she also supports the party's call to raise taxes on those making over $100,000 and on corporations, because it will help ensure all Albertans succeed.
“We need to be able to make sure that the lower income Albertans have the same access to a healthy and prosperous life and the income gap is getting larger and larger.”
In February, former MLA Jack Flaherty, then the constituency president, and Wilf Borgstede, party vice-president, released a letter calling for their fellow party members to step up and show their support.
They said the association was in desperate need of new life and more support from their existing members.
Bugeaud said she has talked to both men and respects their passion. She said there has been a turnaround since that letter and she is confident she will have support from the party when the writ drops.
“There are a lot of Liberals in St. Albert and I think we just need to get some communication going and they will be there.”
Bugeaud, a mother of three grown children has lived in St. Albert for more than 20 years. For the last decade, she has worked as a social worker for a variety of agencies including the City of Edmonton and most recently the Misericordia hospital.
She said despite the new premier, the Progressive Conservatives have all the same problems. She said even looking at just the past few weeks, the party has pushed back against school boards and other groups, showing they aren't interested in debate.
“There is a culture there, that I don't think is necessarily reversible by any one person, no matter how skilled they are.”
She said the Liberal party would hold the Tories to account and insist they act responsibly.
“We need to make sure that they walk the talk and that is what a viable opposition will do, that is what getting grassroots information will do, it will hold all parties accountable.”
Burgeaud, joins PC candidate Stephen Khan, Wildrose candidate James Burrows, Alberta Party candidate Tim Osborne and NDP candidate Nicole Bownes in the St. Albert riding.
