Hancock's Policy Platform is Out!

So the Hancock Platform is out and he has a new updated website. Same address http://www.davehancock.ca/ but a new look and feel and more content. All the platform content is there and video of his speeches will be up tonight sometime. Hancock’s positioning is education, environment and innovation.

He is personally the PROGRESSIVE conservative candidate and hugely differentiated from Oberg and Morton in that regard. He has the most party, political and policy depth of any candidate given his 35 years experience starting out as a youth organizer and volunteer, to party president to politician. Hancock has seen it all. And has done it all.

He is a progressive because he believes that government has a positive role in bettering people’s lives “regardless of situation or circumstance.” He is conservative because he knows the responsibility to get value for taxpayer dollars. Conservation values underscore his sense of the environment. He is big on individual responsibility – also part of his conservative nature.

His environment focus is about enhanced stewardship and conservation. His innovation focus is about a diversified value added technologically strong competative economy. His education focus is about a competent and adaptive learning society. He is big on putting more back into Alberta than we take out – for the benefit of today and future generations. He sees the economy and the environment as interrelated and integrated not mutually exclusive competing interests.

His progressive and conservative focus is on enabling self reliant confident people who are able to take care of themselves, their families and to contribute to their community. Dave is big on values like caring, fairness, community, diversity and inclusiveness. He said in his platform speech: "Alberta has been good to us. It is time we were good to Alberta."

He takes a big picture, long term, strategic approach in his governing style and he is definitely future focused. He bemoans the excessive time spend by government of late, admiring the end of debt and deficit. He says “Alberta has been moving ahead by looking in the rear view mirror…and not…looking towards the future nearly enough.”

The consequences have been a lack of attention to social and infrastructure deficits. He is emphatic – contrary to Klein’s recent declarations - there is a plan. He said he knows there is a plan - because he wrote it…the 20 Strategic Plan for Alberta to be exact.

The government has been on cruise control so long they did not seem care where they were going, how much “gas” it was taking - or wasting - to get "there." The people in political control have spent the last 7 or 8 years – since the debt dragon was actually destroyed – just basking in their past glory.

They we disinterested in looking down the road - and when they did – their attention did not stretch much past the hood ornament. They were disengaged and unconcerned that our destination was unclear – and that the journey seemed so unintentional.

And who cared if we were even on the right road? Does it matter if we don’t have a clear destination? Success for government was to stay between the ditches. That’s all! And that has had damaging affects on optimizing Alberta’s future. That "lazy - faire" attitude is what caused Premier Klein to get such tepid party support at the convention last April 1.

Education the environment and innovation – make for an interesting politician to my mind. Hancock is smart but he is also a wise man with real life experiences. He has superior character qualities and proven capabilities. He is not your media darling or your power broker political player. He actually believes in the concept of leader- servant. Would be a refreshing change…no doubt that we need a change.