Thank You, Premier Lougheed

Thank you sir, for having a vision for Alberta.

Thank you sir, for believing in that vision, and for laying out a concrete, straight-talk plan to achieve it that you always reminded us of, and kept us updated on.

As I understand it sir, from research and what I can remember, the plan involved saving for a rainy day with the Heritage Fund. And of course sir, you also gave disabled Albertans the AISH program, which even in the beginning had a provision to allow those who could work the opportunity to do so. I think of you every day, Mr. Premier, as I go out to my job in the community four days a week, and I am grateful.

I also realize, Mr. Premier, that you were the one who modernized Alberta. Agriculture and rural living are a vital part of any resource-rich province and should never be discounted. But you marketed our resources in such a way that the rest of Canada noticed. And when they noticed, you were not content to let them stick us in a highchair with a bib, while patting us on the head for good measure. You believed that Alberta was just as important as Ottawa, and when Prime Minister Trudeau tried to severely curtail our resources with his   National Energy Program, you fought like hell for our interests, but always in a gentlemanly manner. And he wound up respecting and admiring you for it. So did (and do) many other federal and provincial politicians, as we saw at your well-deserved state funeral.

That is the mark of  a true statesman, sir, and a man in full.

I thank and salute you, Premier Lougheed.


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