Grande Prairie has another representative in the Cabinet of Alberta. MLA Tracy Allard has been named Minister of Municipal Affairs as part of a cabinet shuffle made by Premier Jason Kenney Tuesday.
“She will create strong and successful municipal partnerships influenced by a lifetime of real-world business experience as a local entrepreneur,” Kenney notes. “She will challenge governments to focus on small business priorities and economic growth.”
Allard was elected in 2019 and has franchised Tim Hortons restaurants in Grande Prairie, as well as Prince Rupert, B.C. She replaces Kaycee Madu, who will move to be the Minister of Justice and Solicitor General, as former Justice Minister Doug Schweitzer takes on a newly created position as Minister of Jobs, Economy, and Innovation.
“[Schweitzer] made important progress tackling rural crime, advancing aspects of the fair deal agenda, and creating a faster, fairer, more responsive justice system. He will bring the same energy and drive into the newly named portfolio of Jobs, the Economy and Innovation as he oversees the implementation of Alberta’s Recovery Plan, its sector strategies, and our growth agenda, ” explains Kenney. “With [Madu’s] legal training and policy experience, he will bring tremendous expertise implementing key democratic reforms including citizen’s initiative and recall legislation, a review of Alberta’s Police Act and the execution of the fair deal panel recommendations endorsed by government.”
Tanya Fir is out as a cabinet minister as the Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Tourism is no more. The Ministry of Jobs, Economy, and Innovation is its renaming, with more functions to be added in time.
The Grande Prairie area is also represented in cabinet by Grande Prairie – Wapiti MLA Travis Toews, who serves as Minister of Finance of Alberta and President of the Treasury Board.