August 6, 2022 • 17 hours ago • 4 minutes read • 18 comments Doug Schweitzer, Minister of Jobs, Economy and Innovation, speaks at Burwood Distillery in Calgary as the province announces $66 million for tourism recovery Friday, April 22, 2022 .Photo by Josh Aldrich/Postmedia

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Doug Schweitzer’s sudden resignation from UCP cabinet and provincial politics is seen as a blow to the party amid a leadership race and less than a year before a general election.

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Duane Bratt, a political science professor at Mount Royal University, said he was surprised by the sudden announcement from the one-time UCP leadership candidate, who announced in May that he would not seek re-election in Calgary-Elbow. Schweitzer tendered his resignation as secretary of jobs, economy and innovation Friday morning to Premier Jason Kenney and made it public in the late afternoon with a social media post.

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“Switzer is considered one of the moderates in the party,” Bratt said. “And for him to leave when you see a leadership race dominated by attacking Ottawa and denying COVID, that could also hurt the UCP.” When Schweitzer previously announced he would not seek re-election, Bratt assumed he would stay until the end of the term.

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Schweitzer has a young family and was a partner at a Calgary law firm specializing in restructuring and bankruptcy before entering politics. He was a political unknown when he ran for the party leadership in 2017, but he quickly rose to prominence in the newly formed UCP government. Schweitzer was named attorney general just days after winning the 2019 primary election as part of Kenney’s initial cabinet. In 2020, the prime minister shuffled him into the employment portfolio, six months into the pandemic.

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In the past year, he has secured several major wins, including a booming tech sector, a booming film industry, a job market on fire with Alberta’s unemployment rate hitting 4.8 per cent in July and an economy leading the country in recovery despite rising inflation and interest rates.

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Deborah Yedlin, president and CEO of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, said Schweitzer has accomplished a lot to get the province back on track and push the economy toward diversification. Alberta has been breaking annual records for venture capital investment in the province’s tech sector, and it continues to break those marks this year. He also helped diversify the energy sector with investments in petrochemicals and other economic sectors, Yedlin said, adding that many of the initiatives and moves he made will continue to pay dividends for years. Mainly, he said he didn’t leave Alberta, pointing to a speech he gave at the opening of Mphasis in Calgary in June when others were ready to look elsewhere. “People abandoned us, but we didn’t abandon ourselves, and I thought that was a very good message,” he said. “There’s so much that’s happened, despite all the things we’ve been through in the last seven years.”

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His achievements led many, including Bratt, to believe he would be in line for another party leadership position, but this time he was placed with much more weight behind his name. “I think particularly in the jobs portfolio, he was the best cabinet minister that Kenney had,” Bratt said. Schweitzer did not comment on his decision not to seek re-election and declined to be interviewed by Postmedia after his latest announcement. This has left the rumors in full swing as to what is going on. The party has not yet said if or when a by-election will be held to fill the vacancy, or even if it is necessary, nine months before the general election. A decision likely won’t be made until after a new party leader is chosen.

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The legislation is conflicting as to whether a by-election is required, with the Act saying it must be called within six months, although both the Act and the Electoral Act say it is not required within 12 months of a general election. However, the Act says there is a fifth year, but the Elections Act has four years. If Danielle Smith wins the leadership race, it would leave an open seat for her to run for the Legislature. Bratt, however, said she would be tough in the Calgary-Elbow riding, one that has tilted toward more progressive candidates since Ralph Klein retired in 2007. The seat has been held by former Alberta Party leader Greg Clark since 2015. until 2019. Alison Redford, one of the most progressive leaders of the PC party, held the seat from 2008-14. NDP candidate Samir Kayande, who thanked Schweitzer for his public service in a statement Friday, has already floated his bid for possible re-election, while Kerry Cundal could also fight for the Alberta Party. “This might be one of the few three-way games in the entire province,” Bratt said. [email protected] Twitter: @JoshAldrich03

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