Travis Toews Says He Will Ban UCP Cabinet Ministers From Attending WEF Events

After a recent campaign event in South Calgary, The National Telegraph interviewed UCP leadership candidate Travis Toews on the issue of the World Economic Forum, and whether or not he will ban UCP cabinet ministers from attending WEF resembling the likely next leader of the federal Conservative Party, Pierre Poilievre, has committed to. 

When asked about the WEF Toews agreed that the influential non-profit’s left-wing values and syndicalist/corporatist economic policies were completely out-of-line with what a Conservative should believe and stated “Ministers in my cabinet will not be allowed to attend WEF events.”

Toews went on to elaborate and said that:

With respect to the WEF, and other international organizations’ political agendas that are at play, right now we as Albertans need to determine our own course outside of any global influence. That’s my view and the way I will direct my government. 

Although WEF policy influence tends to be more of an issue for countries on the federal level, Alberta has had a history of provincial politicians traveling to the WEF’s yearly conference in Davos, most notably former Premier Alison Redford who made the trip in January 2014. 

There was actually supposed to be a WEF conference hosted in Lake Louise, Alberta, organized in coordination with Redford and the Alberta government later on in 2014, but it was called off after Redford resigned as premier. 

This was back at the time Danielle Smith was still the leader of the Wildrose Party, and Smith had said it was “highly embarrassing” that the event was put off, and obviously viewed it as an important event.

At the time before the event was officially canceled and had just been postponed, Smith stated:

It seems pretty perplexing that the Premier would give us a black eye like this. It’s pretty unprofessional. Hopefully, it will happen but I think we should expect a little more professionalism and a little bit more attention to details coming out of the Premier’s office when it’s something so important.

During the 2022 UCP leadership campaign, Smith has been taking shots at the WEF and said that no one in her government will be permitted to have any ties with them, but she has never acknowledged why she used to view the WEF as a reputable organization.

Smith’s past being in favour of the WEF, or at least wanting Alberta to host a WEF event despite the anti-oil positions they take, may explain why she was so defensive of Michelle Rempel Garner after attending two WEF conferences in Davos. 

It should be mentioned that Brian Jean has also pledged to prevent Alberta taxpayer money from “going directly or indirectly to the WEF,” and condemned the organization for having an agenda that is “anti-people.”