2 UCP ministers, Travis Toews and Sonya Savage, not seeking reelection
Grande Prairie-Wapiti MLA Travis Toews and Calgary-North West MLA Sonya Savage announced Friday they will not be seeking reelection in May.
Toews was first elected as an MLA for the United Conservative Party in 2019, and subsequently appointed finance minister by former Premier Jason Kenney.
He ran an unsuccessful campaign to succeed Kenney as leader of the UCP, losing to now-Premier Danielle Smith.
Toews said he wanted to wait until after the budget to make the announcement.
"We’ve wrestled with this decision for some time and we believe this is the right decision for us for sure, and felt the timing was right," he told CTV News.
"There’s a number of considerations in a decision like this, and ours were a combination of personal considerations, family considerations for sure, as well as business considerations."
Smith released a written statement about the finance minister's decision on Friday.
"Minister Travis Toews has been one of the strongest Finance Ministers in Alberta's history and leaves a legacy of strong fiscal management that I will continue to uphold as Premier," she said. "I greatly respect his decision to spend more time on the ranch and with his family. There will be big boots to fill in Grande Prairie – Wapiti, and I wish him, Kim, and the family nothing but the very best."
Savage was also elected for the first time in 2019, and serves as energy minister.
"I have decided not to seek reelection and to spend more time with my family," Savage wrote in a statement.
"I will continue to serve out my term and look forward to supporting Premier Smith and my colleagues win the next election."
Smith also released a written statement on Savage.
"Minister Sonya Savage’s dedication and commitment to furthering Alberta’s energy interests and developing a Made-in-Alberta approach to responsible environmental stewardship of our natural resources will benefit Albertans for decades," she wrote.
"Although Sonya will be greatly missed, it is gratifying to know she will be able to spend more time with her best friend and husband, Eric, as well as their family."
Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley also addressed the departure of both ministers.
"Both Mr. Toews and Ms. Savage are amongst the most capable cabinet ministers that this UCP government has seen over the last four years," she said in a written statement. "And the fact that they're both leaving, reveals I think the fact that Danielle Smith is not attracting a team that Albertans can count on to run a capable, responsive, competent government."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Explosion at train station leads to discovery of stolen car on Montreal's South Shore: police
Police are investigating after a BMW exploded in the St-Lambert Exo train station parking lot on Montreal's South Shore.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
There's progress reported in Gaza truce talks, but Israel downplays chances of ending war with Hamas
A delegation of the Palestinian militant group Hamas was in Cairo on Saturday as Egyptian state media reported "noticeable progress" in cease-fire talks with Israel, though an Israeli official downplayed the prospects for a full end to the war in Gaza.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A candidate for Germany's key party was beaten up while campaigning for European elections
A candidate for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left party in next month's election for the European Parliament was beaten up and seriously injured while campaigning in an eastern city, the party said Saturday.