New Invest Alberta boss has a lot of work ahead of him

From outside looks, the appointment of David Knight Legg seems like another ugly patronage appointment.

After all, the former Lethbridge resident is a friend of vilified premier Jason

Kenney; he has been questioned about overspending on travel expenses to the tune of $45,000 and $59,000 last year and the summer of 2020, respectively.

This of course comes on the heels of the NDP indicating the government was planning on cutting funding for some people who currently recipients of AISH who currently receive about $1,600 a month.

As they say “perception is nine-tenths of reality” and in this fragile economic and job market climate, for many, it doesn’t look good.

Those who do like this move will argue that you have to give the guy a chance. There was a reason why he was hired. Say what you want about his direction with social policies, there is no denying Kenney is all about money, economics and investment. He may make decisions that people don’t agree with but there is no denying bringing in or creating business because he wants a prosperous Alberta is what he is about.

Hence supporters will argue the logic in hiring Knight Legg. With Kenney, he wants to hire people he is familiar with. Critics call that patronage; supporters call that going with people he trusts.

If you look at his credentials, you can’t really overlook them. According to Invest Alberta: “He has executive experience with various boards and commissions through his work at McKinsey, a global management consulting firm; Gerson Lehrman Group, a capital markets advisory and research firm; and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. He has held several non-profit and advisory board positions ranging from the Young Presidents Organization Pan-Asia chapter to the Sovereign Art Foundation. He did his undergraduate work at the University of Lethbridge and holds a Master’s of Public Administration from Queens University, a Master’s in Law from Oxford University, and a PhD from Yale University where he held several teaching fellowships.” To paraphrase colloquially, “he ain’t no chump.”

The man has some credentials and obviously is far more qualified, on paper, to lead an organization which is meant to help stimulate an economy which was free falling worse than a melon dropped from a 20 story building. And we all know how that ends.

The issue is not whether he is smart or qualified enough, it is “will he be accountable?”

Perception by previous actions makes one wonder.

Besides whether one trusts him, does much of the voting public trust the government? With all of the perceived or real attacks on education, health, and the most vulnerable in society, it doesn’t matter what his qualifications are and how he looks on paper.

Some version of “How is a PhD and Oxford graduate going to get me a job?” will be repeated at coffee tables across Alberta.

For many of those unemployed, underemployed or just completely disillusioned with politics altogether, one may see a government-appointed individual with a salary of just under a quarter of a million dollars annually which is a raise from the already $195,000 he was making as a principal Kenney advisor it doesn’t matter how good he looks on paper.

If he comes through and there can be some investment created and new business in Alberta which can be directly correlated with Knight Legg, then the overspending can be just the cost of business and all will be forgiven.

If not, and Knight Legg whiffs on this assignment, this will be just another thing the Rachel Notley NDP can add to their blacklist for the next election.

Ryan Dahlman is the managing editor of the Prairie Post