Luan’s social policy credibility helps him beat odds
In the new Calgary-hawk-wood riding, Jason Luan was facing one of the more daunting Wildrose contenders — David Yager, an oilpatch industry veteran and journalist — in a city that tends to venerate business leaders and communicators-turned-politicians.
But it turned out Luan’s own experience made him the race’s Goliath. He spent the past 14 years as a City of Calgary social planner, helping work with various community non-profit agencies and the $29 million the city grants them annually.
It came down to a candidate with a community and family focus, and another rooted in corporate values, Luan observed. He won by 2,000 votes.
Like a few of Alison Redford’s city candidates, he only recently joined the Tory party, to support runner-up gary mar in the party’s leadership race last year. Luan, who turned 49 on election day, admitted he has both opposed and supported the Tories during the Klein and Stelmach years, depending on where they stood on social services or other issues. “I’ve liked the policies and then I didn’t,” he said.
The father of two moved to Calgary in 1988, the year after the Olympics. In addition to an active government role on “quality of life” issues, Luan would also like to help advocate more trade with his native China.
Many former university classmates have become government ministers or corporate leaders in the country, he said.