Redford to Notley: spend time with family

Former premier says the new boss is smart, enjoyable to work with

Former Alberta premier Alison Redford has a piece of advice for her successor Rachel Notley: don’t let the pressures of the job take away from time with your family.

Speaking after giving a speech in Ottawa, Redford said she thinks Notley is a smart person, and she really enjoyed working across the floor from her when Redford was the justice minister and Notley was justice critic.

Redford says she thinks most about Notley’s family and hopes the new premier is getting to spend time with them.

Redford took over as premier when she was picked as Progressive Conservative leader in 2012 but quit two years later amid a scandal surrounding her travel and expenses.

The provincial auditor found Redford used the government’s planes for personal benefit when she took her daughter on dozens of flights, including a few times with her daughter’s friends and a couple of times without her mother.

Redford was cleared of any wrongdoing by the RCMP, but the Tories, under Jim Prentice, went on to lose the next provincial election to Notley and the NDP.

“I believe that it’s so important to give premiers time to decide for themselves how to do their work,” Redford said when asked about Notley following the speech.

“I will tell you the one thing I think the most about is her family. I hope she’s getting to spend time with her family and that she is enjoying her days.”

As for Notley’s plans to review the royalties the province charges oil and gas companies — a key plank of the NDP election platform — Redford said it’s good that discussion is happening when oil prices are low.

“It think it’s probably important for us to be talking about them at a time when people can see the economic impact of the energy economy slowing down because it takes some of the hypothetical out of the situation.”

As for regrets about her time as premier, Redford wouldn’t say what she’d have done differently.

“Life is life and there’s always lots of things, but I’m not going backwards,” she said. “I’m moving forward.”