The floods that hit Calgary, Canmore, High River and two dozen smaller communities has been a bonding exercise for the province, Doug Griffiths insists: “There’s no us versus them, there’s no north versus south, or city versus rural. We’re all Albertans.”Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press
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As Alberta's lead cabinet minister on the June floods, Doug Griffiths hasn't spent much time at home with his two young sons this summer.
A few weeks into the disaster, Mr. Griffiths' seven-year-old son Austin was eating a grilled cheese sandwich at the kitchen counter when he was overcome by the length of the separation. With his eyes full of tears, he told his mom – Mr. Griffiths' wife Sue – "I miss dad."
They both started to cry. A few seconds passed and nearby, four-year-old Brady chimed in, saying, "I miss dad too. Let's turn on the TV."
In the last two months, when Premier Alison Redford herself was not there, Alberta's minister responsible for Municipal Affairs and the Alberta Emergency Management Agency was working, and on TV, nearly around the clock. The disaster – which saw more than 14,500 homes damaged, and still keeps 2,700 Albertans from their homes – has thrust the philosopher, former disgruntled backbencher and medium-powered cabinet minister into the province's political limelight.
"For an event like, I think frankly everything in my life has prepared me for this," he says. "If you look at it in the right light, everything happens to give you an opportunity to learn and to do something better down the road."
At age 40, Mr. Griffiths has already been a MLA for 11 years and ran for the 2011 Progressive Conservative party race that saw Ms. Redford crowned leader. He finished last. He may have been born and raised on the farm, and represents the rural riding of Battle River-Wainwright, but he's a hard one to pigeonhole.
He's a fiscal conservative who has co-authored a book about keeping small towns alive, including the importance of attracting outsiders, shopping locally and taking care of seniors. When his political career was in the doldrums five years ago, he travelled to Guatemala for several weeks to build homes for Habitat for Humanity.
Mr. Griffiths, who holds a degree in philosophy and education, is hoping this fall to continue a tradition of survival retreats where he heads into the foothills with a backpack and a machete – for cutting down trees – where he snares wild grouse and lives in the woods alone for a few days. He listens to Blake Shelton but gets pumped up on Eminem songs.
He also has a habit of speaking off the cuff. Earlier this year he caught flak from opposition parties when he suggested in a debate about taxation rules that many rural Albertans resent urbanites.
"And it could be asked by rural Albertans why 17 per cent of the population that lives in rural Alberta, that has all the oil and gas revenue, does all the work, all the farms, all the agriculture and everything associated with it, goes to support urban Albertans who sit in high-rise condos and don't necessarily contribute to the grassroots of this economy," he said during question period in March.
The force of the floods that hit Alberta in mid-June have also sidelined a contentious debate about big city charters and the ability for Edmonton and Calgary to take greater control of their finances – including new taxation powers. The flood might demand the attention of the moment, but the disagreement between Mr. Griffiths, Edmonton and Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi – who declined to comment for this story – is sure to start up again as Alberta politics gets closer to normalizing in the fall.
But in the floods that hit Calgary, Canmore, High River and two dozen smaller communities has been a bonding exercise for the province, Mr. Griffiths insists. He said he hopes government learns the lesson it can make good policy decisions on the fly, and be more responsive to what people need, when they need it.
"There's no us versus them, there's no north versus south, or city versus rural. We're all Albertans."
He says even says the criticism from the opposition has abated.
"That's a relief, to get away from politics," he says.
"I'm a crappy politician. I don't play politics. I just want to build stronger communities and make sure that the province is prosperous."
Kelly Cryderman reports from the Calgary bureau.
Editor's note: Due to an editing error, an earlier version of this story incorrectly said Mr. Griffiths finished fourth in the Alberta PC leadership race. In fact, he placed last of six.