With the 2012 provincial election campaign now in the books, the job of guiding the province over the next term will be placed in the hands of the new government.
While what the new term holds for Alberta and Albertans remains anyone's guess, what is certain is that residents will be watching their newly-elected leaders very closely to ensure the province remains a proud and lawful part of Canada.
With Monday's vote Albertans have once again exercised their rights to elect a government that represents each and every man, woman and child in this great province.
Voters in every riding, in every city and town and village have done themselves proud by taking an active and peaceful part in a democratic process that is the envy of many, many less fortunate people across the world.
And each and every candidate who let his or her name stand during the past election, who gave up a good deal of their privacy and put aside their private lives in the service of the community at large should be applauded and thanked.
The recent election campaign saw all variety of issues debated and considered, from education to health care, from economics to taxes, and from law and order to public spending on roads and highways.
And while most of the issues were the same ones seen in countless other Alberta elections over the past decades, this campaign also saw some discussion and debate of so-called conscience rights.
Specifically the issue was brought up on several high-profile occasions as to whether any Alberta government can and should tell residents what to believe and how to behave when it comes to such things as race, religion, sexual orientation, and other personal rights.
With the campaign now over, and just so there is no confusion, one clear message MLAs need to be taking to the legislature is that being elected does not give anyone the authority or the right to dictate what other people believe or how they behave in a lawful manner.
Conscience rights in Canada are not up for debate, nor should they be.
Hopefully over the next term the newly-minted government will concentrate on getting on with the job of running the province in a progressive and forward-looking manner, working hard for every resident and guiding Alberta to a new prosperity.
Yet regardless of which party is running the government, Albertans will be watching very closely to ensure the government treats each and every citizen fairly and with respect when it comes to conscience rights in this province, including in West Central Alberta.
