George VanderBurg: The road so far

By Susan Hofforth

MLA George VanderBurg is running for his fifth term with the PC Party. Through his four previous terms, he has served as Chief Government Whip, as Minister of Seniors, and Minister of Government Services. Prior to that, he served 15 years in service of Whitecourt, giving nine years as mayor and six as a councillor. And before that? He was a welder.

“I am the only licensed welder to be elected to the legislature of Alberta,” said VanderBurg. “I think the strength of the PC Party is our diversified caucus. We have tradespeople, lawyers, teachers, all kinds of different backgrounds.

“When the last five premiers have needed advice on rural issues or trades, they look to me. They say, is that how it is, George? And I tell them how it is.”

VanderBurg has enjoyed life both in and out of politics. “Forty years married, 29 elected and, despite the hard work, still married,” he said, “to my wonderful wife, Liz. I couldn’t have done any of it without her. I am so fortunate to have a supportive spouse who has been beside me every step of the way, providing a calm, cool head, no matter what.”

He has lived in Whitecourt his whole life and the love of his community led him into politics. Even in high school, he was involved in the students’ union. “I’ve always been a servant leader,” he said. “I learned from my parents that you only get out of life what you put into it. This is one way that I can put something back into it.”

The energy he brings into the job, he gets from the people. He considers working with the team of volunteers and community leaders who have built this community to be his greatest success. “Maybe because of my trade background, I love to build things. I love to see our communities grow and provide new opportunities for our children and now for our grandchildren.” He and Liz are now proud grandparents of four.

“We can really measure the success of our lives through the success of our grandchildren,” he said.

Despite the hectic pace of a 28-day campaign, VanderBurg says that everything stops on Sundays. “Everybody needs some downtime to spend with their families, not just the candidate. We shut down on Sundays, and we are ready on Monday to face the issues of the week.”

“We are very fortunate in this constituency that we have not been as affected by the economic shutdown thanks to our diverse economy and the good attitude of our people. It’s nice to be part of that. What a servant leader does, I believe, is reflect that attitude and positive feeling back to the people. I think we are in the right direction because of that.”

That feeling, and the support he receives from the public, keeps VanderBurg campaigning. “If I didn’t have the support of the public, if they didn’t want my leadership anymore, I wouldn’t keep going. I get so much encouragement every day,” he said.

“At the doors, people are telling me that the most important thing is to keep the economy strong. The price of oil has brought uncertainty, but there is still opportunity, and people want a strong, stable hand to lead the way. Albertans will make the decisions on how to raise their families on their own; they want the government to ensure that opportunities for growth and jobs will remain. We want this on all levels: community, provincial, and federal.”

VanderBurg is the 728th Albertan to have served in the legislature. “It’s an honour and a privilege and I take the job seriously,” he concludes.