Alberta UCP MLA Tracy Allard will not seek re-election

A member of Alberta’s United Conservative Party government caucus who was recently named a parliamentary secretary for civil liberties has announced she won’t seek re-election.

Tracy Allard says in a statement posted Saturday on Facebook that due to Parkinson’s disease, which she was diagnosed with in March 2020, she has decided to step away from public life to focus on her health and her family.

Allard notes successful symptom management includes a healthy diet, regular exercise, consistent sleep, and minimal stress which she says “does not align well with the schedule, lifestyle and demands placed on an MLA.”

The Grande Prairie representative was appointed to the parliamentary secretary post in December by Premier Danielle Smith, who said at the time the job would entail keeping an eye on matters from campus free speech to excessive use of police force.

Allard left former premier Jason Kenney’s cabinet in January 2021 after a public outcry over a trip to Hawaii for Christmas, despite the government urging Albertans to stay home to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Later that spring, she was among a large group of backbenchers who publicly condemned a return to stricter health restrictions.

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Alberta’s next general election is scheduled for May 29.

Allard said on Facebook that she’s confident there will be other ways that she can give back to the community that she said “has given me and my family so much.”