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The Alberta premier, Alison Redford, said Friday she would not run for another term in 2019.
Redford told the Edmonton Journal that she has decided she doesn’t want to take a risk of losing her job, despite speculation she could be running for the federal Liberal leadership.
Redford was a former minister of industry under Premier Rachel Notley, who has promised to bring back high-tech manufacturing.
“I am retiring from politics at the end of the year.
I’m taking a very deliberate step to not run again,” Redford said in an interview with the Journal.
She said she will stay involved in the industry and will continue to focus on jobs.
The premier said she would be the first female premier in Canada.
Redfield said she was proud of Alberta’s economic success and the work Alberta has done in helping Canada’s manufacturing industry recover.
Alberta is currently in a recession, with the unemployment rate at 5.7 per cent, and the province is facing a massive $1.4 billion budget deficit.
But the Alberta economy has grown at a healthy pace in recent years, thanks to a strong oil price and the rise of the internet, Redford has said.
On the other hand, the province has faced budget deficits in the past two years.
Redwood is expected to be replaced in 2019 by another Liberal premier, Doug Schweitzer, who is expected for a rematch in 2019 with former NDP premier Jim Prentice.
