Rob Miyashiro: NDP candidate for Lethbridge-East

I made the decision in Christmas 2020 that I wasn’t going to run again. I was going to be done [Lethbridge] city council in 2021. I had done two terms, had a really busy full-time job at LSCO (Lethbridge Senior Citizens Organization). Sometime after Christmas, my wife and I were watching the news and something the UCP government was doing was a little off. My wife said to me, “If you’re going to do anything again, you have to run for the NDP.” I hadn’t really thought of it, but I loved a lot of things, I loved Rachel Notley as a Premier, I knew Shannon [Phillips] quite well and I gave it some thought and just went, “okay”. So, I got that whole process going, I believe in what Rachel Notley’s government could do, I believed in what they had done when they were in government, so I just went through that while vetting process and won the nomination.

Why do you feel that you are the best choice to represent your riding as MLA?

There’s a number of things. I have 40 years of experience as a human service professional in our community. I’ve worked in child welfare, I’ve worked in mental health, persons with developmental disabilities, I’ve been executive director at LSCO for 15 years. Aside from that, I’ve been involved in a whole bunch of different boards and community groups; men’s hockey, little league, slow pitch, a whole bunch of them. What that does is give me background in addition to all the work I did on city council. I’d snipe once in a while, but I can’t do that anymore. I understand my role is to represent the premier as an MLA and to represent the party, and I need to do that the best I can. I think I’m the best person for that because of my background and my connection to the community.

What types of personal or professional experience do you have that would make you a good MLA?

Just those things I said, I have strong background in governance, I understand what the government is supposed to do, I have a great understanding being on city council what is expected of an elected official. I understand the time commitment, I understand the pressure you’re under, I understand the public scrutiny. I understand getting stopped in the grocery store, just running in for milk and eggs and you’re there for half an hour. I understand all of that and I know it comes with the territory, and I am prepared to do that.

What would be your top three priorities if elected?

When you’re involved in party politics, my priorities are the priorities of what the party’s platform is. So I could tell you its X, Y and Z, but if it doesn’t align with healthcare, education, affordability, those kind of things, then I would be disingenuous to you and to the public. My job is to make sure the public understands what our platform is and how we’re going to deliver it as a government.

What else should voters know about you and your campaign?

The campaign office is kitty cornered from Earls just before you go under the 13th street underpass. We’re looking for sign locations, supporters and volunteers. If you go to [https://www.albertandp.ca/], you can see parts of our platform that have been rolled out already, and I think if that’s something that’s attractive to some of your viewers and listeners, then I think that’s something they should hook up with.

Full election coverage: Alberta Votes 2023

by LNN Staff

Rob Miyashiro: NDP candidate for Lethbridge-East

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