Service Minister Nate Glubish has thrown his support behind UCP leadership candidate Danielle Smith despite only recently supporting Travis Toews.
Last month, Glubish said that “[Toews] is smart, strategic, and compassionate. Most importantly, he is a man of good character and integrity. I’m confident that Travis will make an excellent premier and will serve Albertans well.”
Despite the endorsement, it appears Glubish has had a change of heart.
During an earlier announcement today, Glubish said that he “doesn’t like divisive politics,” so he decided to sit down with Smith, who’s been regularly attacked by the media since launching her leadership bid.
He said he had “some hesitations about the Alberta Sovereignty Act, for example,” but was glad that Smith could clarify her positions.
“What I realized were these attacks [on Smith] were misplaced,” Glubish said.
Of Glubish, Smith said he’s one of her “favourite members of caucus because he comes from the tech industry. And he’s leading the effort on convincing caucus around issues of digital transformation and how we can be the lead in attracting businesses here and become a tech centre in Alberta.”
The two are now collaborating on a proposed Digital Production Tax Credit to expand Alberta’s video game industry.
Glubish explains that Alberta’s Film and Television Tax Credit has allowed the province’s TV and film industry to grow rapidly, leading to hundreds of millions in investment.
Glubish says it’s time to do the same for the video game industry.
“What many people might not know is that the video game industry is bigger than the movie industry and the music industry combined, and it’s growing faster,” Glubish explains. “So, there’s a big opportunity here to build on the success we’ve already had in film and television and bridging into video games.”
According to Smith, if elected, the Digital Production Tax Credit will be framed around the Film and Television Tax Credit, with the hope being it will attract more high-paying tech jobs while further diversifying Alberta’s economy.
