Former prime minister Stephen Harper is among eight Albertans who will be receiving the Alberta Order of Excellence. “The Alberta Order of Excellence is an opportunity to celebrate those among us who bring a pioneering spirit and true commitment to moving our province forward,” said Alberta Lt.-Gov. Salma Lakhani in a Thursday press release. “It is a pleasure to welcome these individuals as Members of the Order.” Harper transformed the Canadian political landscape by uniting the divided right into the Conservatives. Under Harper’s leadership, the Conservatives went on to win three consecutive elections, leading Canada through a decade of complex geopolitical, economic and security challenges. The Alberta government said the first recipient it was honouring was Edmonton resident Jim Carter for being a giant in Canada’s oil sands and a leader in sustainable development. By innovating a range of new technologies, it said he transformed the industry, making it more productive and environmentally responsible. Priddis, AB, resident Max Foran is a celebrated teacher, professor, author, historian, media figure, public speaker and wildlife activist who has influenced generations of students, historians and average Albertans with his approach. Foran was among the first to mine the Glenbow Museum’s archives to bring the collective histories of Calgary, Alberta and Western Canada to life. The Alberta government went on to say Calgary resident Joe Lukacs is an engineer, entrepreneur, and mentor who innovated new technologies and processes to achieve cleaner air for Alberta — a benefit that has spread worldwide. It added Lukacs improved the efficiency of Alberta’s industries and the health of the global environment. Cold Lake, AB, resident Audrey McFarlane brought the dangers of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) to light when it was a silent disability. McFarlane has helped countless families deal with struggles associated with FASD and moved the advocacy, awareness, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and research of it from her community to national and international levels. The Alberta government continued by saying former Independent Liberal Senator Claudette Tardiff (Alberta) is one of Canada’s foremost advocates and defenders of bilingualism and linguistic minority rights. As a senator, she advanced Bill C-232 about the bilingualism of Supreme Court of Canada justices and established a major study on the modernization of the Official Languages Act. Calgary resident Stella Thompson is an economist, advocate for women and energy industry leader. Thompson was one of the first women to become an executive at a large energy company. Edmonton resident Angus Watt is a business leader, volunteer and philanthropist who works to make Alberta more caring and successful by ensuring the sustainability of health, social, educational, cultural and military groups that provide community programming and services. Watt has helped establish many charitable foundations, creating reliable sources of funding and stronger community organizations. This year’s inductees brings the total membership of the Alberta Order of Excellence to 212 over the past 44 years. Established in 1979, it is the Alberta's highest honour and is an official part of the Canadian Honours System. Harper said at the Canada Strong and Free Network National Conference in March the Reform Party played a major role in making the Conservatives what it is now. READ MORE: Harper says Reform Party populism shaped today’s anti-establishment Conservatives“Our country is badly in need of a conservative renaissance at the national level,” he said. “Indeed, I think the future of the country and the future of our middle and working class families depends on it.”
