Ken Francis: life after re-election
By Joan Janzen
Ken Francis has served as the MLA for Kindersley since 2018, and was recently re-elected in the 2020 provincial election. I visited Ken at his office at 1001 Main Street in Kindersley, to find out what will follow his re-election.
“Right now I am getting ready for a modified sitting of the legislature,” he said. “We’re still working out details with the opposition, as we come up with a mutual satisfactory schedule. Cabinet was just announced; that’s the first step, and a Speaker needs to be elected also. The 2020 session calendar was certainly a challenge, however we were the first province in Canada to put forth a budget.”
“The whole reason I got into this position was to make sound fiscal decisions. I want our government to be fiscally responsible and still provide good services. I’m not a big believer in spending more than you make,” Ken said.
Ken has been appointed as Legislative Secretary for the Ministry of Trade and Export Development. It’s his first posting, wherein he will assist the minister in his duties. “Next month will be fairly jam packed,” he said.
Nevertheless he always wants to be available to answer people’s questions. “Generally people are voicing concerns and problems that they’re running into, usually dealing with a specific ministry. We send the concern off to the specific ministry in charge of that concern. We do our best to reply to everyone who reaches out to us, even though they may not get the answer they’re looking for,” Ken said. “If you own a business, you’re doing a good job if you satisfy 80 percent of your customers. You don’t get anywhere near that amount of satisfied people in this position. It’s frustrating that you can’t do more; the big wheel of government is a slow turning machine.”
Ken also welcomes people’s input. “We want to hear from people who see a better way because of their experiences. We want people to phone to start, and then send an email us at kfrancismla@gmail.com,” Ken explained. “We need their issue in writing so there’s no misconception.”
Before becoming an MLA, Ken said his time spent as a Councillor and Deputy Mayor was a stepping stone to moving to the next level. “I enjoyed my time on town council. The mayor, Rod Perkins kind of talked me into running, but It really wasn’t on my radar. I never had a grand design to be in politics. It’s no different than being on a school board or any board; it takes groups of people to make things happen.”
