RMC president seeks federal nomination by Tim Callaway Gordon Dirks The president of Calgary’s Rocky Mountain College (RMC) has announced he intends to seek The Conservative Party of Canada’s nomination in the new riding of Calgary South Centre in anticipation of the next federal election. Gordon Dirks, head of the multi-denominational Christian college since 1996, is no stranger to the political arena. Dirks has been an elected trustee on the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) for the past four years, serving as the board’s chairman since the 2001 election. While a resident of Saskatchewan in the mid-1980s, Dirks held the post of Minister of Social Services and Urban Affairs in one of Grant Devine’s Progressive Conservative administrations. Before assuming his role at RMC, he served as Assistant Deputy Minister in the Alberta Department of Family and Social Services under Stockwell Day when the latter was an Alberta cabinet minister. Calgary Centre, a riding that contains Calgary’s downtown business core is currently held by former Canadian Prime Minister Joe Clark, but will be divided into Calgary North Centre and Calgary South Centre prior to the next federal election. There has been significant speculation in the Stampede City that Prime Minister Paul Martin is anxious to have a cabinet minister based in Calgary and accordingly will run some high-profile Liberal candidates in the downtown ridings in an effort to elect the first Liberal MP in Calgary since the apex of Trudeaumania in 1968. "The recent merger of the Alliance and Tory worlds played a strong role in my decision to seek the nomination," Dirks recently told CLN. "For some time I have been advocating for the merger of these two conservative parties into a single, united voice that can challenge the last decade of Liberal dominance in our country.  I believe democracy in Canada needs two strong centrist parties in order to function effectively in the best interest of our citizens." The college president says he believes Canada needs experienced politicians who have demonstrated a commitment to the highest standards of integrity. "In the absence of that integrity, cynicism and distrust regarding the political process develops and democracy suffers," he suggested. "Western Canada needs new, effective voices that can lend credibility to the new Conservative Party," he added, "and I believe I can be one of those credible new voices. I have both a track record and the ability to unite Conservatives of every persuasion. My record as Chair of the Calgary Board of Education demonstrates my commitment and ability in bringing people together in common cause." Dirks believes Canada is a Liberal-weary country and that Canadians have suffered the consequences of Liberal policies for too long. "It’s a long list in this regard," he asserted. "The productivity of Canadians has been stifled through high taxes; the Liberals have under-funded health care while creating billion dollar boondoggles that waste our resources. It goes on and on: jeopardizing of freedoms, coddling of criminals, allowing judges to make the law, attacking time-honored social institutions, starving the armed forces while fumbling relationships with the US. The past decade of Liberal governments have embarrassed Canadians with scandal and corruption, turning off a large segment of the younger generation from getting involved in politics in the process."  Dirks will continue as President of Rocky Mountain College while seeking the nomination and will also continue to serve as a CBE trustee although he has stepped down as school board chairman.   "Should I win the nomination," he said, "I will take a leave of absence from RMC for the duration of the election campaign."