Church Leaders Meet With Premier of Alberta

A delegation from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recently met with Alberta Premier Jason Kenney at the Alberta legislature. The Church delegation included General Authority Seventy Elder S. Gifford Nielsen; Area Seventy Elder John N. Craig; director of public affairs Eileen Bell; and David Dorward, a former bishop and a former elected provincial member of the legislative assembly of Alberta (MLA).

Kenney, sworn in as Alberta’s 18th premier on April 30, 2019, also invited to the meeting several current MLAs who are members of the Church. Present were Taber–Warner MLA Grant Hunter, who is the associate minister of Red Tape Reduction, and Central Peace–Notley MLA Todd Loewen.

Elder Nielsen opened the meeting by extending best wishes and love from Church President Russell M. Nelson. The subsequent discussion included the history of the Church in Alberta, the number of Church members in the province and the various forms of service given by Church members. Additionally, the importance of families, the JustServe program, the worldwide humanitarian activities of Latter-day Saint Charities and the Latter-day Saints’ belief in Jesus Christ as our Saviour were explained.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Premier Kenney gave Elder Nielsen an elaborate belt buckle with the name of the province on it. Premier Kenney was presented with a box of hand-dipped chocolates made by Church members whose families dipped chocolates many decades ago to raise funds for the construction of area Church buildings. (Edmonton-area members were well known throughout the community for the chocolates they made during such fundraisers.) The premier was also given a framed copy of “The Family: A Proclamation to the World.” The declaration was issued in 1995 by the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and contains principles that are vital to the happiness and well-being of every family.