Every year ahead of the provincial budget being tabled, the finance minister chooses a new pair of shoes to wear on budget day. But this year, Alberta Finance Minister Travis Toews is changing it up.
In a video released by the province Monday, Toews revealed that he will re-wear the shoes he chose for last year’s provincial budget. Last year, Toews wore a pair of cowboy boots that were purchased from the Alberta Boot Company in Calgary.
“They’ve served me well over the past year and I’ll be wearing them again this year,” Toews said in the video.
Minister of Finance Travis Toews purchases new boots at the Alberta Boot Company in Calgary for Budget 2021.
Courtesy, Paul Taillon/Office of the Premier
The finance minister goes on to say that Alberta budget 2022 “is a budget for you, for your future, for your kids’ future and for Alberta’s future.”
“So let’s all put on our shoes and start moving forward.”
Read more:
Bill Morneau picks budget day shoes from Edmonton’s Poppy Barley for 2nd year in a row
From rubber boots and work boots, to running shoes and ballet flats, the video shows people from all walks of life putting on their footwear to go about their day.
“Every day, Albertans put on their shoes to go to work, to earn a living and provide for themselves and families,” Toews can be heard saying in the video.
Toews acknowledges that the past two years have been hard for Albertans, many of whom have lost their jobs or changed work amid the uncertainties brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The shoe reveal comes ahead of a busy week at the Alberta legislature, which kicks off Tuesday with a speech from the throne. Then, the 2022 Alberta budget will be tabled on Thursday.
Earlier this month, Premier Jason Kenney said a big part of the upcoming provincial budget will be about increasing the capacity of Alberta’s health-care system.
New shoes for a new budget have become a Canadian parliamentary tradition, but the origin is unclear.
Global News has reached out to Toews’ office for an interview.