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Alberta Politics

alison redford takes a break, hugh macdonald calls it quits.

Progressive Conservative leadership candidate Alison Redford, who placed second in her party’s first ballot leadership vote on September 17, announced yesterday that her campaign would be temporarily suspending its efforts so that she could spend time with her mother who had recently been admitted to the hospital in High River. 630 CHED has reported that Ms. Redford’s mother passed away last night.

My thoughts and prayers are with Ms. Redford and her family in this difficult time.

Candidates Doug Horner and Gary Mar are continuing to campaign for the second ballot vote to be held on October 1. Ms. Redford’s campaign manager, Stephen Carter, told 630 CHED that Ms. Redford would be participating in a television leadership debate scheduled for this evening.

Hugh MacDonald calls it quits

You read it here first – four-term Liberal MLA Hugh MacDonald announced that he will not be seeking re-election when the next general election is called. Mr. MacDonald has represented the Edmonton-Gold Bar constituency since 1997, continuing the legacy of former Liberal MLA Bettie Hewes, who represented the constituency starting in 1986.

Mr. MacDonald is easily one of the hardest working MLAs sitting in the opposition benches, though his undying focus on uncovering scandal in the PC government can easily be confused with obsession. Placing second in the recent Liberal leadership contest, Mr. MacDonald made a very public spectacle about his concerns around the legitimacy of the voters list that helped elect former Tory MLA Raj Sherman.

The Liberals are losing a veteran MLA, but this could be a golden opportunity for them to bring new blood into their caucus in the closest thing that party has to a “safe riding” in Alberta.

3 replies on “alison redford takes a break, hugh macdonald calls it quits.”

I am told that legal aid is being “gutted” thanks to ms Redford as justice minister. the government does not believe that “Albertans should be paying forlawyers for criminals.” what happened to innocent until proven guilty? the “criminals” are still being provided with lawyers, who is being cut out? all the smaller “offenses” that are difficult and time-consuming to argue, but still need to be to protect the rights of individuals.

Without Hugh this isn’t anywhere near a “safe” riding. Unless the constituency association gets a say in the candidate then this riding will go blue.

Edmonton-Gold Bar may be as safe as it comes for the Liberal Party, though Edmonton-Meadowlark might take that title these days. But without Hugh(ie) this is not a safe riding. A weak Liberal candidate could mean a Liberal-NDP-Alberta Party split, while I’m guessing Wild Rose support is soft enough to not threaten a similar split on the right.

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