The Wildrose Alliance has attracted its first candidate who I would describe as at least having “medium-profile” presence among Alberta’s political wonk class. Current Constitution Foundation lawyer and former Canadian Taxpayers Federation Director John Carpay announced in today’s Calgary Hearld that he intends to challenge Calgary-Lougheed Progressive Conservative MLA Dave Rodney as a Wildrose candidate in the next election. Mr. Carpay’s Calgary Herald mini-essay decried the PCs for a long grocery list of conservative pet issues.
This is not Mr. Carpay’s first attempt at elected office. As a Reform Party candidate in 1993 he unsuccessfully challenged New Democrat Member of Parliament Svend Robinson in the Burnaby-Kingsway riding. Along with the predictable Taxpayer Federation issues that end up on the public record, in 1994, Mr. Carpay penned an opinion-editorial in the National Post which criticized Premier Ralph Klein for not invoking the Notwithstanding Clause to block the Supreme Court decision which forced Alberta to include protection of homosexuals from discrimination.
In the capital city, the Liberal Party is targeting Edmonton-Mill Woods PC MLA Carl Benito in a weekend pamphlet drop. Mr. Benito’s actions (or lack thereof) have quite possibly made him the lowest-hanging fruit in the PC caucus and the Liberals hope to capitalize on that. Former MLA Weslyn Mather intends to seek the Liberal nomination in that riding and many Liberals are hoping that this call to action could spark a fire that will help the Liberals win back a few of the eight Edmonton-area constituencies they lost in the 2008 election. While the Liberals are facing a lot of serious internal challenges of their own, there is little evidence to suggest that Edmonton will be less electorally competitive as it traditionally has been.
Word on the street is that long-time Calgary federal Liberal organizer Pat Raymaker will be appointed campaign co-chair as her party prepares for the next election. I am told that the Liberals are having a more challenging time finding an Edmonton co-chair and that David Swann‘s Calgary-heavy brain-trust is having a difficult time tapping into the traditional base of loyal Edmonton lawyers and business people which their party have depended on for such roles in the past.
With Kevin Taft‘s retirement, the Liberals could be entering the next election with only two incumbent MLAs in Edmonton (assuming that Laurie Blakeman and Hugh MacDonald seek re-election). The presence of three to five former Liberal MLAs seeking a comeback could buoy their chances in the city, but the absence of an Edmonton-area leader for the first time since the 1970s could have an effect on that party’s support in the capital city.
Even if Mr. Benito’s promise contributes to the defeat of Edmonton PC MLAs in the next election, the political environment is too fluid to assume that the Liberals will be the main benefactor as they were in the 2004 election.
13 replies on “john carpay to run wildrose, liberals target carl benito.”
*facepalm* for Carl Benito.
Calgary Lougheed is deep in Stephen Harper territory. Carpay will do very well there and get much help from the CPC. Goodbye Rodney!
Double *facepalm* for Carl Benito.
It is because of the liberal party’s appointment of co chairs that I have no.confidence in that party anymore. She unilaterally blocked former MPs from running because she didn’t like them, not even allowing them to fill out the nomination package, only to parachute a “friendly” candidate afterwards.
These appointments should go through the LPCA board, not the higher ups. If the party can’t trust it’s own members to decide things like that, why would they listen to us common folk?
Good news Chris, ALP has not appointed campaign Co-Chairs yet.
Confidence restored!
Funny thing – John Carpay is the same Canadian Constitution Foundation lawyer who defended the University of Calgary’s Pro-Life club in the past.
Should be interested to see if he mentions this in the election.
“Letter: An open letter to advanced education and technology minister Doug Horner”: http://thegauntlet.ca/story/13035
“Campus Pro-Life fallout continues”:
http://thegauntlet.ca/story/13199
[…] by standing in favor of increased private health care. In a recent letter to the Calgary Herald, Wildrose nomination candidate John Carpay decried the public system and called for increased private-for-profit health care where […]
I’m voting for John Carpay BECAUSE he stood up against the tyrannical University of Calgary in their assault against the pro-life club’s rights to free speech. John will win easily.
Carl Benito is a clown, the interview he did on the radio was a joke. I thought Rutherford was going to throw up if he called him his “very good friend” one more time. This guy is a do nothing political parasite.
I agree that John Carpay will win in Calgary Lougheed. The PC’s are soft in Lougheed. They are soft in about 2 constituencies in suburban Calgary plus Airdrie and Okotoks-High River and up to 3 additional Calgary core constituencies that may swing.
-up to 3 constituencies in north Alberta [Fort McMurray, Peace and Whitecourt].
-maybe 1 constituency in west central Alberta [Rocky].
-up to 2 or 3 constituencies in the QEII corridor[Innisfail, Olds and Lacombe-Ponoka].
– maybe Stony Plain in the Edmonton area.
– and up to 2 constituencies in south Alberta [Cardston and Little Bow].
So the balance in the Legislature will be held by the 15 Wildrose Alliance [Reformist] MLA’s.
workeradvocate, what PC cabinet ministers are vulnerable?
This stick swinging, bible toting, egotistic snake oil salesman must go. Mr. benito only apologized because he got caught!
Mr. Benito profusely apologizes for what he called “a misunderstanding” – that what he meant by “donating all his MLA salary” is really “donating only 1 year salary”. And that he is a “rookie” in these matters.
He dealt with real estate contracts and he should be familiar with contract “wordings”, whether legal or moral contracts.
There is no such thing as a “rookie” in honesty – it’s either you got it, or you don’t. We don’t need this type of “third world politics” in Alberta!
[…] Edmonton Mill Woods Liberals The Liberal Party will nominate its first candidate for the next election on October 2 in Edmonton-Mill Woods. According to an email from constituency President Paula Stein last week, former MLA Weslyn Mather is the only candidate to have declared their intention to seek the nomination. The Liberals held Mill Woods under MLA Don Massey from 1993 to 2004 and under Mrs. Mather from 2004 until 2008, when she was defeated by PC candidate Carl Benito. Since becoming MLA, Mr. Benito has become the centre of controversy after he reneged on his election promise to donate his entire salary to a scholarship fund. The Liberals have placed Mill Woods in their key target constituencies in the next election and recently flooded the constituency with volunteers to remind voters of Mr. Benito’s promise. […]