Toasting the success of their open membership program, the Alberta Liberals have announced that over the course of the past few months, their party has signed up 15,500 “supporters” to participate in their upcoming leadership contest. These supporters do not have to purchase memberships (of which the Liberals claim to have 3,500 paid members) and can vote in the party’s leadership by providing their name and contact information.
Opening participation in leadership contests to a primary style vote is a positive move, and one that will remove the element of elitism from the party leader selection process.
Candidates in the leadership contest include former Tory MLA Raj Sherman, Liberal MLAs Laurie Blakeman and Hugh MacDonald, and Calgarians Bill Harvey and Bruce Payne.
The challenge that remains is actually engaging these “supporters” to participate in the actual vote and the party process beyond that. The Wildrose Party has around 25,000 paid members and the Progressive Conservatives are expected to grow their membership to over 150,000 paid membership by September.
Focusing on their leadership challenges since the announced departure of their leader David Swann, the Liberals have fallen behind the Wildrose and PCs in nominating candidates for the next provincial election. The Liberals currently have 13 candidates nominated. The Wildrose nominated their 44th candidate this week (Mike Blanchard in Calgary-Buffalo).
Good intentions aside, it feels like the move by the Liberals to open their leadership selection process feels like it may have come an election too late. After being decimated in the 2008 election, the Liberal Party has shown negative momentum in Alberta with their federal cousins drawing only 9% of the province-wide vote in May 2011 and a recent Environics survey showing the Liberals with only 13% province-wide and 19% in their former strong-hold of Edmonton.
5 replies on “alberta liberals boast boost in supporters.”
“Decimated in the 2008 election”?
I don’t know.
Seems to me that the Alberta Liberals are running the Province today – albeit in the “sheep’s clothing” of the PC Party of Alberta.
I mean – aside from Ted Morton is there one leadership candidate who could actually be considered to be on the right side of Laurence Decore?
Ingenious, really.
And all the more impressive when they continue to run their “shadow” Liberal party to deflect any suspicions over what’s actually going on.
Most conservatives aren’t even aware it’s happened.
Well played, Alberta Liberals, well played indeed.
@Rob H. There is nothing Liberal in the PC party, not esp. not the people. They may seem like Libs because they are pandering to special interests and unions, but that is just an ethical foible and should not be confused for people who are a part of the Liberal Party.
The only way what you say is true, is if those “shadow Liberals” punt these mental midget PC buffoons on their heads, election day and elect the Liberals to a super majority, that would be the only thing that shows that a shadow party exists. Enough of the conspiracies.
Besides, Conservatives are unethical now, they give welfare to the rich, rob from seniors, students and anything that invovles taking care of human beings, want to build prisons, not fix anything and generally label any type of media that builds human awareness as “liberal or socialist”. Its neither “Liberal or Socialist” when it comes to speaking the truth.
Requiring people to pay $5.00 for a party membership in order to vote for party leader is elitist?
If leadership elections are elitist I don’t think it’s a $5.00 membership that makes them elitist.
Dave – the musings about the “Federal Cousins” of the ALP and their 9% Federal polling in the last election are silly and you know it. The NDP are connected directly across the Nation between their Federal and Provincial Parties – the ALP has NOTHING to do with the Federal Liberals, sharing 2 commissions (Youth and Seniors) that work quite independently at any rate. In the SE of the Province, it is true that up to 90% of the Federal Liberal Membership also hold Provincial Memberships with the ALP – the ALP Memberships in our Constituencies far exceed the Federal List and have upt to 60% who do NOT support the Federal Liberals. There is a small overlap down here – but the majority of the 35% of Voters in our area who consistently bote ALP (Provincially) do not support the Federal Liberal Party. This could change, as for the Feds there is no place to go but up! as the recent drop in Harper’s numbers indicate, even here in Alberta!
Dave – the musings about the “Federal Cousins” of the ALP and their 9% Federal polling in the last election are silly and you know it. The NDP are connected directly across the Nation between their Federal and Provincial Parties – the ALP has NOTHING to do with the Federal Liberals, sharing 2 commissions (Youth and Seniors) that work quite independently at any rate. In the SE of the Province, it is true that up to 90% of the Federal Liberal Membership also hold Provincial Memberships with the ALP – the ALP Memberships in our Constituencies far exceed the Federal List and have upt to 60% who do NOT support the Federal Liberals. There is a small overlap down here – but the majority of the 35% of Voters in our area who consistently bote ALP (Provincially) do not support the Federal Liberal Party. This could change, as for the Feds there is no place to go but up! as the recent drop in Harper’s numbers indicate, even here in Alberta!