Former Justice Minister Alison Redford won a surprise victory today to become leader of Alberta’s Progressive Conservative Party and Premier-designate of Alberta. Ms. Redford, first elected as the MLA for Calgary-Elbow in 2008 (a constituency previously represented by Premier Ralph Klein), defeated long-time frontrunner Gary Mar to become Alberta’s next Premier.
RESULTS
First Ballot Results (from September 17, 2011)
Tonight
Second Ballot
Gary Mar: 33,175
Alison Redford: 28,923
Doug Horner: 15,557
Third Ballot
Alison Redford: 37,104
Gary Mar: 35,491
21 replies on “alison redford is alberta’s new premier.”
Ahh, what a breath of fresh air! Her experience to date as a cabinet minister and MLA “was an experience where many decisions were not made around the cabinet table and where a number of issues were brought forward to cabinet that had already been decided,” said Ms. Redford. Cabinet ministers also shut caucus out of some decisions, she said. “I don’t believe that’s leadership.”
What welcome change Alison’s leaderhip will bring this tired old PC party!
Alison meet Harry (Strom, that is). Your best chance is to call an election immediately before the province finds out you are a Joe Clark orange Tory.
There is an old political saying: “Neve hang your hat on the bedpost of someone without favour.” Looks like there will be a night of “gnashing of teeth” amongst cabinet members and ultimately some personal decisions need to be make amongst those who “hung their hat” on the wrong “bedpost” before those decisions are make for them by the new premier. Let the “sucking up” begin.
There is an old political saying: “Never hang your hat on the bedpost of someone without favour.” Looks like there will be a night of “gnashing of teeth” amongst cabinet members and ultimately some personal decisions need to be made amongst those who “hung their hat” on the wrong “bedpost” before those decisions are make for them by the new premier. Let the “sucking up” begin.
Holy smokes! All of those fat cats lined up for a cabinet position are left holding the bag. I guess comments supporting private health are and accepting large amounts of “transition allowance” just doesn’t go over well with voters.
The next election is going to be more than interesting. It will be hers to win if she is strong enough to make a whole host of changes in terms of legislation/policy and in terms of how “things are done”. It is probably a good bet that the AB Party people will now move in to the PC tent permanently as their own party is going nowhere. (rather a fitting end for a group of people who chose to do a hostile takeover of an existing party (the AB Party) rather than start & build their own. Much of her support came from people who would likely have supported the AB Party/Liberals in the next election. The PCs simply were not taking notes as to how Nenshi won Calgary and didn’t see the tsunami building. The Liberal party (supporters) – even with Sherman – is likely to basically fold or become irrelevant now as well. The Twitter generation had best be cautious about what they wish for and more particularly, why.
Looking back at July 14, not many people saw this coming. Let’s see who she picks for cabinet. That will be telling.
Well, looks like we now have a new Liberal party and leader in Alberta. Or at least that is what the PC’s have become or would be in any other province.
Sherman’s Liberals are irrelevant, the PC Liberals now rule from the left.
Only right of center left is the Wildrose.
Interesting times ahead.
Completely wrong. Alison is a self professed conservative. Everyboyd is getting caught up in the hysteria, trust me it will be short lived. Unless Alison exorcises the tory party and gets ride of dozens of useless entrenched, establishment old boys, she is NOT serious about change. The Libs. have lots of work to do to keep these Tories accountable.
The AB party has every reason to fold and become a non-entity. The Liberals will now stand to gain new ridings, as Alison may cleanup the Tory party. Lots of Red Tories will consider going to the ALP party. Right wing vote and mysogenists will goto WRA or vote for Dr. Sherman. The cat fights will be too much for Southern Albertans to stomach. The mysogenists will vote for ALP Sherman, as will many Red Tories. Alison’s spot light will be short lived in a fractured caucus that anyone can drive a truck right through.
Alberta politics just became a lot more chaotic. Many Albertans hate that feeling of uncertainty, I’ll bet they are confused now on what to think or do.
Rural voters are going to look at Redford carefully, and there may be reasons why they might not choose like her – she’s city, they’re not seeing down-to-earth. She has some positions that are nuanced, she is not easy to categorize, but liberal has come out. She has been called a liberal, that is definitely not a vote getter for the most part in rural areas. In the north, she is seen as a southerner. And some conservative-reformers don’t always like the Wild Rose, seen as not big league or ready for prime time – full of Tories of a kind that remind them why they hate the PCs.
Interesting times.
The only logical explanation for why Redford joined and ran for the dinosaur Conservative Party and hasn’t defected is because she is one. A leopard doesn’t change its spots.
She and her handlers can paint her as progressive all they want but the real proof will be in the pudding in 4 years time (remember the “kinder, gentler Stelmach?). ie. If she’s a more centrist, Lougheed Tory, then why isn’t she supporting the tar sands slow-down he’s been calling for?
The right-left bickering in the Tory tent is likely a phony or temporary one and now you’ll see why Conservatives — both nationally and federally — know how to win elections. They stand together when the count is down and never break that sacred rule.
As for Sherman and Mason, they need to find the chink in the armor and show Redford and the Tory oil boys who rule it for the right – wingers they are and hound on that until the cows come home over PUBLIC HEALTHCARE above all. But they’ll only be successful if they take a page from the Tories and show a united front by working together. And what are the chances of that???
Private’s “Alison meet Harry (Strom that is…” is so lame as to be absurd. Obviously haven’t bothered to read her profile and experience record. At 46 and a world wise urbanite, she couldn’t be more different to the old uneducated rural hicks who have run the show for too long.
And John’s ” Only right of center left is the Wildrose” is just too funny. Wildrose will get the red neck grey hair and blue rinse set, but are Alberta dinosaurs who live in a dream world of ” Whatever it is, I’, ag’in it”.
Redford is not afraid of change and real leadership. Her views occupy a centrist prespective. If she axes some of the deadwood and backstabbers, she can carry the day.
[…] Daveberta, a local blogger, has the complete results on his site. Share this: […]
Redford might not be afraid of “real” leadership and want to “axe some of the deadwood,” but you can be sure that the party’s backroom boys are and won’t let it happen any time soon, any more than they let Stelmach carry through with the core of his already weak oil royalty reforms.
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[…] Minister and human rights lawyer Alison Redford defied critics, but not readers of this blog, by defeating front-runner Gary Mar in the PC leadership contest. Ms. Redford will become Alberta’s first […]
She need to call a real election now. She should not be the next premier untill the public can vote. This the same old BS the pc do to us. they knew they would not win a real public election so Ed steps down and a new face giving the party what they want and giving money to all the big groups. |Then call a election and win and cut all the money back out all the groups. Then she will step down and the pc party ( not the people of Alberta) will elect a new premier. this is just the same as how we got stuck with Ed
The worst mistake Redford could make is inviting Ted Morton into cabinet. This guy is simply bad news. He will stand against any progressive legislation, campaign against gays and lesbians, stall pension reform that benefits the ordinary citizen… He is just a poor right wing idealogue who believes his PhD makes him the brighest kid in the province. His loyalty is with Harper and the extreme right wing Alberta conseravatives in Ottawa not with the progressive ones in Alberta
Inviting Morton into Cabinet is the worst mistake?
My how things change….
[…] Premier Redford’s political acumen or capability. Having only become Premier of Alberta eight months ago, she has hardly had an opportunity to demonstrate leadership on the national […]