After a bitterly fought provincial election campaign drove a deep rift into Alberta’s conservative movement between the moderate institutional Progressive Conservatives and the ideologically-driven Wildrose Party, a federal by-election in Calgary may be the first real test of how united supporters of the federal Conservative Party supporters are in Alberta.
Calgary-Centre Member of Parliament Lee Richardson announced today that he is leaving Ottawa to become Principal Secretary to PC Premier Alison Redford in Edmonton. Mr. Richardson’s decision will boost Premier Redford’s credentials among federal Conservative supporters, many of whom were openly supportive of Wildrose Party leader Danielle Smith in the recent election.
As a senior political advisor, Mr. Richardson is an old pro. From 1979 to 1983, Mr. Richardson was Chief of Staff to Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed and later served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. In last year’s PC leadership contest, Mr. Richardson supported candidate Rick Orman, who he worked with at the Legislative Assembly before he was first elected as a PC MP in Calgary-Southeast in 1988. He served until his defeat by Reform Party candidate Jan Brown in 1993. He re-entered federal politics as the Conservative MP for Calgary-Centre in 2004.
Triggering a by-election that will occur in the next six months, the contest for the Conservative Party nomination in this constituency could expose some uncomfortable cleavages between moderate and ideologically conservatives in Alberta.
A Twitter account supporting the possible candidacy of right-wing talk show host Ezra Levant was created within a hour of Mr. Richardson’s announcement. Many Albertans may remember Mr. Levant as the Wildrose Party’s biggest cheerleader on his cable news program during the recent provincial election. In 2002, he stepped down as the Canadian Alliance candidate in Calgary-Southwest to allow Stephen Harper to win a seat in the House of Commons.
Also rumoured as a potential candidates are Calgary Alderman John Mar, who has close connections to PC Party organizers, and recent Calgary-Klein Wildrose Party candidate Jeremy Nixon. Mr. Nixon placed second with more than 34% of the vote in the recent election. Although unlikely in my mind, one Conservative supporter emailed me this evening to name former Calgary-Glenmore Wildrose MLA Paul Hinman as a potential candidate.
Of course, the Conservatives could avoid a nasty nomination battle and simply acclaim a candidate, as they did to party organizer Michelle Rempel after cabinet minister Jim Prentice resigned as MP for Calgary-Centre North in 2010.
The Liberals earned respectable second-place votes in this constituency under its former boundaries in the 1990s, but have fallen further behind the Conservatives in recent elections.
In the 2011 federal election, Liberal candidate Jennifer Pollock placed second with 17% of the vote, a full 40% behind Mr. Richardson. Edmontonian parachute candidate Donna Montgomery earned 14% for the NDP.
While some sort of centre-left coalition could place a respectable second in the imminent Calgary-Centre by-election, it seems unlikely that anyone other a Conservative would win this vote.
UPDATE: Mr. Levant has declared he will not seek the nomination. Alderman Mar is considering running for the nomination.
14 replies on “[updated] lee richardson resigns, calgary-centre by-election could be a conservative proxy war.”
That’ll be an interesting by-election.
The possibility of Ezra Levant winning the nomination and consequently the election is plausible and hilarious. While he certainly has all kinds of conservative credentials, I’m having a hard time imagining him having to stick immovably to the party line and not rant and rave on his passion of the day.
While I don’t think he would be well suited to the position of CPC backbencher, his prominence and ego might make him harder for communications staffers to shush and maybe even end up encouraging some more genuine debate in the House.
I’d never vote for him as MP, but I can’t deny that it’d be interesting.
I think that every writer, correspondent and political pundit is secretly hoping that Levant runs—and wins! 😉
Aden, you’re right, except it would be AMAZING.
The recruitment to the Redford Team of a talented Principal Secretary is the real story. It is good to see their capacity building is well under way, as some have said that this is slightly overdue.
Mr. Levant would be tatically shrewd to run for CPC nationally; he needs to do all he can to mask the fragrant bouquet of wild roses which stands as a reminder of his lack of imminent prescience and punditry over fact.
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[…] they don’t just appoint a candidate, as they did when Jim Prentice’s seat opened up. Daveberta has run down the list of possible candidates including, John Mar, Jeremy Nixon, Paul Hinman, and […]
I hope the Liberals or NDP name a decent candidate. While I don’t think either party could win, it’d be a lot more fun of a race if, say, the Liberal ran someone like Dave Brocconier or David Swann.
¨I hope the Liberals or NDP name a decent candidate. While I don’t think either party could win, it’d be a lot more fun of a race if, say, the Liberal ran someone like Dave Brocconier or David Swann.¨
Not David Swann, he just won re-election to the Alberta legislature.
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Just attended a NDP BY-Election workshop in Calgary for the upcoming Calgary-Centre.
200 people showed up… in Calgary – I couldn’t believe it. This is by far the most NDP momentum I’ve ever seen in my 10 years in Calgary.
With a strong candidate the NDP have got some legs here – it will be a good opportunity for progressives to send a message to Ottawa. The nation will be watching.
This is WAR for Calgary Center … Joan Crockett … The Senior Editor of the Calgary Herald that stood her ground and Now holds the record for causing the Heralds Wild Cat Strike …. Politicians are supposed to help people along, with Wild Cat Joan we know she will hold party lines at any cost, will she defend you? Will she just be cold? Our Ridding needs someone that Can work with people … I know that person to be Greg McLean He can work in the “Grey Areas” .. I do not know Wild Cat Joan … but I do know her track record … FOR CALGARY CENTER please Vote for Greg McLean … Well Spoken, Well Mannered, Well Read. He has been a Member and Board Member of Calgary Center for century’s. He has served under a prominent MP He knows his way around .. This is his first time Running … Vote For Greg McLean For Calgary Center
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Thanks Llano. Appreciate your input.