By: Scooter M. Rock
Political reporter with the Calgary Gazette Tribune:
CALGARY- More than twenty MLAs have now pledged their support to former federal cabinet minister Jim Prentice’s campaign to become leader of Alberta’s Progressive Conservative Party.
Rita Donnelly-McIntyre, Tory MLA for Calgary-Sunny Hills and Associate Minister of Social Media tweeted her support this morning, “@JimPrentice is the man for the job. He has my support 110%. #JimFTW #wewillwin #ByeByeWildrose.”
When asked about Mr. Prentice’s lack of platform or policy positions, Michael Rowe, Tory MLA for Edmonton-Rabbit Hill said he admired his open approach to the campaign.
“With Jim Prentice, the opportunities are wide open,” said Rowe. “By having no platform or policies or making any public statements or speaking to the media, those mean Wildrose MLAs can’t accuse him of breaking his promises. It’s a genius political strategy.”
PC MLA Clarence Vanhecke, who has represented southern Alberta’s Badlands-Dinosaur Valley riding since 1975, said that Prentice could bring some fresh air to the PC Party.
“It’s stuffy in here,” said Vanhecke. “Jimmy won’t be as uppity as our last leader, at least I hope he won’t. I don’t really know. Maybe he will bring back some of that good old fashion Alberta common sense?”
“I don’t really know what he stands for, but in the meantime, he has my support,” said Vanhecke. “The rest of caucus is supporting him, so he must be good, right?”
Members of Alberta’s Progressive Conservative Party will select a new leader in September 2014.
3 replies on “Three more PC MLAs throw their support behind Jim Prentice”
By supporting a person for any party with out a ‘platform’ or direction, People are signing a blank Cheque on there democratic freedoms.
Dave, good one. Though it does seem to mirror real life in the PC Party.
I think Mr. Prentice is a good man. But he is naive if he thinks he can change the culture of entitlement and corruption. It is deeply entrenched and it will change him. We have one of the 3 largest energy reserves in the world, but for some reason we sell our oil so low and collect so little royalty like its a 24 hour fire sale. Even what paltry cash we care to get from oil we still can balance the books, or properly fund education or fix healthcare. Can Prentice fix this? Either he is naive or he is just going to say what he has to say because it is the spirit of the time. With the revenue we generate in Alberta, by now we should have been a technological and innovation powerhouse of the world. When the oil finishes, we have no lasting legacy, just abandoned industrial infrastructure, quiet roads and empty stores and neighbourhoods.