Sources tell me that Battle River-Wainwright MLA Doug Griffiths is expected to announce his entry into the Progressive Conservative Party leadership contest at 10:30am tomorrow morning at Mackay Avenue School in Edmonton.
Mr. Griffiths, currently the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Finance, was first elected to the Assembly in 2002, and at the age of 38 will be the youngest candidate in the contest. In 2010, he released his first book based on a popular speech, 13 Ways to Kill Your Community.
An avid social media user, Mr. Griffiths placed very well among readers of this blog in the first PC leadership poll in January. Known for his open-minded approach and discussing policy areas that that are not the most popular among his party’s establishment, like the potential for a Provincial Sales Tax, Mr. Griffiths is well positioned to tell PC Party members things that they may not like to hear, but need to discuss in order to renew as they approach 40 years in government. After Premier Ed Stelmach announced his resignation, a group of anonymous PC Party members started an online campaign to recruit Mr. Griffiths to join the leadership race.
Mr. Griffiths would be the third candidate to enter the contest, following Foothills-Rockyview MLA Ted Morton and Spruce Grove-Sturgeon-St. Albert MLA Doug Horner.
Mr. McKeen has been coy about his political future following his unsuccessful City Council bid against Councillor Tony Caterina in October 2010 and sources tell me that Mr. McKeen may be the first candidate to enter the Liberal Party’s yet to begin leadership contest.
Coincidental to these rumours is the new job of Mr. McKeen’s Council campaign manager Brian Leadbetter, who will become the Director of Communications for the Liberal Caucus this week.
As a seasoned civic affairs columnist and long-time journalist, I thought that he would have been a good City Councillor, but Leader of the Official Opposition in Alberta is a completely different ballgame. That party desperately needs new blood and Mr. McKeen would be an interesting choice if these rumours end up being true.
Almost two weeks after leader David Swann announced that the would not lead his party into the next election, the contest to replace him remains quiet with only speculation about who may stand. Despite its dysfunctionalities, there are a few political perks to becoming leader of the Liberal Party in Alberta. That party’s new leader will be, at least until the next election or massive round of floor-crossings, the Leader of the Official Opposition.
MLA Hugh MacDonald at the December 2010 healthcare rally at the Legislature.
Meanwhile, three of the province’s eight Liberal MLAs are also said to be testing the waters for their own leadership bids – Edmonton-Gold Bar MLA Hugh MacDonald, Edmonton-Centre MLA Laurie Blakeman, and Calgary-Buffalo MLA Kent Hehr.
UPDATE: Mr. McKeen sent me a kind email this morning stating that “No, I’m not running for Liberal leadership. Not considering it. Nor will I.”
Readers may remember the heartbreaking story of the death of Michelle Krsek, a three-year old who was killed by a falling piece of sheet metal at the base of the Calgary Tower in August 2009. In the resulting court case, the companies responsible, Flynn Canada and Germain Residences pleaded guilty and were charged with a maximum $15,000 fine under the Safety Codes Act. The judge who levied the maximum $15,000 fine described the penalty as “woefully inadequate.” That is an understatement.
Municipal Affairs Minister Hector Goudreau
I was pleased to read yesterday that Municipal Affairs Minister Hector Goudreau also believes that the fines are too low. Speaking to the Calgary Herald, Minister Goudreau anticipated that he would be able to make recommendations to his colleagues to have much larger fines. As a deterrent and penalty for individuals and corporations breaking provincial laws, fines need to reflect current monetary value.
In this case, the section of the Safety Codes Act listing maximum fines for offences has not been updated since 1991. Section 68(1)(a) of the Act prescribes a person guilty of a first time violation of the code a fine no more than $15,000 and in case of a continuing offense, a further fine of not more than $1000 each day during which the offense continues or imprisonment not exceeding 6 months. For a second offense, the fine is limited to $30,000 and $2000 a day for continuing offense or 12 months in prison.
Although the threat of a prison sentence should be a stiff enough deterrent for most, the pathetically small maximum fines listed in this Act do not reflect twenty years of monetary inflation.
The Safety Codes Act is not the only law in which maximum monetary fines should probably be updated. The Pipeline Act was amended in 1981 to increase fines to not more than $10,000 for a corporation or not more than $5000 for individuals. In the penalties section of the Oilsands Conservation Act which was amended in 1983, offending corporations are liable for fines of not more than $5000. Amended in 1980, the Coal Conservation Act limits fines to not less than $300 and not more than $1000. Even under the Marriage Act, a person who unlawfully performs a marriage is liable to a fine of only $1000, which was amended in 1983.
These are only a few examples of fines that would not provide a very good financial deterrent or punishment for say, an offending corporation like Statoil, which is facing offences against the more stringent Water Act.
More recent laws and amendments have given the government an opportunity to set maximum fines that are more reflective of current realities. The Waste Control Regulation Regulation under the Environmental Proection and Enhancement Act, amended in 2005, hands out fines of no more than $500,000 to offending corporations. The Occupational Health & Safety Act, amended in 2002, lists penalties for a first offense as a maximum fine of $500,000, a further fine of $30,000 for each day the offence continues. The fine is doubled if the offender fails to comply after their first offense. The 2007 Climate Change and Emissions Management Act penalties section hands out fines not more than $1,000,000.
It is time to update our provincial laws so that they include fines and penalty deterrents that are relevant in 2011. It is understandable that government may be hesitant to launch into the large commitment of individually amending and updating each law, so I wonder if it would be possible to introduce an omnibus type of legislation in the Assembly every five year that could update these fines and penalties sections?
New Environics Poll A new Environics Poll shows the PCs with 38% support of decided voters province-wide, compared to 26% for the Wildrose party, 22% for the Liberals, and 10% for the NDP. In Edmonton, the PCs are at 36%, with the Liberals at 27%, Wildrose Alliance at 18%, and NDP at 15%. In Calgary, the PCs are at 34%, the Wildrose Alliance at 31%, the Liberals at 24%, and the NDP at 6%. The poll is also reported to show the PCs sitting at 43% outside of Edmonton and Calgary, compared to 29% for the Wildrose Alliance, 15% for the Liberals, and 9% for the NDP. While these are interesting numbers, I have a difficult time putting to much weight in this poll now that Premier Ed Stelmach and Liberal leader David Swann have announced their resignation.
Will Alison Redford run?
Probably, but not yet. Wildrose MLA Rob Anderson is calling on Justice Minister Alison Redford to meet the requirements set by Premier Stelmach and resign from cabinet if she is planning to seek the leadership of the Progressive Conservative party. Despite hiring campaign strategist Stephen Carter last week, a number of Tory sources have told me that Minister Redford continues to be indecisive about whether or not to run.
The Alberta government's man in Washington DC: Gary Mar.
Mr. Mar leaving Washington? Former cabinet minister and Alberta’s current Washington D.C. representative Gary Mar is said to be preparing a run for his party’s leadership. Earlier this week I tweeted that GaryMar.ca was registered on January 27, 2011, the day that Premier Stelmach announced his resignation. The domain name was registered by Todd Herron, a former Chief Information Officer and Assistant Deputy Minister of Health. Mr. Mar faces the challenge of either returning to Alberta to enter the contest or potentially being replaced as Alberta’s representative when a new party leader is selected in eight months.
A candidate from Coronation?
The online campaign to lure Battle River-Wainwright MLA Doug Griffiths into his party’s leadership contest continues. With Housing Minister Jonathan Denis declaring today via Twitter that he will not enter the contest, the well-spoken and idea-focused Mr. Griffiths could be the only candidate under the age of 45 to enter the contest.
One Taylor enters the Alberta Party race Hinton Mayor Glenn Taylor formally announced his candidacy for the Alberta Party leadership this week. The three-term Mayor and former chair of the Rural Alberta Development Fund made the announcement at the Art Gallery of Alberta and was live streamed over the Internet.
Other Alberta Party candidates? Lisa Fox, stepped down as the federal Green Party candidate in Wild Rose this week telling the Cochrane Eagle that she is considering a run for the Alberta Party leadership. Another candidate based out of Calgary is expected to enter the race in the next few weeks.
The route of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline (image from The Economist).
Keystone XL
To the dread of Alberta’s oil companies and the Public Affairs Bureau, the “Tar Sands” are featured in a recent issue of The Economist. The article describes the proposed Keystone XL pipeline as potentially pumping $20 billion into the American economy and creating $5 billion in taxes to the individual states on the route. The proposed pipeline, which has been a subject of ferocious debate, was opposed by many Congressional Democrats, including Representative Henry Waxman and is publicly supported by 39 Congressional Republicans. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said that he is “inclined” to support the pipeline.
Friends of Medicare tour
Touring with the Friends of Medicare, Independent Edmonton-Meadowlark MLA Raj Sherman has been drawing crowds across the province. At a recent town hall meeting in Red Deer, Dr. Sherman told a packed crowd that solutions to the current crisis in emergency rooms starts with enhancing home care and long-term care for seniors, particularly those in the low and middle income groups. The next town hall meeting will be held in Medicine Hat on February 19, 2011.
Liberals hire new Communications Director Brian Leadbetter has been hired as the new Communications Director for the Official Opposition Liberals. Mr. Leadbetter will fill a vacancy that was created when former Director Neil Mackie had his contract terminated in January. Mr. Leadbetter was the Director of Government & Community Relations for Northlands from 2007 to 2010 and a Senior Communications Director for the City of Edmonton previous to that.
AUPE Re-starts negotiations After reaching an impasse in January, the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees has proposed re-starting their negotiations between their General Services Bargaining Unit and the provincial government. The resignation of Premier Stelmach may have hastened their decision to restart negotiations, especially with the prospects of potentially bargaining with a more ideologically driven government under future Premier Ted Morton.
Social Credit policy renewal Acknowledging that there is room for improvement, the Social Credit Party is inviting Albertans to participate in their policy development process. According to the party website, reasonable, innovative suggestions will be formulated into policy proposals to be presented at the Party Policy Convention on March 26, 2011 in Innisfail.
Marc Power is seeking the NDP nomination in Calgary-North Hill/Klein.
More candidates step up I have updated the list of nominated and declared candidates for the next provincial election (please note the new link) to include Marc Power, who is seeking the Alberta NDP nomination in Calgary-North Hill, which will be known as Calgary-Klein when the election is called. Mr. Power, a software trainer and former co-chair of the NDP LGBT committee, was that party’s 2008 candidate in Calgary-Currie. North Hill is currently represented by PC MLA Kyle Fawcett, who was first elected in 2008.
Federal Edmonton-StrathconaNDP PresidentMarlin Schmidt is seeking his party’s nomination in Edmonton-Gold Bar at a February 24 selection meeting. The constituency has been represented by Liberal MLA Hugh MacDonald since 1997.
UPDATE via Insight into Government Leduc Alderman Dominic Mishio has declared his intentions to seek the PC nomination against two term MLA George Rogers in the new Leduc-Beaumont constituency.
In Edmonton-Riverview, Arif Khan is the first candidate to declare interest in seeking the Liberal nomination to replace retiring MLA Kevin Taft. Mr. Khan is the western Vice-President of the Condo Store Inc. As noted in last week’s Alberta Politics Notes, the NDP are expected to nominate Lori Sigurdson in Riverview.
A packed hockey rink at the Lubicon Cree First Nation.
Like many small rural communities, the recreational options of the young people in the Lubicon Cree community were limited. As we approached the hockey rink on Sunday, we immediately saw with our own eyes the level at which the new hockey rink had been embraced. Imagine a hockey game with fifty or more players on the ice. It was organized chaos. It was absolute fun.
Over the years I have heard about and read the odd article about the Lubicon Cree, but until this weekend I did not have any idea of what their community looked like or the circumstances that have prevented them from achieving Treaty rights over their traditional lands (and I admit to still not completely understanding the intricacies of the situation). In the early 1900s, the Lubicon Cree were among a number of First Nations communities located between the Athabasca River and Peace River which were overlooked by the federal Indian Agents acquiring Treaty signatories. Since that time, the Lubicon and the federal government have failed to successfully complete Treaty negotiations. Because the Lubicon are not signatories to any Treaty, they do not have any rights and do not collect royalties on the rich oil and gas deposits sitting under their traditional land (their community is not a Reservation, but a Hamlet located in Northern Sunrise County).
Some abandoned houses at the Lubicon Lake First Nation.
The lack of Treaty has taken a toll on the quality of life of the Lubicon Cree. I find it amazing that in a rich province like Alberta, we still have impoverished communities like Little Buffalo Lake, which lack the most basis amenities that most Canadians take for granted: running water.
At the moment, there is no running water system or water wells in the community. Clean water is trucked in to the community from Peace River (sometimes infrequently).
The current political situation inside the Lubicon Band presents its own challenges. Speaking with a number of community members yesterday, I was told of a bizarre story of long-time Chief Bernard Ominayak declaring himself Chief-for-Life (which is not allowed). After he delayed the 2009 Council elections, I am told that members of the Lubicon decided to hold the elections on their own in accordance with Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development guidelines.
The vote resulted in the election of new Chief, Steve Noskey. Unfortunately, with accusations of financial irregularities being leveled by some community members against the ousted Chief, the federal government classified the leadership change as an internal leadership dispute and appointed an interim administrator to take responsibility for the housing and tuition funding provided by the federal government (you can read a background of the situation here).
Not immune from controversy of his own, readers may remember Mr. Noskey from his other role as the Chair of Board of Trustees of the Northlands School Division, which was fired by Education Minister Dave Hancock last year.
As most things in politics, I am sure that the truth lies somewhere in the middle of these stories. I am sympathetic to the Lubicon Cree in this situation, because I find it difficult to believe that the appointment of an outside administrator will make life better for the Lubicon. Ottawa does not exactly have a stellar record of making life better for Canada’s First Nations people.
The hockey rink was still full of players when we left Little Buffalo Lake at 11:00p.m.
Back in Edmonton, I live in a downtown condo where my biggest inconvenience is the two days a year when the running water is shut off for maintenance. Instead of feeling guilty about my quality of life, I feel optimistic that, despite complex problems facing us on the streets of our own city and in communities like Little Buffalo Lake, we can work together to build a better future for Canada. As I do my small part in helping build this better future, I will not forget what I saw at the Lubicon Cree First Nation this weekend.
As I write this post, I am sitting on a Greyhound bound for the Peace Country. As the bus drove along our provinces northern highways this morning, through Westlock, Slave Lake, and other communities I was reminded of how absolutely stunning and how diverse our province is.
Mountains, desert, prairies, foothills, and forests can all be found here and even more diverse are the people living in Alberta.
As readers of this blog might know, one of my biggest pet peeved is hearing people stereotype Alberta as “redneck” or “backward.” We may be many things, but we are certainly not “backward.”
As a political person, these thoughts quickly reminded me of a Facebook comment made by my friend Samantha Power about politics, and the opportunities presented to Albertans with the change in political leadership in three of our political parties.
“Politics shouldn’t be a game. It should be an extension of your effort to create the world you believe should exist.”
The majority of Albertans have become accustomed to sitting back and letting political gamesmanship guide the direction of our province’s future. With upcoming changes in political leadership and an election within the next two years, Albertans now have an ideal opportunity to take ownership over, participate in, and help create that world we want to live in. I hope we step up.
A reality check from the Cosh. Colby Cosh has delivered a cynical and un-sensationalist reality check for Albertans getting starry eyed or swept up in a whirlwind of political change. While Alberta’s political landscape may be more unstable than it has been in years, and it is exciting to be part of new emerging parties and movements, it is important to step back and keeping some perspective is key.
Cabinet resignations.
With cabinet ministers expected to resign in order to seek the PC Party leadership, Albertans could witness a series of cabinet shuffles over the coming months. The resignation of Finance Minister Ted Morton and potential resignations of Deputy Premier Doug Horner, Justice Minister Allison Redford, and Housing Minister Jonathan Deniscould put a number of Parliamentary Assistants and backbench MLAs in cabinet positions. I would not be surprised if Greg Weadick, Janice Sarich, Diana McQueen, or Manmeet Bhullar had cabinet experience by the end of 2011.
American scientist resigns from Alberta Water panel. Only days after the new panel to create a new provincial environmental monitoring system was appointed, prominent University of California-Irvine professor Helen Ingram has quit the panel.
According to the Edmonton Journal, Dr. Ingram resigned ‘citing concerns about a lack of scientific and First Nations representation on the panel, and what she saw as an overzealous draft confidentially agreement.’ The panel includes a number of credible scientists and is co-chaired by former TransCanada CEO Hal Kvisle, who has leveled strong criticism against environmental groups.
Budget on February 24.
Premier Ed Stelmach told an audience during speech to the Calgary Chamber of Commerce yesterday that the 2011 provincial budget will be tabled on February 24. The Assembly is scheduled to begin spring session on January 22 with the Speech from the Throne.
PC campaign manager exits.
Not surprisingly, the departure of Premier Ed Stelmach has also led to the departure of PC campaign manager Randy Dawson, who managed the party’s 2008 campaign and had been reappointed to manage their next election campaign.
Hinton Mayor Glenn Taylor expected to run for the Alberta Party leadership.
Taylor versus Taylor? Hinton Mayor Glenn Taylor is expected to launch his campaign for the Alberta Party leadership on February 8 in Edmonton. Mr. Taylor was elected to his third-term as Mayor of Hinton in October 2010. It will be a battle of the Taylor’s if Alberta Party MLA Dave Taylor enters the leadership contest, as some political watchers expect him to.
An awkward place.
What an awkward place the Official Opposition caucus must be this week. Laurie Blakeman is reportedly weighing her options to seeking the leadership of the Alberta Party or the Liberal Party. This news comes the same week as leader David Swann announced his resignation. Ms. Blakeman’s colleague Edmonton-Gold Bar MLA Hugh MacDonald is said to have ambitions for his party’s leadership.
Paramedic Rick Fraser wants to inject himself into the next election as the PC candidate in Calgary-Hays.
Ms. Sigurdson is the Professional Affairs Coordinator for the Alberta College of Social Workers and previously worked for former NDP leader Ray Martin when he was the MLA for Edmonton-Norwood. That constituency has been represented by Liberal MLA Kevin Taft since 2001, who was re-elected in 2008 with 50% of the vote. Dr. Taft is not be seeking re-election. The Wildrose Alliance has nominated John Corie as their candidate.
Calgary Paramedic Rick Fraser is seeking the PC nomination in Calgary-Hays. The constituency is currently represented by PC MLA Art Johnston, who was first elected in 2004 and re-elected in 2008 with 54% of the vote. Former Libertarian Party of Canada leader Dennis Young is seeking the Wildrose Alliance nomination in that constituency.
A late evening tweet from Progressive Conservative Party President Bill Smith was the first official announcement that Premier Ed Stelmach would formally resign as leader of his party in September 2011. The Premier announced his intentions to resign last week, but did not specify an exact date.
September 2011 is a milestone year for the PCs. On September 10, 1971, Peter Lougheed was sworn in as his party’s first Premier in Alberta and the PC has kept that line partisan-pure ever since. I imagine that party members has mixed feelings about the date. On one hand, forty years of majority governments is an impressive achievement for any political party. On the other hand, it is also risky to draw too much attention to this kind of longevity when a thirst for political change is in the air.
I am sure that many PCs wish their fortieth anniversary as government to be an occasion to celebrate a fresh new face as the leader. Some PC members have started an online campaign to recruit the outspoken 30-something MLA Doug Griffiths, but so far the only candidate to officially announce he is running for that party’s leadership is 61-year old former Finance Minister Ted Morton. Current Deputy Premier Doug Horner, son of Premier Lougheed’s Deputy Premier Hugh Horner, is expected to enter the PC leadership contest in the next few days.
The Tories are not the only party seeking a new leader. With both the Alberta Party and Liberal Party also looking for new leaders in 2011, there is a lot of opportunity for the PCs fortieth anniversary to be much more interesting than anyone could have imagined.
UPDATE: The Edmonton Journal’s Paula Simons is reporting that Edmonton-Centre MLA Laurie Blakeman is weighing her options at running for either the Alberta Party or Liberal Party leadership.
After a tumultuous two years as leader of Alberta’s Liberal Party, Calgary-Mountain View MLA David Swann announced that he will not lead his party into the next election, and that he will formally submit his resignation after the Spring Session of the Alberta Legislature.
Dr. Swann is a good person and one of the kindest souls in provincial politics. Realistically, he never stood a chance as his party’s leader despite these qualities. It would be easy to blame the dismal state of the Liberal Party on the outgoing leader, but there is a greater responsibility belonging to members of a party establishment who played a central role in creating a dysfunctional political culture.
Starting with the quick leadership contest after the party’s devastating result in the 2008 election, the party establishment opted for political expediency, rather than taking advantage of an opportunity to reflect on the party’s future and heal internal rifts. This expediency effectively eliminated any opportunity that the party had to attract potential outside candidates for leader, limiting the pool to a handful of current and former MLAs.
Dr. Swann took the leader’s chair with a mandate for change and quickly discovered that this desire for change was not shared by some MLAs and many in his party. The Party establishment’s strong connections to the federal Liberal Party and its unhealthy obsession with their party’s past successes are just two of the many psychological barriers that Dr. Swann would have immediately faced in his job.
You do not have to spend much time inside the Liberal Party to become aware of how iconized their successes in the 1993 election are. As many Albertans will remember, that election saw former Edmonton Mayor Laurence Decore lead the Liberals to their best showing in decades. The establishment Liberal motto against large-scale change within their party – especially a name change – has centered around the 1993 vote. “We won 32 seats under Decore and we can do it again,” is something that I have heard countless times.
Dr. Swann faced an establishment of Liberal stalwarts who could not fathom the concept of moving away from their beloved party identity (and it really is their identity). By wrapping themselves in their party identity, the party establishment always knew they were right, even when they lost. Dr. Swann challenged this identity when he tried to change the party’s name and when he offered to cooperate with other parties.
With near religious vigor, the Liberal establishment has sought the perfect leader, and when their chosen one has not succeeded in the monumental task of defeating the strongest Progressive Conservative organization in Canada, they are undermined from within or simply driven out. Nick Taylor, Mr. Decore, Grant Mitchell, Nancy MacBeth, Ken Nicol, Kevin Taft, and now Dr. Swann all faced these internal divisions and saw their leadership undermined by the party establishment and their fellow MLAs because they could not appease it.
A quick change of leader may appear to be an easy fix, but the departure of Dr. Swann will not solve the internal problems that have created this dysfunctional political culture.
After being elbowed to the sideline by the growing narrative of the Wildrose Alliance as the next government-in-waiting, and the growth of the new Alberta Party, the Liberal Party’s biggest challenge in 2011 is to be relevant. The Liberals jumped too quickly to choose a new leader a year after the last election. Now they are stuck in the polls with a resigning leader one year before the next election.
UPDATE: The Edmonton Journal’s Paula Simons is reporting that Edmonton-Centre MLA Laurie Blakeman is weighing her options at running for either the Alberta Party or Liberal Party leadership. Meanwhile, Edmonton-Gold Bar MLA Hugh MacDonald has taken the position that “The Alberta Liberal party was good enough for Laurence Decore, Bettie Hewes and Sheldon Chumir, and it’s good enough for me.”
As predicted last night, Liberal leader David Swannannounced his resignation as party this morning in Edmonton. Dr. Swann will remain leader until the end of the Spring Session, when he will formally submit his resignation to the Liberal Party.
David Swann's wife, Laureen, and his son stand by his side as he announces his resignation as Liberal Party leader.The Press Gallery media room was packed for David Swann's resignation announcement.
I have a number of thoughts on Dr. Swann and how his resignation announcement will not solve the problems facing the Liberal Party. I also have a day job, so those thoughts will have to wait until this evening. What do you think?
After reportedly consulting party officials about his future this past weekend, Dr. Swann is expected to officially announce his resignation to the eight MLA Liberal caucus at a 10:00am meeting tomorrow morning.
One Liberal source told me tonight told me that Dr. Swann is expected to make his announcement public at an 11:30am media conference tomorrow morning at the Alberta Legislature Building. He is expected to announce that he will remain as leader until the end of the Spring Session, when a leadership contest will start or interim leader could be appointed.
I am told that Lethbridge-East Liberal MLA Bridget Pastoor was shocked to learn with short notice of Dr. Swann’s intentions to announce his resignation only days before a scheduled Caucus outreach tour and major fundraising dinner in Lethbridge.
Dr. Swann was elected leader in December 2008, replacing Edmonton-Riverview MLA Kevin Taft as Leader of the Official Opposition. Under the well-meaning and soft-spoken Dr. Swann, the Liberals have faced a number of problems in the form of resignations, internal party divisions, and which have manifested itself into some substantial external communications challenges, which have all been magnified as that party fell to third place behind the Wildrose Alliance in public opinion polls.
Sources tell me that Edmonton-Gold Bar MLA Hugh MacDonald is likely to seek the Liberal Party leadership.
Happier times in the PC Caucus when Ted Morton and Dave Hancock held hands and sang Kumbaya.
Former Finance Minister Ted Morton believes that he is the best person to bring conservatives back to the PC “mothership,” but that is not stopping the speculation of who will challenge him in the contest to fill his party’s top job.
Stelmach’s McGarry
Rarely in the spotlight, Premier Ed Stelmach‘s Chief of Staff Ron Glenspoke with the Calgary Herald about his boss’ resignation announcement and the politics of the past week.
Vote a vote for Jim in 2011? Completely ruling out returning to politics when asked last Tuesday, former Finance Minister and 2006 PC leadership contest front-runner Jim Dinning was less committal later in the week. Many Tories I have spoken with in the past week tell me that while they would love Mr. Dinning to return to politics, that they believe it is unlikely that the University of Calgary Chancellor will seek his party’s leadership.
Two more candidates? Edmonton-Leduc Conservative MP James Rajotte is said to be considering a bid for the PC leadership. First elected as a Canadian Alliance MP for Edmonton-Southwest in 2000, Mr. Rajotte . He was the Ottawa roommate of Rahim Jaffer in the 1990s, when he worked as the legislative assistant for Edmonton-Strathcona MP Hugh Hanrahan and Surrey-North MP Margaret Bridgeman, and later as executive assistant to Edmonton MP Ian McClelland. Mr. Rajotte is currently the chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance.
First elected as the MLA for Edmonton-Whitemud in 1997, Minister Dave Hancock placed fifth out of eight candidates with 7,595 votes on the first ballot of his party’s 2006 leadership contest. He endorsed Premier Stelmach on the second ballot. Minister Hancock has served as Minister of Justice, Health, Advanced Education, and Education (among others) and has been a PC Party insider since serving as Youth President in the 1970s.
In his current role as Education Minister, Hancock encouraged Trustees, parents, administrators, and others to think big about the future of the education system. This process had encouraged good among education system participants until recently, when the government attempted to renegotiate an already agreed upon contract with Alberta’s teachers.
The right time for Griffiths?
A leadership bid by Battle River-Wainwright MLA Doug Griffiths is not only gaining support in internet polls. Metro Calgary columnist DJ Kelly wrote a column last week suggesting that the outspoken and insightful Mr. Griffiths might be the best candidate for the job.
Benitomania or Benitolution? Tongue in cheek campaign or the next big political shift? Paula Simonsexamines the political career of Edmonton-Mill Woods PC MLA Carl Benito and the recent online chatter about him.
Dr. Raj Sherman, Dr. David Swann, and David Eggen. Photo via @jbsno1.
Only days after announcing that he would remain an Independent MLA in the upcoming Spring Sitting of the Assembly, the Liberals continue to court former PC MLA Dr. Raj Sherman. The day before the first stop of a province-wide Friends of Medicare tour which Dr. Sherman is a keynote speaker, the Liberal Caucus distributed a media release suggesting that the it was a joint appearance of the Independent MLA and Liberal leader Dr. David Swann (Dr. Swann was front and centre at the town hall meeting held in his constituency of Calgary-Mountain View).
After experiencing a year of dismal political fortunes in 2010, the Liberals would love Dr. Sherman to join their eight MLA Official Opposition Caucus, especially at the expense of the new Alberta Party, which gained its first MLA last week. Regardless of Dr. Sherman’s political arrangement in the coming months, focusing on health care could be a smart strategy for the Liberals in 2011.
Adding to the peculiarity to the situation is Friends of Medicare’s effective voice, David Eggen, who is a former NDP MLA and that party’s nominated candidate in Edmonton-Calder. Staff at the NDP Caucus have invited almost 400 of their supporters to join a Facebook Page urging the Good Doctor Sherman to join their ranks. This is the NDP’s second attempt at creating a Facebook movement to recruit the Independent MLA into their two MLA Caucus.
All-Party debate on health care Wildrose Alliance leader Danielle Smith accepted a challenge by Dr. Sherman to participate in an all-party leaders debate on health care. As a columnist with the Calgary Herald, Ms. Smith wrote in support of changes implemented by former Health Minister Ron Liepert and as her party’s leader supported the bankrupt private-for-profit Health Resource Centre.
It might be a difficult debate to arrange anytime soon due to the Progressive Conservatives and Alberta Party each being in a period without permanent leaders.
No-win for David Swann
The Edmonton Journal’s Graham Thomson wrote a column on the no-win situation facing Dr. Swann and its similarity to that of the Premier.
“Talk to a Tory MLA about Stelmach and you hear about a decent, honest and intelligent man who is awkward, uncharismatic and a political disappointment. It’s like talking to a Liberal MLA about Swann.”
Meanwhile, in non-Ed Stelmach or Ted Morton resignation news, Medicine Hat Conservative MP Lavar Payne and Alderman Jeremy Thompson comment on the bizarre story of an unmanned aircraft falling out of the sky, the effects it is having on the local economy, and Ottawa’s slow response.
After two days of voting, the results have been tallied in the first poll asking readers of this blog who they thought should replace Premier Ed Stelmach as leader of Alberta’s PC Party. Thank you to the 813 readers who voted in this online poll.
Some people might be surprised by the strength of Battle River-Wainwright MLA Doug Griffiths in this poll, but as the PC MLA with the highest personal online profile it is not surprising that online political watchers would support the idea of him as the next PC leader (or as a friend said this week, “he would be the first PC leader who actually understands 21st century communications”). As a moderate Tory, Justice Minister Alison Redford would have some natural appeal to readers of this blog. As for Edmonton-Mill Woods MLA Carl Benito‘s support, I imagine that it was his unique position on tuition and property taxes that earned him those 76 votes.
Here is the breakdown of the results.
Who should PC Party members vote to replace Premier Ed Stelmach in their upcoming leadership contest?
