Another Progressive Conservative MLA is about to jump into the federal arena. Edmonton-McClung PC MLA David Xiao will announce this week that he will seek the Conservative Party nomination in Edmonton-West.
An email circulated to Conservative supporters in Edmonton says that Mr. Xiao will make the announcement at 10 a.m on Tuesday March 4th, 2014 at the Edmonton Glenora Club. The email included a pamphlet with endorsements from former premier Ed Stelmach, former mayor Stephen Mandel, former cabinet minister Ted Morton and current cabinet ministers Jonathan Denis and Manmeet Bhullar.
After failing to secure the Conservative nomination in Edmonton-Centre in advance of the 2004 election, Mr. Xiao unseated Liberal MLA Mo Elsalhy in 2008. He defeated Mr. Elsalhy in a rematch in the 2012 election. Mr. Xiao has been criticized for claiming extravegant travel expenses, which were $35,000 in 2012.
Mr. Xiao is the third MLA to jump into federal politics.
Calgary-Foothills PC MLA Len Webber is seeking the Conservative nomination in Calgary-Confederation.
Liberal MLA Darshan Kang announced he will seek the Liberal Party nomination in the new Calgary-Skyview riding. One of five Liberals in the Assembly, Mr. Kang is currently serving his second term representing Calgary-McCall.
4 replies on “Another PC MLA abandons Redford for the Harper Tories”
I think Xiao jumping ship because he saw that the per diems are much higher in federal politics
No loss to Edmonton, provincially, with Xiao moving on. The only notable thing he ever did was run up outrageous expenses, that would anyone with a conscience blush.
Let’s hope he faces some serious opposition federally. My hope is that Alberta can can get out of the rut of running (‘bales of hay’ as the late Bill Matheson used to say) with a PC ticket attached and they still get elected, regardless of their abilities. 🙁
Look forward to your 2015 byelection coverage Dave. Should provide a good way to evaluate the polling we’ve seen the past few months suggesting these are the last days of the PCAA empire.
[…] Edmonton-West Edmonton Police Constable Brad Rutherford has entered the Conservative nomination race in this new riding. He will face Edmonton-McClung PC MLA David Xiao, who announced his candidacy in March. […]