In somewhat of a surprise victory, Alison Redford has won the leadership of the Alberta PC Party and will now be the Premier of the province.
Alberta voters now have a clear choice to make in the next provincial election:
- Spendaholic, unaccountable same old, same old “progressive” policies under Redford
- Responsible conservative policies under Danielle Smith
Let’s hope they make the right choice!
Agreed.
Could not believe it. The lady who promised endless spending to solve all problems won. We got rid of tax and spend Eddie and get worse thanks to all the Liberals and Socialists recruited by Redford. The party was hijacked. But only until Spring when the election is promised.
I think this result will please Danielle Smith, and if it leads to a real conservative party becoming the Government of Alberta, so be it. I don’t agree with everything the Wildrose Alliance stands for, but it’s certainly right of the current crop.
Redford has stated she’d fix the education problem in her first 10 days as Premier. This has me thinking she’s going to spend big bucks right away. Nothing like money to keep your problems at bay.. until the next generation has to pay for it.
What is it with the incumbent gubmints in BC and Alberta, with their career politicians turning hard left, and promoting leftard females, who promise the world to them?
What damn disease has infiltrated politicians who once were right? Or have the CINOs finally been uncloaked for the turds they really are?
In BC, the new logo and theme is “Team Christy!”
Peeyooooooooooooo
And Alberta is heading the same way. But, I’m jealous, they have a legitimate, and strong rightwing alternative. In BC, that alternative is being excoriated for having some members who are Christians (thanks Tsukamis! The NDP is NOT AN OPTION!)
I might have lost my BC drivers licence but never
my old Alberta one, time to go back and throw down
a vote.
sign me tired of mixed nuts and fruit flies in BC
Wild rose I’m counting on you.
d
The NDP supporters are dancing in the streets today. Hundreds of them bought PC memberships and now their girl is premier. Talk about taking power through the back door. Of course, it will backfire on them when many of their supporters abandon the NDP to hang on to power the only way that they can manage it. and the NDP disappears in the next election. Will Rachel Notley be able to hang on to Strathcona? By this time next year the PCs 30 year run will be over and Wildrose will be in power.
With Redford’s victory, gone is the big-tent “consensus” of the PC Party.
Welcome to a political landscape that is fragmented, for the foreseeable future at least:
Urban vs. rural, north vs. south, left vs. right, polarization will be the new tone of Alberta politics.
On the bright side, real Conservatives will finally have a real Conservative voice, the PC’s have finally been exposed as another shade of red, and within a year the Alberta Liberals will be wiped off the map, probably forever.
Good times.
The Alberta Progressive Party got what they deserved and at the same time so did the Wildrose Party, a freshly paved road to victory.
I live in Alberta, and I know that I really don’t pay attention to provincial politics the way I should, but this takes the cake.
Swear to God, until yesterday I had never even HEARD of this woman. Had no idea she even existed, let alone was in the leadership race. (I still don’t know how many people were running. Nor do I care.)
Guess it all must have been really exciting.
(From the comments so far, seems the PCs have shot themselves in the head. We’ll see.)
In Alberta we are all californians now. We have a premier who was installed by the public sector unions – notably teachers and healthcare workers. And she is beholden to them for it – they bought memberships en masse and put her in. And the very first public statement she made after being elected leader was that she would give into the teacher’s demands.
This next election is now clearly demarcated – the choice is between a big govt big tax regime controlled by public sector unions or a party firmly grounded in the conservative principles of market economics, personal and commercial freedom.
The latter should win in a walk.
Seems the leadership was settled much like BC’s.
The votes were done, essentially by a form of proportional representation, where at the end, the compromise candidate wins, instead of the best leader, thanks to party jealousies and infighting.
That’s how you end up with poor leaders like Christy “POPPOM” Clark, and now this progressive lackey in Alberta.
Granted, the PCs in Alberta have been rudderless for years, and the WRA has filled the void admirably.
So, next time the “elites” whine and snivel about PR being ‘the best’ form of democracy, remember these mediocre choices made by said system.
DanBC- I’m agreed, but Alex Tsakumis thinks that to be Christian you must accept that SSM is a human right and abortion should be a viable option (that we must pay for). He seems to see no down side and he obviously thinks it should be force taught in all parochial schools, despite their religious scruples on the matter. let us have vouchers for our school taxes!
Gord Tulk
…lines of demarcation have been drawn…let the battle begin…
larben
Don’t want to go OT, but…….
AT seems to think that the NDP will be moderate, and can’t do too much damage in 4 years.
To which I have to say, Dix is Glenocchio’s protege, and we know how GC worked out, and more importantly, how BC went backwards then, and…..
Look what OBOZO has done in the states in less than 3 years…….
Any party, any government has its warts, none will be perfect, but, which one is best for the greater good? I wish PMSH would cut the CBC in half, and do other effective cost-cutting and gutting of useless government duplication, but I’m afraid he won’t, at least he will keep them in check, which is not what the Fibbs or Dippers would do.
And yeah, the provincial Tories have their issues, but considering the embarassment of Christy!, the loss of faith in the Fibs, and the scorched earth policies of the NDP, the Tories become the default best choice, not the NDP. Choosing the NDP is the height of hypocrisy and stupidity. I could go on and on, but that would be the echo chamber, we know the NDP very well…..
Remember, No matter who you vote for, the government always gets in.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQWV6eaSYlI
A.T. tarred and feathered the B.C. Liberals so thoroughly that they are not an option until they are investigated for their criminality on the BCR file, and I would vote Rhino if Cummins wasn’t running, before the NDP. I’d be found dead in a ditch before I’d vote socialist!
larben
High Five/Fist Bump.
I’ll have to rush out and buy her cookbook.
What ever happened to the reform party, we have the same old PC party nothing else.
Like i said in the other reader tips ,
Her winning made my decision easy , I was actually hoping for gary mar i know he is not to much better but he would have made it difficult for me to choose between the WRA AND THE PC party.
Now it’s a no brainer REDFOR ALL THE WAY !!!!!
LOL JUST KIDDING WRA
Should we congratulate DANIELLE SMITH NOW ON HER VICTORY?
I will definatley vote wild rose party with out question.
A couple of ugly truths about the Alberta PC/Liberals. Since Klein declared the debt paid off, the PC/Liberals posted around 50B in surplus funds, all of which they spent. They have also racked up 50-60B in Alberta Sovereign Debt. Alberta invented the Heritage Fund and the PC/Liberals have consistently looted it, it still sits around 14B after all these years. Norway with about the same population adopted Alberta’s approach and created their own Heritage Fund and now have over 400B in savings, of course they are not a Colony of Ottawa and do not suffer from the Eastern Parasite Disease like we have here in Canada. The PC’s are just more of the same old Fat Assed Liberal Party of Canada running under a PC banner. Go Wildrose Go….
Why is it that Canadians just cant see how absolutely pathetic they are!
This woman was elected by the insulated elite, of a private club who’s membership is not open to all.
These elites just installed the next Premier of Alberta, a private club did this.
Why dont the people of Canada get to vote, ON A FRICKIN BALLOT AT THE BALLOT BOX, for their own leaders.
And you call yourselves a democracy.Pathetic and sad.
Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta = Titanic
I got 2-6 e-mails from the various PCAB candidates every day during the leadership run and never responded or voted.
Next year is the general election and Wild Rose will win.
Does Miss Red Tart equal dare I say Kimmy Campbell.
The result didn’t matter. Mar and Redford are twins seperated at birth. Both are Liberals who will do everything for everyone all of the time, right down to wiping your butt, as long as you will like them and vote for them. Redforda first act will be too spend another 100 million on education. No talk of efficiency or resposability. When did the Premier become the didtator. If the rest of the PC caucus approves this spending they are silly as her.
This should come as no surprise to anyone. Look how left of center Harper has taken the federal Conservative Party. Maybe a good move for Redford is to merge with the NDP to strengthen the Progressive hold on left of center votes in Alberta.
It would be interesting to know how many union hacks from the teachers union bought memberships and voted for Redford. Redford simply used the technique of the left wing to buy off public sector unions with taxpayer dollars. It is the same technique used by Obama and McGuinty.
The Wild Rose Party led by Danielle Smith has issued their policy paper that will strengthen the Human Rights counsel and will not strike section 3 from it’s charter … that is the one under which Ezra Levant was persecuted for 900 days and that cost him over 100K.
The WRP also states that they will mandate those charged by this Kangaroo, to pay the prosecution charges run up by the HRC and the government.
THERE IS NO CONSERVATIVE PARTY IN ALBERTA!
@Abe Froman
The webpage for the Alliance actually says that they will form a new HRDC that is not self contained; that is it will be an extension of the judiciary, not the ‘roo court.
They also state that if there someone is in fact, found guilty, that person can be liable for the court costs – that is true. It also says however, that if someone is found innocent of the charges that the complainant will be responsible for the costs incurred in defense.
Finally, it is stated that repeated frivolous or vexatious complaints will result in loss of advocacy by the government. No word on how this will be determined or how many strikes until you are out. It might cut down on some of the BS complaints though.
Some good points in the Alliance agenda, BUT it remains to be seen how well this napkin sketch is translated into a blueprint.
The WRA is not a true conservative party, but they are the closest facsimile in Alberta.
Froman and Neck:
Please indicate which party in NA is a “true conservative party” in your judgement AND has a reasonable chance of winning an election.
Absolutely astounding! How can a party become so dissociated from it’s supporters? OK, rhetorical. Answer: by being in power so long, the internal operations and machinations of party politics dominate over common sense, frankly.
Go Wild Rose; come on Wild Trilium!!!!
DanBC at October 2, 2011 11:12 PM
What is it with the incumbent gubmints in BC and Alberta, with their career politicians turning hard left, and promoting leftard females, who promise the world to them?
Dan, maybe 25% of the population, possibly more … numbers anyone? …. now work for governments, and therefore members of well financed (by you and me) unions who support parties that will increase government, therefore their unions. Coward politicians, who are supposed, when elected, to be their bosses, cave beforehand to become elected.
@Gord Tulk;
I am not sure I understand the point of your comment?
I happen to like the Wild Rose Alliance, and indeed Danielle Smith. She represents the best hope I have of seeing values that I believe in come to office in Alberta. And I truly want them to kick some PC butt next election.
They are still politicians however, and this gives me pause for concern. I don’t believe any of them any more. Danielle has my vote for now. It is hers to lose.
Does anyone really think that the exponential growth of third world immigration to Alberta over the last few years is coincidental?
Not skilled labourers or taxi drivers with the obligatory Mumbai U Doctorate, but hard core goat herders and bush scavengers. Ya think they looked up Alberta on their high speed internet, liked the open prairies, conservative politics, and finally decided to come for the weather?
R neck:
My point is that in the political realm the WR is about as conservative as is possible without becoming hopelessly unelectable. I think it can be argued – referencing the WR’s policy platform – that it is the most conservative electable party in Canada and one of the most conservative electable parties in all of NA.
Knight 99: thank the fixing and streamlining of the temporary foreign worker program for the welcome influx of – on the whole – excellent works from abroad.
KPD, don’t be stupid. Parties select their own leaders, not the electorate as a whole. Why should people who aren’t party members have any say in who they pick? Do you want Dippers picking the Tory leader? (Although admittedly there seem to be lots of Dippers who took out PC memberships to elect Redford.)
It’s that way in every democracy. Instead the parties have to put themselves and their leaders at the mercy of the voters come election time. Ultimately the voters always choose and the parties live and die by their choices.
And the Alberta PCs are about to die because of their many wrong choices.
Robert, there’s an even larger point which your earlier post hinted at. In politics, the ability to spend translates into political power much easier than the curtailment of spending. Voters all too often are greedy and shortsighted and will vote for those who give them something at someone else’s expense. So, since the left is the political movement of high tax and high spend, over time all long time political dynasties will slowly gravitate in that direction.
It doesn’t really matter whether the WRA wins this election or the next one. The PCs are doomed, because political parties are rarely capable of reforming themselves back to their core ideologies.
The PC party in Alberta Have become a ship of fools. Soon to be a sinking ship called the Titanic. This is what happens when you allow lefties to infiltrate without any back ground check into your Party.
To many Easterners have brought the liberal plague with them from Ontario. Like the Norway Rat, they spread nothing but political infection, that rots society to its very roots.Just look at The Easts perverted sex education plan , made for NAMBLA members, if not wrote by them.
After viewing this gays can no longer say they don’t support child sex. As they lied about for years.
The very thing thy ran from they can’t help but spread.