Alberta PC Race
Well today, Alberta's PC party chooses its next leader and depending on whether someone wins on the first ballot or not, we could find out who is Alberta's next premier. With Alberta being nearly a one party state, this is probably more like a general election now than the real general election. In fact many people from other parties and even unions have been signing up members en masse simply to choose who they like best. If I lived in Alberta, (besides the fact I am a former federal progressive Conservative) I would have signed up as well. As for Ralph Klein's legacy, there will be those who trash it or those who praise it. I believe Ralph Klein will go down as premier who made the tough but necessary decisions to turn Alberta around and this was when oil prices were much lower than today and no one foresaw them rising to their current levels. Although I didn't like some of his off the cuff remarks, at the same time, it made him seem like an ordinary person, not some type of political elite, which I think people related to. I also feel that he should have only run for three terms. His final term was undoubtedly his worse as he become arrogant and lost his original touch that originally made him so popular. Still on the whole, unlike many Liberals, I believe Ralph Klein was a good premier and Alberta should be thankful for him. I wish him and his family the best in their retirement. On the leaders here is my summary below.
Jim Dinning
He would be my first pick for Alberta leader. As finance minister he made the tough decisions that helped turn Alberta's finances around and thanks to his efforts Alberta is in very good economic shape. He is also a visionary who understands the importance of key investments in post-secondary education and a clean environment. He is a pragmatist, not an ideologue and a successful businessman. Some Tories are angry at the fact he donated to Paul Martin, but this was a corporate decision and since there was no viable opposition party at that point, it made smart business sense to donate to the Liberal frontrunner. Some also say he is too similiar to Paul Martin, but I see this as a plus. Paul Martin's biggest problem is he didn't know how to handle a minority government, something Dinning likely won't have to deal with.
Ted Morton
If there is anyone in the Alberta PC leadership race, I don't want to see win, it is Ted Morton. The conservative ideologues love the guy, but the rest cringe at the thought of him being premier. Having one ideologue federally is bad enough, having an even more extreme one provincially would be a disaster for all non-conservative ideologues in Alberta. Rather than focusing on the issues that matter to the future of Alberta, he is all about building firewalls around Alberta and promoting a socially conservative agenda that likely is unconstitutional. While he would no doubt end the need for the Alberta Alliance, he would probably kill the PCs in Edmonton and even cost them seats in Calgary. Despite the fact Alberta is the most Conservative province in Canada, it is not a Texas of the north, but rather an Ohio or Pennsylvania of the North while the Rest of Canada is more liberal than any US state. His extreme right wing views have largely been discredited. Given the fact the Alberta PCs lost more seats to the Liberals than Alberta Alliance, I would make more sense to move towards the centre rather than far right. And the fact idiots like Rob Anders endorse him is probably another reason he should be rejected. Also the fact the only MLA supporting him comes from the Alberta Alliance as opposed to the Alberta PCs really says something. After seeing the federal PCs hijacked by the Canadian Alliance, I don't wish to see this happen to any of the provincial PCs.
Lyle Oberg
Another one I don't like. It is not so much his ideology I abhore, but simply he seems to be the type that is good at creating enemies. In fact he is probably the only one who would help both the Alberta Liberals and Alberta Alliance. Troublemakers like Oberg who go around angering people are not the type the Alberta PCs need to help united Albertans.
Ed Stelmach
Although I don't know too much about him, I am generally pleased with what I see. He seems quite moderate despite being from Rural Alberta and seems well liked and respected by his party. All the ministries he held, he handled them quite well. So while nothing to get excited about, the fact he seems competent in most areas is probably a good thing.
Dave Hancock
He would probably be my second choice and is likely the reddest of all the candidates. His focus on education and future prosperity are definitely policies I like and I also like the fact he has plans in dealing with responsible and sustainable development of the tar sands. Being from Edmonton, he is probably the best to regain many of the lost Edmonton Seats.
Mark Norris
Don't know a lot about him and have heard mixed reviews on him. Reading his page, his plans sound reasonably good, although I wasn't too happy about his comments about Alberta separating and hope that he will work constructively with the federal government and other provinces. Not my first choice, but definitely someone I could live with if I lived in Alberta. Although the fact he lost his seat last provincial election means his chances of winning are pretty slim.
Victor Doerksen
Don't know much about him to really say one way or another. His plans seem rather vague and although they sound good, I am always skeptical of those who deliberately leave their plans vague over those with more precise plans.
Gary MacPherson
Never really heard much about the guy. Is a quadrapelegic so definitely admire the challenges he has had to overcome. His platform is very vague so cannot comment without knowing more.
Overall, my hope is for Jim Dinning to become Alberta's next premier, but if not him, Dave Hancock would clearly be my second choice. I think with the exception of Lyle Oberg and Ted Morton, any of the others seem, from what I know, as decent candidates. Lyle Oberg is a complete idiot, but he doesn't scare me like Ted Morton does. Ted Morton is the worse choice of them all and if it were between him and Oberg on the final ballot I would have to go for Oberg. However, if either of those two were to win and I for some reason or another happen to live in Alberta come next election, I will vote Liberal like I do federally. And considering how many former federal PCs have either switched or are becoming disillusioned with the Harper government, I think the party would be wise to stay away from the hard-right and divisive type candidates.
Jim Dinning
He would be my first pick for Alberta leader. As finance minister he made the tough decisions that helped turn Alberta's finances around and thanks to his efforts Alberta is in very good economic shape. He is also a visionary who understands the importance of key investments in post-secondary education and a clean environment. He is a pragmatist, not an ideologue and a successful businessman. Some Tories are angry at the fact he donated to Paul Martin, but this was a corporate decision and since there was no viable opposition party at that point, it made smart business sense to donate to the Liberal frontrunner. Some also say he is too similiar to Paul Martin, but I see this as a plus. Paul Martin's biggest problem is he didn't know how to handle a minority government, something Dinning likely won't have to deal with.
Ted Morton
If there is anyone in the Alberta PC leadership race, I don't want to see win, it is Ted Morton. The conservative ideologues love the guy, but the rest cringe at the thought of him being premier. Having one ideologue federally is bad enough, having an even more extreme one provincially would be a disaster for all non-conservative ideologues in Alberta. Rather than focusing on the issues that matter to the future of Alberta, he is all about building firewalls around Alberta and promoting a socially conservative agenda that likely is unconstitutional. While he would no doubt end the need for the Alberta Alliance, he would probably kill the PCs in Edmonton and even cost them seats in Calgary. Despite the fact Alberta is the most Conservative province in Canada, it is not a Texas of the north, but rather an Ohio or Pennsylvania of the North while the Rest of Canada is more liberal than any US state. His extreme right wing views have largely been discredited. Given the fact the Alberta PCs lost more seats to the Liberals than Alberta Alliance, I would make more sense to move towards the centre rather than far right. And the fact idiots like Rob Anders endorse him is probably another reason he should be rejected. Also the fact the only MLA supporting him comes from the Alberta Alliance as opposed to the Alberta PCs really says something. After seeing the federal PCs hijacked by the Canadian Alliance, I don't wish to see this happen to any of the provincial PCs.
Lyle Oberg
Another one I don't like. It is not so much his ideology I abhore, but simply he seems to be the type that is good at creating enemies. In fact he is probably the only one who would help both the Alberta Liberals and Alberta Alliance. Troublemakers like Oberg who go around angering people are not the type the Alberta PCs need to help united Albertans.
Ed Stelmach
Although I don't know too much about him, I am generally pleased with what I see. He seems quite moderate despite being from Rural Alberta and seems well liked and respected by his party. All the ministries he held, he handled them quite well. So while nothing to get excited about, the fact he seems competent in most areas is probably a good thing.
Dave Hancock
He would probably be my second choice and is likely the reddest of all the candidates. His focus on education and future prosperity are definitely policies I like and I also like the fact he has plans in dealing with responsible and sustainable development of the tar sands. Being from Edmonton, he is probably the best to regain many of the lost Edmonton Seats.
Mark Norris
Don't know a lot about him and have heard mixed reviews on him. Reading his page, his plans sound reasonably good, although I wasn't too happy about his comments about Alberta separating and hope that he will work constructively with the federal government and other provinces. Not my first choice, but definitely someone I could live with if I lived in Alberta. Although the fact he lost his seat last provincial election means his chances of winning are pretty slim.
Victor Doerksen
Don't know much about him to really say one way or another. His plans seem rather vague and although they sound good, I am always skeptical of those who deliberately leave their plans vague over those with more precise plans.
Gary MacPherson
Never really heard much about the guy. Is a quadrapelegic so definitely admire the challenges he has had to overcome. His platform is very vague so cannot comment without knowing more.
Overall, my hope is for Jim Dinning to become Alberta's next premier, but if not him, Dave Hancock would clearly be my second choice. I think with the exception of Lyle Oberg and Ted Morton, any of the others seem, from what I know, as decent candidates. Lyle Oberg is a complete idiot, but he doesn't scare me like Ted Morton does. Ted Morton is the worse choice of them all and if it were between him and Oberg on the final ballot I would have to go for Oberg. However, if either of those two were to win and I for some reason or another happen to live in Alberta come next election, I will vote Liberal like I do federally. And considering how many former federal PCs have either switched or are becoming disillusioned with the Harper government, I think the party would be wise to stay away from the hard-right and divisive type candidates.
posted by Monkey Loves to Fight at 3:19 PM
6 Comments:
"Some also say he is too similiar to Paul Martin, but I see this as a plus."
I had to stop reading the article after this statement. It's that absurd.
Anonymous - Why is that absurd. If you read the rest of the article, you would note that I felt Martin's screw-ups were more due to his inability to manage a minority government. He was a great finance minister who helped turn Canada's finances around.
''Why is that absurd''
He's a Liberal, this is a Conservative race, in Alberta.
He's a Liberal, this is a Conservative race, in Alberta.
No this is a PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE race, not a Conservative race. There is a difference between Progressive Conservatives which everyone except Morton and perhaps Oberg represent and neo-conservatives. Liberals and Progressive Conservatives have always been very similiar as most Canadians are most comfortable close to the centre. Even Albertans are centre-right vs. hard-right. Alberta is not Canada's Texas, but rather Canada's Ohio or Pennsylvania.
Watch for Ed Stelmach...he is the preferred choice and will prove to be a better leader for ALL ALBERTANS because he will not be contolled by or an adherent to either the Calgary Mafia like Dinning or the Alliance Mafia like Morton.
I supported Hancock during the "regular season" and will go with him to Stelmach in the "playoffs."
Ken Chapman - Ed Stelmach is certainly a good choice, but I think the only way he can win is hope it goes to a third ballot in which case I think he could beat either Dinning or Morton. Still I am guessing that Dinning will pull it off as many moderate PCs and even other Albertans who didn't vote PC will sign up to support him just because they are terrified of the thought of Morton becoming premier.
And BTW Dave Hancock was my second choice and I am sorry he didn't do better as I think he was one of the better choices.
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