As the grassroots Wildrose Alliance continues its inexorable rise in Alberta, Stephen Harper will be eyeing the rear-view mirror. He may be a little nervous.
This week, in a move that surprised few but is momentous nonetheless, one of former Alberta premier Ralph Klein’s best friends bolted from the Conservatives to join Wildrose as interim president.
This was a provincial shift, not federal. But the ripples are sure to reach Ottawa before long.
Wildrose, led by newcomer Danielle Smith, is everything that Premier Ed Stelmach’s entrenched Alberta PC party is not; brash, fresh, engaging and infused with the kitchen-table conservatism that gave rise to the Reform Party 20 years ago.
Stelmach, who had the unlucky fate of succeeding the most popular leader in Alberta’s history, is struggling. His critics deem him to be autocratic and out of touch. On his watch, Alberta has gone from being a fiscal superstar to posting a deficit of close to $5 billion.
Now look to Ottawa — where Prime Minister Stephen Harper leads a federal government that is also posting record deficits — $56 billion and counting. Harper too has occasionally been accused of being autocratic and out of touch.
For the time being, the PM’s hold on Alberta is secure. He retains the cachet of a hometown boy made good. But his coalition grows increasingly unwieldy. How to satisfy centrist Ontario and left-leaning Quebec without alienating right-leaning Alberta?
Okay, what does the provincial Wildrose party have to do with the federal Conservative party? Should the federal Liberals be held to account for Dalton's HST? Should the provincial Liberals in Ontario be held to account for the federal Liberals stealing millions of taxpayers dollars?
"For the time being the PM's hold on Alberta is secure"???? Are you nuts? Close to 60% support and he should be worried about the Wildrose PROVINCIAL party? His "coalition"??? I thought the "coalition" was the Liberals/NDP/Bloc, but this guy thinks Conservatives across Canada uniting is a "coalition"?
I couldn't believe how out of touch this reporter was, so I googled him, and actually laughed out loud, waking my hubby from his nap.
Some guy from Ontario is an expert on Alberta politics? Really? No wonder I have not been reading the Sun lately. What a joke!
I know that this reporter doesn't want to hear this, from a born and raised Albertan but, you should butt out of Alberta issues, you made yourself look like an idiot, you have absolutely no understanding of Alberta and our politics.
Voting for Wildrose will have absolutely no impact on PM Harper or the federal Conservatives. NONE!
Now as far as provincial voting goes, the Wildrose will win some seats, but only if they get their act together and start nominating candidates. I saw nothing about any candidates on their site.
They will get my vote, on one issue only. Abolishing the Alberta Human Rights Commission. All the other issues are not different enough from the PC party to make me change my vote. Looking at their policies, they are the PC party. Same junk, different faces.
6 comments:
LOL, and another voice from an Ontario Liberal, Martha comes to Alberta to tell us what we think:
(won't link to a Liberal)
''..Albertans respect human rights, diversity and personal choice. They also value balanced budgets and fiscal responsibility, says MP Martha Hall Findlay.
That’s why there’s renewed interest in the federal Liberals’ message, she told a Lethbridge audience Saturday...''
Now isn't that hillarious. Liberals in a constant culture war with the West...but oh, heh,
Martha tells us who we really are, yep, we are really Liberals.
lol, go home Martha,
and take Trudeau ( Mr now I love the oilsands) with yah.
When I read this drivel somewhere on the web yesterday the tears were running down my face with laughter. Talk about ignorance. The Wild Rose is a threat to Harper? The Wild Rose is an expression of what Harper stands for. Wild Rose is to the Alta PCs what the Conservative party is to the old federal PCs.
Sometimes I think the folks up in Edmonton are getting advice from Ontario.
Being an Ontario refugee turned Albertan has never stopped me from commenting on Quebec however. There is a big difference between comment and pretending like you actually know what is going on.
Liberals do love the oilsands. How else do you expect them to pay for their socialist policies to get the coalition parties onside again?
Alberta has only 28 seats. The Liberals East vs West game is an old formula that has worked for them for a very long time.
In 2014 Ontario, Quebec will still dominate the political landscape with seats.
It was smart of the three western provinces to continue to remove the barriers and provide a counter to the Bloc in Ottawa.
The N.W.P have greater economic and equal number of seats. In 2008 (78 seats) in 2014 (90 seats).
If MB dumps their socialist policies for more pragmatism they could possibly join and rival Toronto-Montreal Liberals dynasty.
"From my perspective, the coalition was formed in response to an economic update during a crisis that had no economy stimulating substance except to poke the opposition."
We now know that Layton and Duceppe were cooking this little plan up before the election due to a Tory being accidentally invited to the conference call. The economic update was purposely "poisoned" to reveal this coup-in-waiting.
You logic is flawed.
Unfortunately, Sun media is not what they used to be. I know a couple of free lance writers at the Toronto Sun and they are staunch conservatives, however, I believe the Sun media outlets have taken a Left turn since they were acquired by a lefty entity from Quebec. Sad.
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