Alberta's Non-Campaign

Whispering in the Wind (WITW 35) June 25, 2014

The lazy days of summer are upon us and you know what that means:  at every fair, rodeo, picnic, golf tournament you can expect to see politicians smiling, shaking hands and posing for pictures – for them there is a very serious side to their presence, measuring the political mood of the electorate.

Alberta PC Leadership Contenders Seeking Attention

Jim Prentice, Ric McIver and Thomas Lukaszuk are in a not-so-bitter, in-party race to lead Alberta’s Progressive Conservative Party and de facto premier, Province of Alberta.  Brought about by the unfortunate resignation of Premier Allison Redford, the election of a new Progressive Conservative leader will take place in September and that means the three contenders will be attending a lot of fairs, rodeos and social gatherings at the constituency level.  For Alberta’s opposition parties, they continue to harp on the theme that Alberta Progressive Conservative Party has been in power far too long (43 years) resulting in the party becoming a party of “entitlement” – some in opposition have gone a step further and are painting Jim Prentice, the front runner in this current leadership campaign, as a man who embodies “entitlement” in a negative way and points out that while a minister in Ottawa spent exorbitant amounts of money on travel.  With something like 45 of the 58 PC MLAs supporting the Jim Prentice campaign the inner circle is suggesting that Mr. Prentice is a shoe-in for September’s election.  Unfortunately that is not the game being played and the three contenders are not being given the opportunity to explain their vision for the province and how they would guide the province’s government – and that’s what I’m waiting for.

Here’s An Idea ….

As I have already said; there is a lack of meaningful discussion of issues and policies facing Alberta by Alberta’s PC leadership candidates, they are busy defending themselves against accusations and unfounded innuendos posed by the media and the opposition parties, so here is an idea:  invite these three very capable contenders to come out to Smoky Lake and explain themselves to the grassroots.   As good hosts we would offer them some relaxation (a round of golf on one of Alberta’s most challenging golf courses) and some excellent Ukrainian food served by some of the town’s most loving, ethnic cooks.  After appropriate libation, the candidates will be given sufficient time to offer their policy views and visions for Alberta.  If not Smoky Lake, where else?