Alberta's Redford calls election, faces test from the right

Yahoo News ^ | Reuters – Mon, Mar 26, 2012 | Reuters

[JSDude1]

Reuters) - Alberta Premier Alison Redford called an election on Monday as the province's ruling Progressive Conservatives look to extend their 41 years in power by overcoming a challenge from the hard-right Wildrose Alliance. Redford, a Calgary lawyer who took over the leadership of the center-right Conservatives in October following the resignation of former Premier Ed Stelmach, will face her first test at the polls on April 23. She is opposed by Wildrose Party leader Danielle Smith, a libertarian and former journalist. Wildrose was formed in 2008 and quickly drew in opponents of Stelmach's policies, particularly his failed attempt to raise royalties on petroleum production.

[JSDude1]

Actually Danielle Smith isn't a libertarian (she's a traditional conservative) and Wildrose isn't hard right.

Despite the usual msm (crappy) liberal spin from Yahoo, the PC's have been in power too long, they are from what I read from my Canadian friend "Conservative in Name Only", Wildrose Alliance is the real conservative party in this Albertan Election, and if Wildrose and Danielle Smith pull it off this would be a political earthquake!~

Let's hope it happens.

-JS (Btw I am AMerican, just like to read up on Canadian politica from time-to-time).

http://www.wildrose.ca/

[GeronL]

I’d have to go with Wildrose after the Progressive Conservatives passed a law to regulate private conversations AT HOME between parent and child. (banned parents of homeschooled kids from teaching that homosexuality is a sin)

[GeronL]

I am a Texan, but I keep tabs on Israel, South Korea, Venezuela through news and blogs.

[GeronL]

I hope they do what the Liberal (conservative) Party in Queensland Australia did the other day

[JSDude1]

Indeed!

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks JSDude1.

Alberta Premier Alison Redford called an election on Monday as the province's ruling Progressive Conservatives look to extend their 41 years in power by overcoming a challenge from the hard-right Wildrose Alliance. Redford, a Calgary lawyer who took over the leadership of the center-right Conservatives in October following the resignation of former Premier Ed Stelmach, will face her first test at the polls on April 23. She is opposed by Wildrose Party leader Danielle Smith, a libertarian and former journalist. Wildrose was formed in 2008 and quickly drew in opponents of Stelmach's policies, particularly his failed attempt to raise royalties on petroleum production.

[Raider Sam]

Alberta is the place to do it.

[gymbeau]

You’re right. I’m on my local constituency board and was VP of communications for the Wildrose party as a whole shortly after it got up and running.

It’s more analogous to the old federal Reform party which is now much watered down as Harper’s Conservatives.

Wildrose is just common sense conservative, whereas the provincial Progressive Conservatives are, indeed, CINO’s - the new leader, Redford, actually said she wants to change the province to, basically, make it less conservative and more palatable to the elites in other parts of the country and the world.

Nothing else needs to be said.

Well, that and she has a glass jaw and is a typically liberal hypocrite - saying she wants to take the high road in the campaign and then going negative immediately, with misleading info about Wildrose. Danielle apparently said Redford doesn’t really like Alberta much (hence her wanting to change it into her version of what it should be), and the howls of outrage were immediate and loud.

They also ran the first negative ad, claiming that because Wildrose will repeal a .05 “impaired” driving law that allows for police to convict you on the roadside with no presumption of innocence (and that’s the part, not the drinking and driving part, that Albertans object to), spinning it as “Wildrose is okay with drunk driving.”

You can just about smell their fear. It’s delicious! And it’s about time!

cheers,
Jim

[fanfan]

Thanks for the ping Civ.

Bump and ping.

---

Actually Danielle Smith isn’t a libertarian (she’s a traditional conservative) and Wildrose isn’t hard right.

Despite the usual msm (crappy) liberal spin from Yahoo, the PC’s have been in power too long, they are from what I read from my Canadian friend “Conservative in Name Only”, Wildrose Alliance is the real conservative party in this Albertan Election, and if Wildrose and Danielle Smith pull it off this would be a political earthquake!~

Let’s hope it happens.

-JS (Btw I am AMerican, just like to read up on Canadian politica from time-to-time).

http://www.wildrose.ca/

[Clive]

Thanks for the ping, fanfan.

We now have a contest between a Progressive Conservative party and a conservative party.

The Liberals and NDP are not serious contenders as provincial parties in Alberta.

BTW, In Canada the provincial parties are different entities than their federal counterparts. We have even had at least one instance of a Progressive Conservative provincial premier (Mike Harris) throwing his party's support in favour of the Reform Party instead of the federal Progressive Conservative Party in a federal general election.

We no longer have a federal Progressive Conservative party so the federal conservatives should find the Wildrose Party a more comfortable ally than the Alberta Progressive Conservative.

OTOH I have the impression that Harper prefers to avoid intruding into provincial politics.

[fanfan]

“OTOH I have the impression that Harper prefers to avoid intruding into provincial politics. “

Agreed, and that's probably good, but he doesn’t seem to want to throw himself into much of anything anymore. He used to have a vision, and a sense of fairness, now he's just another politician.