Tories: ‘Not your father’s PC party’
Posted Apr 24, 2012 12:23 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
During the election campaign the provincial Tories rolled out an ad touting that Alison Redford was not leading what you would call ‘your father’s’ PC party.
A local political scientist says the province’s Progressive Conservatives have managed to evolve over the years, moving the party more to the middle, which might help to explain why they cleaned up again at the polls.
Mount Royal University’s Lori Williams says the Tories will always be fiscal conservatives but the party’s policies have evolved to reflect the changing culture mosiac of Alberta.
Williams says a similar shift is what helped the Harper Tories.
“Whether you’re talking about Alberta or Canada, the successful strategy is to define yourself as the centrist moderate candidate. That has always been what’s worked,” says Williams.
She says the PC’s will work hard to marginalize right-wing meddling led by the opposition Wildrose Party.
Williams also says Wildrose leader Danielle Smith made a big mistake by not repremanding the candidates who made racial or homophobic remarks, because those thoughts go against the majority.
Alberta has a reputation of being a redneck province, lacking social conscience.
Williams says that may have been the case back in 1971 when the PC dynasty began, but not any more.
