With Redford leaving, where does Alberta go from here?
Posted Mar 20, 2014 7:23 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Now that Alison Redford is heading out as Alberta’s premier, who could be stepping in?
Following the announcement, Tory Party President Jim McCormick explained what the board of directors will have to do next.
“The PC party constitution requires a leadership selection to be held when the position of leader becomes vacant, that process can take no less than four months and no more than six months,” he said.
There’s plenty of speculation of who will run, from former Edmonton Mayor Stephen Mandel, to past cabinet minister Jim Prentice and ex-Alberta treasurer Jim Dinning.
Mount Royal University political scientist, Keith Brownsey, said those who do run should proceed with caution.
“This is a party in free-fall, it’s a part that has tossed it’s last four leaders,” he said. “It tossed Don Getty, it tossed Ralph Klein, it tossed Ed Stelmach and now Alison Redford, who’d want to take that job.”
One of Brownsey’s colleagues, Duane Bratt, said a potential inside pick could be Doug Horner, pointing out there’s been a tradition in the party going back to the 1960s of alternating between Edmonton and Calgary leaders.
“Horner’s from Spruce Grove, he’s the finance minister, he’s held a number of portfolios over years, has very deep roots in the party,” Bratt said, also alluding to the difficulty of the job.
“The heir apparents have lost before, Jim Dinning lost, Gary Mar lost, so there’s no guarantee, it will be also interesting to see what rules are put in place by the party for the place.
University of Calgary political scientist, Doreen Barrie, believes the party’s new leader will come from the outside.
“I just think that nobody stands out and this is why I think they’ve kind of shot themselves in the foot,” she said.
