PCs prove they can stand on their own: political scientist
Posted Mar 23, 2016 10:59 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It’s a big win for the Progressive Conservatives in the Calgary-Greenway byelection, with a lot more on the line than most would think. Prab Gill retained the seat for the PCs with a narrow victory over the Wildrose Party, winning by just 335 votes.
Mount Royal University Political Scientist Lori Williams says they needed this win to prove they can claw their way back to being a majority government again.
“It suggest that they’ve got some potential for the future, that they can grow, that they can perhaps come back,” says Williams. “Perhaps more than anything, it affirms the notion many Progressive Conservatives have been arguing, Albertans want a moderate right alternative.”
She says the win also puts a dent in the “Unite the Right” movement to see the party join forces with the Wildrose.
Williams says it was a dissapointing finish for the NDP, which probably took a hit with issues such as the economy and misteps like Bill 6.
“Fourth place for the NDP is not a position they want to be in, especially given how much Rachel Notley campaigned. I think that’s pretty bad news for the NDP,” says Williams.
The party finished behind the Liberals.
Williams adds it was a loss for all parties considering the only 29 per cent of eligible voters cast their ballots.
