Prentice will attend PC leaders dinner; party executive calls future optimistic
Posted May 13, 2015 3:13 pm.
Last Updated May 13, 2015 3:17 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It may not be the atmosphere the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta was hoping for, but Thursday’s leaders dinner will go on and outgoing premier Jim Prentice is expected to attend.
Prentice has stayed mostly out of the spotlight since his speedy resignation on election night, with the exception of his appearance with Premier Designate Rachel Notley at the legislature this week.
The party’s executive director Kelley Charlebois said however there has been some interest in refunds.
“We’ve had a couple of people who have kind of come back and said is it an option, we’ve said well we’re not really contemplating that, they’ve said we’ll be there,” he said. “Have people asked, sure people have asked, nobody’s insisted.”
He also said based on his conversations with those in the party that despite being dropped to third-party staturs, there’s plenty of optimism.
“I think people wanted to send us a message, I don’t think this is quite the message they intended to send themselves, but I think that we have a responsibility as a party to regroup, rethink our processes, rethink where we go from here,” he said, adding he expects 87 candidates in the next election in hopes of coming back to power.
While Ric McIver is the interim leader, the next leadership will race will happen in four to six months barring a constitutional change.
McIver has not yet said if he will seek the position permanently.
Charlebois also brushed off the idea that once you’re out of power in Alberta politics, you’re out for a long time.
“The history of Alberta politics was three leaders and you’re out too right and we got well past that,” he said. “I think that Albertans are going to give this government a chance, I think that this government has the potential to do some good, I think this government has the potential to do some bad.”
Charlebois said party finances are good and they are not in debt.
As for his position with the party, he said he will stay on as long as it will have him.
