[Craig]

[Progressive Tory]

[Craig Smith]

[Craig Smith]

[RCO]

Alberta Tory stalwart Ted Morton at risk in rise of Wildrose


josh wingrove

CHESTERMERE, ALTA.— Globe and Mail Update

Published Monday, Apr. 09, 2012 4:30AM EDT



For a sense of how quickly the hearts of Alberta’s staunch conservatives have shifted, one need only stroll through Chestermere, a booming town just east of Calgary.

Small, southern-Alberta communities like this were once the heart of Progressive Conservative support. It’s where Ted Morton – Energy Minister, former finance minister and the stalwart of the party’s right flank – is running and, before the right-wing Wildrose Party hit the scene, it would have been a slam-dunk for the PCs.

More related to this story
•Alberta PC candidate calls police after altercation
•Alberta’s Liberals fill their slate of candidates
•Redford channels Wildrose, Liberals with election pledges

This time, they’re barely putting up a fight.

Mr. Morton’s seat is in peril, with several sources saying he’s on pace to lose to Wildrose candidate Bruce McAllister, a former news anchor. It certainly seems that way in Chestermere, the hub of the newly created riding that includes nearby rural areas, where green Wildrose signs line the lawns of homes. Morton signs are a rare sight on private land.

The PC campaign says it expected the race here to be a battle – but if anyone might have been immune to the Wildrose surge, by flaunting right-wing credentials, it would have been Mr. Morton. That hasn’t been the case.

As Wildrose soars, no seat is a sure thing.

“I just think it’s time for a change,” Gary Friesen, a 54-year-old construction site supervisor, says on the steps of his Chestermere home. After voting PC his entire adult life, he’s backing Wildrose. “We’ve been PC long enough, but we want to keep some of that conservative in us – small-c.”

If defeated, it will mark a reversal of fortune for Mr. Morton, a university professor and long-time colleague of Stephen Harper; former senator-in-waiting; and three-time cabinet minister. Wildrose once wooed him to cross the floor, but he instead sought the leadership of the PCs (for the second time). He hoped to unite the right, saying two parties were a “recipe for electing Liberals or NDs.”

His pitch fell short, and he failed to make the final ballot – instead, three progressive candidates did. “It’s clear that the conservative wing of the party stayed home,” his campaign manager said on election night.

Mr. Morton became an ally of the winner, the more centrist Alison Redford, but has stumbled under the weight of both his record and wedge issues publicized by Wildrose.

As finance minister, he tabled massive deficit budgets during the recession, despite being a fiscal conservative, and was the man behind Alberta’s Land Stewardship Act, a land-use law – badly needed, some say – that Wildrose opposes. Ask a staunch Wildrose supporter and they’ll say Ted Morton tried to seize their land, a hyperbolic notion that is nonetheless politically suicidal among rural areas and social conservatives whose support Mr. Morton counted on. “The Wildrose is running a campaign based on fear – fear of what might happen to property rights, fear of parental rights,” Mr. Morton said in a radio interview last month. But he hasn’t been able to recover.

“I think what it comes down to is politicians, when they get elected, have to keep their promises, have to do what they say they’re going to do,” Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith said. “And Ted Morton didn’t do that.”

And so, here he is – in Chestermere, a new riding that includes part of his old one. Mr. Morton, who didn’t respond to interview requests, has emphasized his “family friendly” and “Alberta proud” policies, saying he’ll best represent the riding because he’ll serve in cabinet if the PCs form government.

Mr. McAllister’s message is more local: he lives in the riding (Mr. Morton’s campaign literature doesn’t say where he lives).

“To understand the issues of a community, it really does help to live in it. To earn the trust of people, I think it helps to be one of them,” Mr. McAllister said, adding he hasn’t made his race about voting against Mr. Morton.

“I have no desire to get into all of that back and forth stuff. People know who I am here, and I am knocking on thousands of doors, meeting as many people as I can.”

And so an uphill fight lies before Mr. Morton. One of his signs sits outside the home of Chestermere resident Becky Benoit, as requested by her six-year-old daughter, Grace.

“She started noticing all the signs, and saw that they were all green. So she felt it was unfair,” Ms. Benoit recalls, saying her daughter wanted a blue Morton sign to even it out. “It’s sad that his biggest supporter around here is a six-year-old.”

Mr. McAllister, meanwhile, said Mr. Morton’s presence didn’t encourage or deter him to run. He sought the nomination after hearing Ms. Smith speak on a radio show.

“I sat in that car for an hour, listened to the interview and all the callers,” he remembers. “And said, ‘I think Alberta politics is about to change.’ ”

Albertans go to the polls on April 23.


http://www.theglobeandmail.com.....le2395545/

[RCO]

( the race continues to get interesting although have not seen any other polls that have it this close )

Wildrose, Tories neck and neck in race to lead Alberta government: poll
Postmedia News Apr 10, 2012 – 8:01 AM ET | Last Updated: Apr 10, 2012 12:33 AM ET


Rick MacWilliam/Postmedia News; Stuart Gradon/Postmedia News

PC leader Alison Redford and Wildrose leader Danielle Smith are virtually tied at the half-way mark in the Alberta election campaign, according to a new poll.

Darcy Henton

CALGARY — The race for the April 23 Alberta election is tightening up, according to a new poll that puts the incumbent Progressive Conservatives and Wildrose in a statistical dead heat.

Popular support among decided voters has the Wildrose at 35% compared to 34% for the Conservatives, setting up the possibility of a minority government, according to the Leger Marketing poll conducted over the Easter weekend.

The NDP and Liberals are trailing at about 13% each, followed by the Alberta party at three% and the Evergreen party at one%.

The poll, commissioned by the Calgary Herald and Edmonton Journal, shows support for the Wildrose has dropped six percentage points in recent days in the wake of media reports on the party’s position on so-called social conscience issues and several major Tory platform announcements.

Related
Wildrose would turn to ‘regular’ Albertans to determine MLA pay: Danielle Smith

Danielle Smith denies Wildrose would de-list abortion as Alberta election delves further into ‘conscience rights’ battles

Alberta election pits PC’s ‘red’ versus Wildrose’s ‘blue’ conservatives, experts say

“It’s possible the people who told us they would vote Wildrose started to look at the platform more closely,” Leger Marketing vice-president Ian Large said Monday.

“Maybe they are seeing things in there that they don’t actually agree with, or more to the point, they are seeing things in the PCs platform they do agree with.”

He said it’s too early to tell if the Wildrose has reached a plateau in its support base. Most of the party’s decline has occurred outside of Calgary and Edmonton. Just last week, the Wildrose had a commanding 24 point lead outside the two cities, while the PCs and Wildrose are now neck-and-neck.

‘This situation is really raising all kinds of scenarios, including the potential for a minority government’
Political science professor Chaldeans Mensah says the poll suggests the election could be decided on the basis of which leader, Tory Alison Redford, or Wildrose Danielle Smith, performs best in Thursday’s televised debate and in the final days of the campaign.

Smith and Redford are virtually tied for who would make the best premier — well ahead of NDP leader Brian Mason and Liberal leader Raj Sherman — although Smith has much stronger support in Calgary while Redford rules in Edmonton.

“This situation is really raising all kinds of scenarios, including the potential for a minority government,” said Mensah, who teaches at Edmonton’s Grant MacEwan University.

He said the prospect of a minority government could cause “a great deal of consternation and fear” among conservative voters because it could leave the NDP or Liberals holding the balance of power.

“It certainly looks like a very split electorate right now,” he said. “I sense there is a desire for change in the electorate, but there is also an element of uncertainty about whether to endorse the offer of change from the Wildrose.”

The poll suggests 57% of Albertans want to change their government and less than three in 10 want to keep the 41-year-long Tory dynasty in power.

While 20% of the electorate remains undecided, those who are leaning are split almost equally on whether to vote for the Tories or Wildrose.

The online poll of 902 eligible voters conducted April 5-8.

A margin of error is not generally reported for non-random online surveys, but Large said a probability sample of 902 eligible voters would result in a maximum margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points, 19 times out of 20, although the margin is higher for regional findings.


http://news.nationalpost.com/2.....ment-poll/

[RCO]

CTV Poll: Wildrose holds onto lead

Updated: Wed Apr. 11 2012 16:54:58

ctvcalgary.ca

A new CTV poll shows the Wildrose party is still leading the provincial election campaign, but leader Danielle Smith's approval rating has slipped slightly.

According to the ThinkHQ survey, Smith's approval rating has been steadily climbing since last December, from 40 per cent to 56 per cent last week.

But that slipped a bit to 54 per cent this last week.

PC leader Alison Redford's approval has been steadily declining, from 59 per cent in December to 46 per cent this last week.

Albertans were also polled about a PC re-election.

A solid 50 per cent say the Tories do not deserve to continue to lead this province.

23 per cent thought they should be re-elected and 27 per cent are still not sure.

And if an election were held tomorrow, which parties' candidate would get your support?

The Wildrose holds onto a solid lead at 43 per cent, followed by the PC party with 29 per cent.

"There has been very little movement with the parties, very little movement in terms of leader evaluations. All the changes from this week to last have been extremely subtle, all within the margin of errors, which is a bit surprising given that it was full up campaign week last week," says ThinkHQ's Marc Henry.

13 per cent of Albertans would vote for the NDP, 12 per cent for the Liberals, the Alberta party would get 2 per cent of the vote and 1 per cent would vote for other.

Albertans will head to the polls April 23.


http://calgary.ctv.ca/servlet/.....algaryHome

[paisley_cross]

As an Easterner (one of those guys getting a regular care package from Alberta) I am watching the election with interest. I was in Alberta recently (Lethbridge and Calgary) and although avoided politics just being there was like a breath of fresh air when all us easterners have in the way of leadership are castrati such as McGunity and Charest.

I wish Ms Smith well tonight in the debate. Too bad neither the CBC nor CTV chose to show it live on their news networks although the CBC is video-streaming it.

I see Smith was covered in the Red Star yesterday and since they were talking about abortion and gay marriage I took it as effort on their part to brand her as some right-wing whacko.

[Progressive Tory]

Tonight should be a big night for sure. Alison Redford's performance in the final candidates debate in the leadership race seemed to be what won her the leadership. Danielle Smith is a strong public speaker but she will likely be the main focus of attacks. If Redford doesn't pull off a win tonight her campaign is likely toast, though even if she does win she's still far behind.

[RCO]

Few surprises in Alberta debate
Updated
7:43 am, April 13th, 2012
5:44 pm, April 12th, 2012



New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Brian Mason, Wildrose Alliance Party leader Danielle Smith, Progressive Conservative leader Alison Redford and Liberal leader Raj Sherman take their positions prior to a televised leaders' debate in Edmonton April 12, 2012.

Credits: REUTERS/Dan Riedlhuber


JACKIE L. LARSON | QMI AGENCY




EDMONTON -- There were few surprises but strong performances by all candidates in Thursday's Alberta provincial leadership debate.

The use of Alberta's oil wealth, health care, education and individual rights emerged as top topics in the debate.

Frontrunners Premier Alison Redford of the Progressive Conservatives and the Wildrose Party's Danielle Smith exchanged barbs on the use of Alberta's oilsands wealth, while all candidates took a shot at Smith's "Dani Dollars" program.

Recent Tory missteps weren't ignored - the "no-meet" committee got plenty of attention, and NDP Leader Brian Mason was the lone candidate calling for increased civility among candidates.

He joined Liberal Leader Raj Sherman, looking for votes in the centre with calls for fixing MLA pay.

All three opposition parties called for a rollback of the 30% cabinet pay hike of 2008, with Redford saying she'd wait for Justice John Major's MLA pay report, due shortly after the election.

http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/s.....74415.html

[Progressive Tory]

Smith supposedly won the debate so this should all but clear the way for her victory now. I don't know what could happen to turn around Redford's campaign, it was a misstep for her not to call the election sooner. I saw an article probably a month ago saying that people within the PC Party predicted they were set to win an even bigger majority.

[RCO]

Wildrose lead Tories by 17 points, new poll shows
Updated
8:50 pm, April 13th, 2012
8:19 pm, April 13th, 2012

BILL KAUFMANN | QMI AGENCY




CALGARY - Lingering concerns over the risk of a Wildrose government and its leader haven't dimmed Albertans' support for the party, according to a new poll.

An Abacus Data survey conducted April 5-10 shows the Wildrose widening its lead over the Tories to 17 points -- well within majority government range.

Acceptance of the party has grown despite stubborn uncertainty over its leader, Danielle Smith, considered too risky by 35% of respondents compared to 28% for Premier Alison Redford.

The PC leader also got the nod by 42% who said she's the most experienced to be premier versus 18% for Smith.

And 32% tagged the PCs as being ready to govern with the Wildrose scoring 27%.

But the perception of the Tories as being well past their shelf life and untrustworthy are powerful enough to negate those other concerns, said Abacus Data's Dr. David Coletto.

"The PCs are seen to be out-of-touch, willing to do anything to win votes," he said.

"The ready-to-govern lead is not as big as you'd expect."

With a polling lead of 46% to 29% for the Wildrose over the PCs, with the NDP at 12% and Liberals 10%, Smith's party seems to already appeal easily enough to voters regardless of the uncertainties, said Coletto.

"There's enough people not worried about it -- they don't need a majority or everybody to like them," he said.

As well, those polled found Smith personally more appealing in numerous categories.

In the sample, 46% viewed Smith positively with a 29% unfavourable rating, versus 43% and 34% for Redford.

But the bottom line is a commanding Wildrose lead almost everywhere, including a crushing 30% advantage in Calgary, Coletto said.

In Edmonton, the PCs have increased their lead by three points to 38% over the Wildrose's 31%.

Heading into the last week of the campaign, with Redford widely seen as not landing any knockout punches in Thursday's debate, things look grim for the PCs, Coletto said.

"The attacks by the Tories on Wildrose haven't worked ... some people said the Wildrose were peaking too soon, that they'd fall down to earth but it hasn't happened," he said.

Coletto said his firm's polling has shown a massive shift among traditional PC voters to the Wildrose,
And the Grits and NDP have failed to capitalize, with many Liberal supporters throwing their lot in with the PCs to stop Wildrose, he added.

The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.


http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/s.....01940.html

[RCO]

Straight Talk: Political suicide, Alberta-style

8:39 am, April 15th, 2012




Progressive Conservative leader Alison Redford during the Leader's Debate at Global Studios in Edmonton on Thursday, April 12, 2012.

Credits: CODIE MCLACHLAN/QMI AGENCY


EZRA LEVANT | QMI AGENCY

The federal Conservatives used to be called the Progressive Conservatives. Not anymore - they legally changed their name to the Conservatives. It's more accurate.
In the remaining eight days that the Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta will exist, let us be equally accurate, and call them just the Progressives. It's more accurate that way, too.

Under their liberal leader, Alison Redford, the Progressives have tried something new this election. They've run against Alberta.

That has worked for political leaders before. But they've usually been federal Liberals running against those scary western rednecks. It was safe for Jean Chretien and Paul Martin to run against Alberta when they knew they wouldn't get seats in the province anyways. It's novel for an Alberta politician to do the same.

For example, Redford says she is "frightened" by the Wildrose view on conscience rights. Redford says voting for the Wildrose would be a "stumble backward" to a less-tolerant society where not everyone is "included and respected."

Redford never quite speaks clearly - she prefers a fuzzy language of legalese and buzzwords, a tic she picked up in her years working for the United Nations. But her campaign surrogates fill in the blanks. Tom Olsen, a Progressive spokesman, warns that voting for the Wildrose will lead to a province-wide "bloodletting." Seriously, he says that.

Susan Elliott, the Progressive campaign manager, suggests there is a blacklist of "targets" for citizen-initiated referendums, part of the Wildrose plan.

"Ethnic minorities are targets. Gays and lesbians are targets." Seriously, she says that.

Elliott says that Danielle Smith, the leader of the Wildrose - a 41-year-old, modern woman - represents the "party of the middle-aged male."

But the Progressives aren't just using this "insult" against Wildrose. They're using it against their own party, too. The Progressives are running newspaper ads showing a greasy 1950s-era man wearing horn-rimmed glasses, with the slogan, "Not your father's PC party." They are running against middle Alberta - the people who gave them majority governments in every election since 1971. Olsen makes the ultimate insult: He says Wildrose is "being run by Reformers." He mocks Wildrose for receiving the endorsement of Deborah Grey, the first Reform MP elected back in 1989. Olsen says Albertans "don't want to go back" in time.

We've seen this campaign before. It's what the Toronto and Montreal-based Liberal Party ran against Preston Manning, then Stockwell Day, then Stephen Harper. It's smears and fear-mongering and accusations of bigoted secret agendas. It works well out east - it wasn't until just last year that the Conservatives finally won seats in Toronto. But it never worked in Alberta. Despite those slanders, Reform always won nearly every seat.

It's a smart approach for federal Liberals who purposefully write off Alberta. But it's suicide for an Alberta party. The Toronto Globe and Mail's endorsement won't pay off in Calgary or Fort McMurray.

Perhaps Redford thinks her personal appeal is strong. Maybe she thinks her choice of party colours - NDP orange - is better than old Tory blue. But she is not well known - she spent much of her adult life out of the country working for the UN and other organizations, and even applied to become a citizen of South Africa. She squeaked into her own riding with just 42% of the vote. You'd think someone like that wouldn't take potshots at the federal Conservatives, who won 67% of Alberta's vote.

The campaign isn't over yet. But Redford's debate performance was a dud, and the polls put her at least 10 points behind. The 41-year winning streak of the Alberta PCs is about to come to an end. They're about to be beaten by a conservative party called Wildrose. But equally to blame are the leftists who ran the Progressive campaign, and thought calling Albertans bigots would work as well in Calgary as it always did in Toronto.

http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/s.....83932.html

[machiavelli]

ALBERTA CAN'T PRODUCE A GENUINE CONSERVATIVE LEADER

What does it say about the pathetic state of authentic Canadian small-c fiscal/social conservatism when our province that is generally considered to be the most "conservative" can't generate a genuine small-c conservative to lead it?

[RCO]

Beyond Danielle Smith: Depth, diversity of Wildrose ranks in question

Keith Gerein, Postmedia News Apr 16, 2012 – 9:38 AM ET | Last Updated: Apr 16, 2012 12:31 PM ET


Dean Bicknell/Calgary Herald
Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith on horse back with Wildrose candidate Tom Copithorne by a bronze at a campaign stop at the Cochrane Ranche House, Thursday, April 05, 2012

Comments Email Twitter inShare3A CBC poll has Wildrose heading toward a majority

Wildrose: 43 per cent
PCs: 36 per cent
Liberals: 11 per cent
NDP: 9 per cent
Alberta Party: 1 per cent
EDMONTON — With less than a week before Albertans head to the ballot boxes in the closest election race in 20 years, questions are being raised over the depth of Wildrose ranks as pollsters put the untried party on track to form a majority government.

A new poll commissioned by the CBC has Wildrose capturing 43 per cent of the vote, seven points ahead of Alison Redford’s PCs on 36 per cent.

But should Wildrose win the April 23 Alberta election, leader Danielle Smith will head to the legislature with a mix of largely unknown political rookies both capable and controversial. Included in this group are pastor Allan Hunsperger, whose anti-gay Lady Gaga-inspired blog post created a furor on Sunday.

Smith has, in fact, described her nominees as “a group of regular Albertans who just want to fix things,” with none of the long-term politicians who have come to characterize the Progressive Conservatives.

But to form a majority government, the Wildrose must rise from its current group of four members of legislature to a minimum of 44, meaning many of those average Joes and Janes on the ballot would soon be thrust into powerful positions as cabinet ministers and committee chairs.

Related
Wildrose leader refuses to condemn candidate’s blog post decrying tolerance toward gay people

Dan Arnold: The brutally honest closing election pitches for each Alberta party

Michael Den Tandt: Wildrose’s rise in Alberta shouldn’t have surprised anyone, but it did

Still ‘a coin toss’ between Alison Redford and Danielle Smith following Alberta election debate: poll

In deciding on those posts, Smith would pick from a list of potential members of legislature that is overwhelmingly male, Caucasian and lacking in government experience. Just 11 of the of the party’s 87 candidates are women, compared to 39 for the NDP, 22 for the Tories, and 21 for the Liberals. The Wildrose also ranks behind other parties in nominees who are visible minorities.

As for the candidates’ backgrounds, the group boasts substantial numbers from oil and gas, agriculture, real estate and small business, but comparatively few with expertise in areas such as health, education and environment.

A handful of others come with socially conservative or otherwise inflammatory views that could make them lightning rods for criticism should they get elected. Along with Hunsperger, former Alberta Report editor Link Byfield and Calgary evangelical pastor Ron Leech, both of whom have opposed same-sex marriage and abortion, risk creating controversy.

Edmonton-South-West candidate Hunsperger wrote on his church’s blog in June 2011 that “accepting people the way they are is cruel and not loving.”

Using the Lady Gaga hit song Born this Way as a starting point, Hunsperger said gay people can choose “to not live the way they were born.”

“You can live the way you were born, and if you die the way you were born, then you will suffer the rest of eternity in the lake of fire, hell, a place of eternal suffering,” he wrote.

“In terms of the front line people, the people who could be ministers, it’s kind of a black hole, or the Bermuda triangle,” Mount Royal University political scientist David Taras says. “We really have no idea who 80 per cent of these people are.”

Taras notes that in a largely leader-driven campaign, local candidates for all parties typically do not receive the kind of wide scrutiny they deserve. In the Wildrose’s case, their poll numbers have been buoyed by disgust at the PCs, but it’s unclear if voters have asked whether the party has enough depth and diversity of experience to run a $41-billion government.


Lorraine Hjalte/Calgary Herald
Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith, with North Hills candidate Prasad Panda, visited the Hindu Temple at 2225 – 24th Ave. N.E. in Calgary on the election trail Sunday, April 15, 2012 in Calgary.

The question is legitimate, because no more than 18 of the party’s 87 candidates have previously held some form of political office, the vast majority from rural municipal councils. Others have run unsuccessfully for public office, such as Edmonton-Glenora candidate Don Koziak and Edmonton-Whitemud nominee Ian Crawford.

“It’s not just lack of government experience,” Taras says. “As a group, these aren’t people who have a great deal of high level business experience, or international experience either.”

One of those novice nominees is Travis Olson, a 28-year-old cattle farmer who is seeking the seat in Athabasca-Sturgeon-Redwater. While some voters may believe his age and skills are insufficient to take on the responsibilities of a member of legislature, Olson notes that his PC rival, Jeff Johnson, operated a Xerox office-supply agency before going on to become infrastructure minister.

“Everybody has to get started somewhere. I think the experience of running a substantial beef operation, managing staff, meeting payroll, balancing a chequebook — all of those are really important assets we need to have in government,” he says. “You have to make tough decisions all the time running your own business, and that’s part of what I’ll bring to the table.”

Candidates like Olson are representative of the party’s message to voters when it comes to the experience issue: if you want to avoid politics as usual, then you can’t field the usual politicians. Whereas the Tories are overstocked with career public servants who have lost touch with the public, the Wildrose offers more “real life” leaders, says Senate candidate Vitor Marciano.

As many as 33 Wildrose candidates have worked in the energy and agriculture sectors — giving Smith plenty of choice to fill those two ministerial roles. Several potential finance ministers are also available, among them current finance critic Rob Anderson.

As for areas such as health, education and environment — departments that eat up most of the province’s budget — there is considerably less experience.

In health, psychiatrist and former general practitioner Peter Robb, running in Edmonton-Manning, is one of the Wildrose’s only health professionals on the ballot, while Edmonton-Gold Bar nominee Linda Carlson spent five years as a policy analyst with Health Canada.

In Edmonton Centre, candidate Barb de Groot is one of the only Wildrose candidates who claims experience championing environmental sustainability.

Marciano responds that any imbalance of expertise can be conquered by other leadership qualities, such as judgment, a positive temperament and an ability to build consensus.

“You don’t always need to appoint a doctor to be health minister or a teacher to be education minister. Oftentimes, it’s better not to.”

Taras also notes the Wildrose has a number of sophisticated strategists and organizers, such as campaign manager Tom Flanagan. Some of these people could wind up with backroom jobs in a Wildrose government, providing the managerial skill and experience their candidates might initially lack.

Furthermore, turnover in political positions happens regularly, which is why the government depends on civil service managers to keep things running, says MacEwan University professor Chaldeans Mensah.

However, while a lack of experience might be overcome, the Wildrose still faces other troublesome perceptions of its team, including the lack of women and visible minorities.

“The party candidates do not come close to reflecting the diversity of Alberta and that’s a problem,” Taras says. “To govern successfully, you have to reflect the province. If they are a smart government, they would try to address those issues or make people feel comfortable.”

Marciano says his party would have preferred more women on the ballot, but many who wanted to run were hampered by the lack of a true fixed election date.

“Women tend to be better at planning their lives, so knowing when an election is going to be is a big thing.”


Edmonton Journal with files from James Wood and Tony Seskus, Calgary Herald

http://news.nationalpost.com/2.....-question/