EDMONTON — There were more political tremors in Alberta on Tuesday when David Swann said he will step down as provincial Liberal leader after the spring sitting of the legislature.
Swann’s dive came exactly one week after Premier Ed Stelmach said he would not seek re-election, and days after Ted Morton quit as finance minister to run to replace him as Conservative leader.
Swann, who has been Opposition chief for two years, refused to explain why he is leaving now instead of driving hard to make political gains at the Tories’ expense.
“Let me be very clear,” he told a news conference. “This decision was mine and mine alone, as is the timing.
“As we have all seen over the past few weeks, the political landscape of Alberta is in danger of shifting sharply to the far right. The Liberal party remains the only real alternative that presents a positive voice for moderate change.”
Swann said he will stay on as member of the legislature for Calgary Mountain View so he can focus on his two big concerns: health care and the environment.
Swann, a former medical health officer, won his party’s leadership in 2008 when Kevin Taft stepped down after the party lost almost half its seats in the provincial election.
But Swann failed to make gains in the polls, despite Stelmach’s shaky performance and party turmoil.
The Liberals hold eight of the 83 seats in the legislature but they have been overshadowed by smaller parties, including the NDP and the right-of-centre Wildrose Alliance. There is also the new moderate Alberta Party. Its only elected member is David Taylor, a former Liberal who cited Swann’s leadership style when he quit last year
Though respected for his intellect and character, Swann, 61, seemed out of his element in the hurly-burly of party politics. He struggled to get the Liberal message out while other leaders such as the NDP’s Brian Mason and Danielle Smith of the Wildrose were quick to comment on issues of the day.
Mason watched Swann’s resignation announcement and wished his rival well. He likened the news to an aftershock in the seismic shift that is rumbling through Alberta politics.
“There are new fracture points in politics that run through the Conservatives and run through the Liberal party,” Mason said.
“I think we are seeing the Wildrose Alliance splitting the conservative vote and we are also seeing the Alberta Party kind of eat away at the Liberals from within.”
Former Tory Raj Sherman, who was also on hand to watch Swann quit, was quick to say he hasn’t ruled out seeking the Liberal leadership.
Sherman, also a physician, was punted from Stelmach’s caucus last fall after he openly and repeatedly criticized the government over the quality of care in Alberta hospital emergency rooms. Swann was criticized by Liberal insiders for failing to make enough political hay with health issues.
“This is really a battle over health care,” Sherman said moments after Swann’s announcement.
“I am going to be entering the house as an Independent. All options are open, but the No. 1 option for me is to fix the public health system.”
Stelmach praised Swann for his years of public service.
“Although we did not always see eye-to-eye on the issues, I commend Dr. Swann for his interest and efforts in maintaining civil political discourse, both inside and outside the legislature.”
Party president Eric Ambtman praised Swann for helping reduce the Liberal’s $400,000 debt and for modernizing the way the party is run.