Red Deer MLAs say they were taken back by Premier Ed Stelmach’s announcement on Tuesday that he will resign before the next election.
Mary Anne Jablonski, MLA for Red Deer North and minister of Seniors and Community Supports, said she was surprised the premier made this kind of announcement at this time.
But Stelmach was determined to take responsibility for the slip in the Alberta Progressive Conservative’s popularity, she said.
“He could see in the polls that the party was not in the best favour with Albertans,” said Jablonski.
“He did put his party and his province first.”
She said Stelmach served with “loyalty and distinction” for 25 years in the legislature.
A date for a leadership convention has not been set. Jablonski said it was unlikely she would run for the PC leadership.
On Tuesday, Stelmach notified the party that he would be resigning. He has not officially resigned yet.
“I believe the government wants to see the budget through in the next session,” Jablonski said.
The legislature is back in session on Feb. 22 and the budget will come down within the next week.
Red Deer South MLA Cal Dallas said he was “absolutely surprised” by the announcement.
“It was a complete surprise. There was no hint of it,” said the first-term member.
He said the party caucus will meet in the next few days in Calgary and the leadership issue is sure to be high on the agenda.
Dallas also said the party is not in turmoil, as some critics have suggested.
“Sure there’s been some decisions made along the way, but I believe we’ve stayed on course.”
“I think we’ve done a good job of working effectively as a team,” Dallas added.
He also said the party caucus has not been upset and wasn’t ready to rebel should Stelmach have decided to stay on as leader.
Dallas didn’t care to speculate on who would throw their hat in the ring to succeed as party leader.
He said several people will probably weigh their options and give it careful consideration before announcing their candidacy.
He paid tribute to Stelmach, saying the premier has given much to not only his 17 years in provincial politics but his eight years before that as a municipal leader in his hometown of Vegreville.
“That many years is a tribute to the man because it takes a toll on you and your family,” Dallas said.
Dallas said any decision he makes regarding another attempt to run in Red Deer South won’t be made without consultation with his wife and family.
Red Deer Mayor Morris Flewwelling said Stelmach’s tenure as premier has been excellent for Alberta municipalities.
“This government and Mr. Stelmach have done a good job of recognizing that municipalities are the engines of the economy.”
He said Alberta leads all Canadian provinces in building and rebuilding municipal infrastructure.
The mayor said the government has been responsive to the needs of municipalities, especially early on when a few problems arose but were quickly dealt with by the government.
“Stelmach came from municipal politics so he understood the revenue sharing and imbalance of revenue for municipalities.”
Flewwelling said the province has provided funding for extra policing, housing and homelessness and the municipal stainability initiative.
“I haven’t agreed with all the things the government has done but on a broader perspective its honesty and ethics are beyond reproach,” the mayor added.
NDP Leader Brian Mason suggested Stelmach was caught between ideologies.
“There’s a growing contradiction in Alberta politics between the right-wing people who tend to support the Wildrose Alliance, who want budget cuts, and . . . the majority of the population who want to maintain public services,” he said.
Mason said there had been rumblings that Stelmach was stepping down.
He said he thought the resignation would have been later than it was.
“It caught me off guard.
“It’s obvious that he’s been struggling as has the PC party for some time,” Mason said.
He said many Tory MLAs are worried about getting re-elected.
“The PC party can change its leader but it can’t change its stripes.”
Mason said his party will have to step up their preparations for another election.
Stelmach said his successor has no obligation to go to the polls until the spring of 2013.
Mason thinks the election call will be sooner than later.
“My message to NDP members is we have to accelerate our plans and start raising the necessary funds and start putting candidates in place.”
Mason said Alberta health care will continue to be under threat if the Conservatives or Wildrose Alliance are in power.
“We need to elect more New Democrats in the legislature to stand up for our public health-care system.”
In his announcement, Stelmach spoke about the danger of a negative attack, American-style election in Alberta.
New Alberta Party MLA Dave Taylor agreed.
“We know where that style of politics leads. It leads to polarization, to divisiveness, a state where it’s very, very difficult to act in the public interest,” Taylor said.
“I think he’s identified a very real threat.”
On Monday, Taylor announced that he was joining the fledgling Alberta Party. He resigned from the Liberal Party in April and has been sitting as an independent.
Taylor said despite Stelmach’s impending resignation, the Alberta Party still has time to get its name out to Albertans.
“(Alberta Party’s) planning was well underway for a steady and fairly fast rollout of constituency association and nomination process for candidates for the next election.”
The Alberta Party won’t be the only party playing catch-up. The PCs also have a lot of work to do because they have lost touch with the public, Taylor said.
“I don’t think a change at the top is enough to change things around.”
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