Danielle Smith is nice enough, but she did a secret deal with the Alberta Tories, and thereby blew apart Wildrose. A Premier who can go toe-to-toe with Justin Trudeau.įourth and finally: the UCP needs a winner. That means finding a Premier who knows and understands Ottawa – but isn’t cowed by the federal Liberals, as Rachel Notley government would always be. Like it or not, energy is a shared jurisdiction between Ottawa and the provinces. Three, knowing which fights to have with Ottawa – and which fights to avoid. So, the UCP needs a leader who knows Harper-style discipline – but also Harper-style caucus management. Consultation with caucus, and respect for caucus, went out the window – and civil war broke out, big time. As Jason Kenney discovered the hard way, the discipline that was the hallmark of the Stephen Harper years, federally, has been sorely lacking in the UCP. So, the UCP needs a leader who attracts the support of Albertans of every colour, faith and sexual orientation. The homophobic, xenophobic tendencies of some in the UCP have alienated urban Alberta voters – who are much more diverse and tolerant than some in the UCP are prepared to accept. Well, let’s look at how the United Conservative Party got so unpopular, shall we? Let’s examine why a sitting majority Premier was recently forced out by his own party, and why an Alberta NDP win remains a strong possibility. So, the NDP can’t be permitted to form the next government in Alberta. And the federal NDP hates Western oil and gas. Because Alberta New Democrats may claim to also support the province’s most important sector – but Alberta’s NDP is formally part of the federal NDP. And I strongly feel that another Alberta NDP government is a bad, bad idea. Oh, and this: I love Alberta, and I enthusiastically support Western oil and gas. But some tell me my campaign record ain’t entirely bad: I have helped win six majority governments, federally and provincially – and I helped secure 70 per cent of the vote in the last Toronto mayoral race, one of the biggest city contests on the planet. So why should Albertans (generally) and UCP folks (specifically) listen to Yours Truly? And, yes: while I may have grown up in Alberta, I haven’t actually lived in Alberta for years. Yes: I worked on the presidential campaigns of the two Democratic Horsepeople of the Apocalypse, Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton. Yes: I was Special Assistant to that dastardly Liberal Prime Minister, Jean Chretien.
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