Comments on David Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Did Forlorn Friday’s leak of Snelgrove resignation...

Jerry: I thought that was sorta the point of this ...

2012-01-29T11:22:33.232-07:00

Jerry: I thought that was sorta the point of this post. I'm certainly not saying you'd only get the "best" people if you recruited in the big cities! My complaint is that in a lot of places in Alberta there is NO political culture other than the Conservative party and that this is a problem for us because many fine people, who would not be Tories in any other province, choose that route to make a contribution to their communities and, as a result, end up doing more harm than good.

Dave: "…Who the heck are these people, anyway...

2012-01-29T09:20:13.246-07:00

Dave: "…Who the heck are these people, anyway?…" Love 'em or hate 'em, you do need to realize that in a constituency-based, first-past-the-post electoral system, people who are well known in the local community are often highly viable candidates for any political party with aspirations for government, not just the PCs. For example, in Grande Prairie-Smoky, the seat currently held by retiring MLA and former minister Mel Knight, County of Grande Prairie Reeve Everett McDonald was successful in winning the nomination against two other candidates. The County of Grande Prairie No. 1 encompasses most of the rural and suburban territory surround the City of Grande Prairie, and many of its residents work and play in the City; on the other hand, many City residents work in the County. Most of the voters will know who McDonald is, which makes him a highly credible candidate in the upcoming general election.

The New Democrats have chosen a somewhat less well-known but deep-rooted candidate in Mary Dahr, a medical lab technologist at the QE II Hospital who has been active in organized labour and feminist issues (including organizing "Take Back the Night" candlelight vigils).

The Wildrosers have chosen a Valleyview-area farmer, Todd Loewen, about whom I know little. I don't think the Liberals have even a sniff of a candidate. It will be interesting to see whether Loewen siphons off enough votes from McDonald in this traditionally low-turnout constituency to allow Dahr to "come up the middle", given the lack of a strong Liberal to similarly siphon off centre and centre-left votes.

I love your comments about how Alberta resembles t...

2012-01-29T01:44:41.805-07:00

I love your comments about how Alberta resembles the former Soviet Union. I remember a time when the New Democratic Party changed its name to the New Democrats because of the left-wing association the word "party" had for many Albertan--or so the reasoning went. Ironic, isn't it, that so many Alberta who like to rail against "socialists," "leftists," and "commies" are perfectly happy to behave like citizens of Stalinist Bulgaria?