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Alberta Party

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This article is about an Alberta provincial party. For the similarly-named federal party, see Party of Alberta.
Alberta Party
LeaderSue Huff (Acting leader)
PresidentChris LaBossiere
FoundedSeptember 24, 1985 (September 24, 1985)
HeadquartersRed Deer, Alberta
IdeologyCentrism
Social Liberalism
Liberal Conservatism
Progressivism
Deliberative Democracy
Political positionCentre
ColoursBlue and Gold
Seats in the Legislative Assembly
1 / 83
Website
www.albertaparty.ca

The Alberta Party Political Association, known in its short form as the Alberta Party, is a political party in the province of Alberta, Canada. The party describes itself as a centrist and pragmatic party that is not dogmatically ideological in its approach to policy formation.[1][2]

For most of its history the Alberta Party was a right-wing organization, until the rise of the Wildrose Alliance as Alberta's main right-wing alternative to the governing Progressive Conservatives attracted away the Alberta Party's more conservative members. This left a small rump of centrists in control of the Alberta Party. In 2010 the Alberta Party board voted to merge with Renew Alberta, a progressive/centrist group that had been organizing to form a new political party in Alberta.[3] The Alberta Party thus shed its conservative past for a more centrist political outlook. The party has been cited in The Globe and Mail [4] and The Economist [5] as part of the break in one-party politics in Alberta.

History

Early history

The history of the Alberta Party begins in the early 1980s in an alliance of small right-wing political parties. The right side of Alberta's political spectrum was fragmented by parties spawned in the wake of the National Energy Program and feelings that Premier Peter Lougheed had done little to prevent the economic collapse it had caused. Some of these parties had already achieved some small success in attaining seats in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, though the 1982 general election had seen Social Credit, the Alberta Reform Movement and the Western Canada Concept lose their representation in the Legislature. The preceding years had seen the birth of the Heritage Party of Alberta, Representative Party of Alberta and the Confederation of Regions, which made for a total of five parties to the right of the Progressive Conservatives in 1985. This coalition of parties took another blow in 1989, when the Social Credit Party withdrew its support from the Alliance.

On October 30, 1990 this alliance of parties gave way to the creation of a new political party in itself, the Alliance Party of Alberta.[6] This change marked a transition away from trying to build a coalition of parties to full participation in electoral politics. The party participated in two by-elections, as well as fielding a handful of candidates in the 1993 general election but received only a small percentage of the popular vote in each case.[7] The party did not contest the 1997 provincial election.[8]

Alberta Party

Acting leader Susan Huff.

In 1998, the Alliance Party followed the example of the Saskatchewan Party and the Manitoba Party by changing its name to the Alberta Party Political Association, or the Alberta Party for short.[9] Shortly before the 2004 election, the Alberta Party attempted to merge with the Alberta Alliance Party. The failed deal would have guaranteed all Alberta Party candidates nominations in the riding of their choosing. The merged party would have adopted the Alberta Party platform, and Alberta party provincial council would have had seats on the Alberta Alliance Provincial Council. The deal fell through because the Alberta Party would not agree to de-register the Alberta Party name with Elections Alberta.[citation needed]

The Alberta Party invited Paul Hinman MLA and Alberta Alliance Leader and Lavern Ahlstrom the Alberta Social Credit Party Leader to speak at the Alberta Party annual convention in Red Deer with the hopes of fostering new cooperation between right-of-centre parties to oppose the Progressive Conservatives.[citation needed]

In the 2004 provincial election, the party nominated candidates in four ridings, winning a total of 2,485 votes, or 0.3% of the provincial total. This was a reduction of 0.6% from the previous election. The party managed to field just one candidate, Margaret Saunter, for the March 3 2008 provincial election. Saunter placed last out of a field of six candidates in Edmonton Centre, capturing just 0.46% of the vote.

Ideological shift and party renewal

After the rise of the Wildrose Alliance as Alberta's main right-wing alternative to the governing Progressive Conservatives, most of the right-wing members of the Alberta Party left to join the Wildrose Alliance. This left a small rump of more centrist members in control of the party. In 2009, former Green Party of Alberta deputy leader Edwin Erickson, who had been in the process of organizing a new "Progress Party", was invited to run as a leadership candidate for the Alberta Party instead and won by acclamation. In 2010 the Alberta Party board voted to merge with Renew Alberta, a progressive/centrist group that had been organizing to form a new political party.[3]

During the merger process, the party's board agreed to suspend its old policy platform and start anew. To create a new platform different from its more right-wing history, in 2010 the party launched a campaign called "The Big Listen" in order to canvass the public for new policy ideas.[10][11] The party held its first policy convention on November 13 and 14, 2010 to develop substantive policies from the ideas heard during the Big Listen. At the convention, Erickson stepped down to make way for an acting leader until a leadership contest could be held. A first set of policies was released on November 23, 2010, to coincide with the announcement of the appointment of an acting leader, Sue Huff. These policies centred on five key areas: Economy, Health, Environment, Democratic Renewal and Education.[12] On January 24, former Liberal MLA Dave Taylor announced he was joining the Alberta Party, becoming the party's first MLA.[13]

2011 leadership election

Main article: Alberta Party leadership election, 2011

It was announced in January 2011 that a leadership election will be held in Edmonton on May 28, 2011.[14] Three candidates have so far declared their intentions to run for the leadership of the party: Glenn Taylor, mayor of Hinton, Alberta; Tammy Maloney, a former petroleum industry business analyst; and Chris Tesarski, current CEO of Sandbox Energy Corporation.[15] There is speculation that Dave Taylor, the party's only MLA, may also run for the leadership.[16]

Current MLAs

Leaders and election summary

Leaders Start End Banner Election Candidates Seats Vote %
Howard Thompson 1986 1993 Alberta Political Alliance No elections contested
Alliance Party Little Bow by-election March 5, 1992 1 0 399 7.14%
Three Hills by-election October 26, 1992 1 0 566 5.47%
Mark Waters 1993 1997 1993 general election 4 0 3,548 0.36%
George Flake 1997 1999 No elections contested
Fred Schorning 1999 2001 Alberta Party 2001 general election Coalition with Social Credit
George Flake 2001 2004 No elections contested
Bruce Stubbs 2004 2009 2004 general election 4 0 2,485 0.30%
2008 general election 1 0 51 0.01%
Robert Leddy 2009 January 28, 2010 No elections contested
Edwin Erickson January 28, 2010 November 22, 2010 No elections contested
Sue Huff November 23, 2010 Present No elections yet contested

References

  1. ^ About the Party | Alberta Party
  2. ^ http://www.drumhellermail.com/home/local-news/9488-alberta-party-talks-policy-with-drumheller-councillors.html
  3. ^ a b http://www.renewalberta.ca/
  4. ^ http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/opinion/albertas-one-party-system-is-cracking-up/article1890728/. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. ^ http://www.economist.com/node/18010841. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. ^ Thirteenth Annual Report of the Chief Electoral Officer of Alberta. Elections Alberta. 1991.
  7. ^ "Calgary Currie Official Election Results 1993". Alberta Heritage. Retrieved 2008-03-22.
  8. ^ "1997 Alberta Provincial General Election Information". Elections Alberta. February 25, 1997. Retrieved 2008-07-06.
  9. ^ Nineteenth Annual Report of the Chief Electoral Officer of Alberta. Elections Alberta. 1999.
  10. ^ breakfast with the new alberta party. | daveberta.ca
  11. ^ FFWD - Calgary News & Views - News - The Alberta Party coming soon to a living room near you
  12. ^ Alberta Party announces Acting Leader and releases first policies to Albertans | Alberta Party
  13. ^ Dave Taylor, MLA for Calgary Currie joins the Alberta Party | Alberta Party
  14. ^ Alberta Party kicks off leadership race | Alberta Party
  15. ^ Oil exec to run for Alberta Party leadership
  16. ^ Braid: Ex-Liberal Calgary MLA Dave Taylor to join Alberta Party


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