Premier Alison Redford’s abrupt resignation last week sent shockwaves across the province; now we wait with the rest of Alberta for the debris to settle.
Local MLA and Education Minister Jeff Johnson was an outspoken supporter of Redford, and his role in government grew under her leadership. Will Johnson’s allegiance to her negatively impact his political future?
Maybe Johnson will be the next leader of the PCs; many who watch Alberta politics closely have tagged him as a potential candidate. Is it a role he’s ready for, or even wants?
Or do Albertans agree that there is chronic dysfunction within the PC Party that no new leader can repair, and their 43-year-old stranglehold on power is coming to an end? How will that alter the local political landscape?
All this uncertainty comes when the ink is barely dry on a provincial budget that includes a new school in Athabasca, family care clinics, continued twinning of Highway 63 and more — none of which can be considered immune to whatever political changes occur over the next few months and years.
Right now, the ‘smart money’, as they say in gambling parlance, is off the table and back in your pocket. As of last week’s announcement, all bets are off.
