Will Alison Redford’s resignation as premier be enough to stave off the opposition and return the ruling Tory dynasty to power in 2016?
It’s probably too soon to say for sure, but in the short-term it was without a doubt the right decision.
Regardless of which side of the political spectrum you hail from, or which particular party you owe your own allegiances to, the ongoing distractions of over-priced flights and spending scandals weren’t serving the interests of any Albertans.
Whether she personally had done anything bad enough to warrant being turfed as leader is a matter of great debate — one that will hopefully now take place somewhere other than the front pages and nightly newscasts of the major media outlets.
Kudos to her for recognizing that she was losing the ability to credibly lead this province and stepping aside. Unfortunately, this leaves the average Albertan once again in the position of being cut out of the process of electing our new Premier, and once again we may find ourselves on the outside as party loyalists put candidates through the paces and ultimately choose this province’s chief elected official on our behalf.
This isn’t likely to dismay those who support the Progressive Conservatives, as one of their own will end up in the captain’s seat regardless.
But if the polls are too believed — even taking them with a big grain of salt — the majority of Albertans are now looking to the various opposition parties to represent them.
And those opposition parties are all very quick to point out that while Redford may have displayed some poor judgment that ultimately proved her to be incapable of leading this province, the fault lies as much with the 42-year ruling dynasty as it does with the individual leader.
A party that has been in power so long — and seems to look less and less like Peter Lougheed’s Progressive Conservatives of the 1970s — is bound to begin to take for granted that it is above reproach.
How this story concludes is still anyone’s guess. Poll numbers seem to indicate the Tories are on their way out, but those same polls suggested the Wildrose would win the last election.
But one thing that’s undeniable is that Albertans are looking for our leaders to do things differently. Here’s hoping for some change — whatever form that takes.
