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Wildrose Party

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Template:Infobox Canadian provincial political party

The Wildrose Alliance Party of Alberta is a fiscally conservative provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. It includes both libertarian and socially conservative factions and was formed in 2008 following a merger of the Wildrose Party and the Alberta Alliance. The party, lead by Danielle Smith, seeks to become a centre-right alternative to the governing Progressive Conservatives (PC).

It first contested 2008 provincial election, but captured less than seven percent of the popular vote and failed to win a seat in the Legislative Assembly. Support for the party rose sharply in 2009 as voters grew increasingly frustrated with the government, resulting in a surprise win by outgoing leader Paul Hinman in an October by-election. The party's popularity continued to increase following Smith's election as leader, and by December 2009, the Wilrose Alliance was the leading party in opinion polls with 39 percent support, 14 points ahead of both the governing PCs and the opposition Liberals. Wildrose's caucus grew to three members when two former PC members of the Legislative Assembly defected to join in January 2010.

History

Founding and 2008 general election

The Wildrose Alliance was formed on January 19, 2008 following a merger between two small conservative parties: the Wildrose Party of Alberta and the Alberta Alliance Party.[1] The two parties had similar policies, and hoped that a union would allow the new party to present a stronger front for an anticipated election in the spring of 2008.[2] Paul Hinman, the new party's only sitting Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) was named the first leader.[1] As expected, the Progressive Conservative (PC) government announced that the 27th Alberta general election would be held on March 3, 2008. The Wildrose Alliance attempted to position itself as a conservative alternative to the governing PC party, hoped to win four seats to gain official party status, and released a platform that promised fixed election dates, increasing personal tax exemptions, elimination of health care premiums, the creation of an Alberta Pension Plan, and a reworking of the controversial changes the PC government made to the oil and gas royalty regime.[3]

Divisions appeared to form within the party shortly before the election call, as party president Rob James, formerly of the Wildrose Party, resigned claiming that a merger had happened in name only.[4] Political experts dismissed the Alliance, arguing that such grassroots parties rarely gained popularity with the voting public,[5] while both the Alliance and the PCs were both given failing grades by lobby groups over their environmental platforms.[6] Polls prior to the election put the Alliance in a distant third place with the support of just six percent of decided voters, behind the PC's 40 percent and the Alberta Liberal Party's 18 percent, though a large segment of the population remained undecided.[7]

An anticipated backlash against the governing PCs failed to materialize, as Premier Ed Stelmach extended his party's seat total to 72 from 60.[8] While the Alliance finished second in eight ridings across the province, they failed to win any seats as Hinman lost his Cardston-Taber-Warner riding by just 39 votes.[9] Running candidates in 61 of the province's 83 ridings, the Alliance took 6.78% of the vote, fourth behind the PCs, Liberals and New Democrats.[10] Hinman considered stepping down as leader in the aftermath of the election, but with the endorsement of the party chose to remain in the position at least until the party's next general meeting and leadership review.[11]

2009 leadership race

Further information: Wildrose Alliance Party of Alberta leadership election, 2009

Hinman announced on April 20, 2009, that he would step down as leader at the party's June convention, stating that he always intended to serve only as an interim leader.[12] Former Canadian Federation of Independent Business provincial director Danielle Smith and Mark Dyrholm, a chiropractor in Calgary, announced their candidacy at the June convention.[13] Author Jeff Willerton stood as the third candidate in the race until he withdrew in support of Dyrholm.[14] The party viewed the leadership race with optimism, announcing that its membership was growing rapidly as Albertans grew increasingly frustrated with the Stelmach government's performance.[15]

Growing opposition to the government's oil and gas royalty program, a record $4.7 billion deficit in 2009,[16] and the PC's "liberal spending" facilitated the growth of the party.[17] The party began to attract former Reform Party of Canada supporters along with high profile former members of the provincial Progressive Conservatives, including former premier Ralph Klein's father.[18][19] Using the slogan "Send Ed a message" as a rallying cry,[20] Paul Hinman sought to take advantage of public discontent as he ran in a September by-election in the Calgary-Glenmore riding.[21] He surprised political observers by capturing 37 percent of the vote, narrowly defeating Liberal opponent Avalon Roberts to win the election and gain the Wildrose Alliance its first seat in the legislature. The Tories, who had held the riding uninterrupted since 1969, fell to third place.[22] Political observers argued the result was more a protest against the Stelmach government than firm support for the Alliance, though it gave the party a momentum as it prepared to vote for a leader.[23]

"Every 30 or 40 years, we get tired of the government that’s in power and we sweep them out and we look to a new alternative. I think we have an opportunity to catch one of those historic waves.

Danielle Smith upon being named Wildrose Alliance leader[24]

Smith and Dyrholm both attempted to capitalize on the party's election win, proclaiming that Albertans wanted change and that each of them would lead the Wildrose Alliance to a victory in the next general election.[25] The party experienced a considerable growth heading into the leadership vote, announcing it had 11,670 members at the beginning of October, compared to 1,800 in June.[26] Smith was elected the new leader at the convention held in Edmonton on October 17.[27] Described as "Canada's Sarah Palin",[28] she was viewed as the the most credible threat to the Conservative government.[29][30]

Danielle Smith era

Upon her election, Smith sought to continue the party's growth, focusing her efforts on fundraising and a search for strong candidates.[24] The party hopes to form constituency associations in each riding and have a full slate of candidates selected by 2011,[31] though a general election does not have to be called until the spring of 2013.[32] She announced the creation of task forces to develop a detailed energy policy,[33] and to independently determine elected Members wages and benefits.[34]

The party faced controversy when Smith's chief of staff, Stephen Carter, was forced to apologize after earning criticism for a Twitter posting that mocked the way Premier Stelmach speaks.[35] Carter resigned a week after the posting, though he claimed the controversy was not the reason behind his decision.[36]

The Wildrose Alliance's growth was evident the polls. Shortly before Smith's election, a Return on Insight poll found that the Alliance had the support of 22 percent of respondents.[37] By early November, the party had improved to 28 percent according to an Environics poll, firmly in second place and six points behind the Conservatives.[38] By December, they topped the Tories, leading with 39 percent support according to an Angus Reid poll, while the Conservatives had fallen into a second place tie with the Liberals at 25 percent.[32] The party revealed at the same time that it had grown to over 13,000 members.[39]

Amidst this wave of popularity, Smith announced on January 4, 2010 that two former Conservative MLAs had crossed the floor. Rob Anderson and former cabinet minister Heather Forsyth announced that they had joined the Wildrose Alliance after growing frustrated with Ed Stelmach's leadership, accusing the Conservative government of being undemocratic.[40] The defections moved the Alliance past the New Democrats to become the third largest party in the Legislature,[41]

Policy and identity

Danielle Smith identifies herself as a fiscal conservative and while she believes in libertarian policies,[42] the party is also made up of social conservatives.[43] She hopes to make the Wildrose Alliance into a "mainstream, big tent, centre-right" party that can stand as an alternative to the Progressive Conservative government.[44] Opponents have attempted to paint the party as being extremist; Liberal leader David Swann, in congratulating Smith on her election as leader, argued that Albertans would be "uneasy" with the "rather extreme, socially conservative, economically irresponsible vision of the party".[45] Smith stated that controversial social issues such as abortion and gay marriage would not play a part in the party's election platform.[46]

Two task forces were created in late 2009 to help build party policy. The energy task force was announced first with the mandate to review the government's controversial changes to the provincial oil royalty scheme and the process for energy transmission, both of which the Alliance argues has damaged Alberta's economy.[33] The second task force was created to scrutinize the pay and benefits of MLAs and government employees.[34] The party plans to launch additional task forces early in 2010, including those focused on agriculture and health care.[47]

Election reform is a focus of the Wildrose Alliance. The party proposes to set fixed election dates rather than the current format which allows the Premier to call an election at any time. It would allow more free votes in the legislature and would seek to elect the province's Senators rather than have them appointed by the Prime Minister.[48] The party also plans to introduce a bill giving voters the right to recall their MLA.[49] The Alliance proposes numerous changes to how the province delivers health care, which it claims will remain compliant with the Canada Health Act, as well as controls on government spending.[46] The party is also critical of international climate change treaties, believing the science "is not settled" on the issue.[47] Opposing politicians have criticized the Wildrose Alliance's policies as vague and undefined, while supporters have praised the party under Smith as being "refreshing".[46]

Current MLAs

The Wildrose Alliance currently has three sitting MLAs. Paul Hinman was the first MLA elected by the party and is in his second term as a member of the Legislature. His by-election victory in Calgary was viewed as potentially signaling a shift in provincial politics.[50] Rob Anderson is a first term MLA who has pushed for a return to fiscal responsibility within the Alberta government.[51] Heather Forsyth is a former cabinet minister in the Ralph Klein government and sat as a member of the Conservatives from her first election in 1993 until joining the Wildrose Alliance in 2010.[52]

Member Riding
Rob Anderson Airdrie-Chestermere
Heather Forsyth Calgary Fish Creek
Paul Hinman Calgary-Glenmore

Election results

2008 general election

Party Party leader # of
candidates 		Seats Popular vote
2004 Dissol. 2008 % Change # % % Change

Template:Canadian politics/party colours/Progressive Conservatives/row

Progressive Conservative Ed Stelmach 83 62 60 72 +20% 501,028 52.66% +5.83%

Template:Canadian politics/party colours/Liberal/row

Liberal Kevin Taft 82 16 16 9 -43.8% 250,862 26.37% -2.99%

Template:Canadian politics/party colours/NDP/row

NDP Brian Mason 83 4 4 2 -50% 81,043 8.52% -1.69%

Template:Canadian politics/party colours/Canadian Alliance/row

Wildrose Alliance Paul Hinman 61 1 1 - -100% 64,370 6.77% -1.93%1

Template:Canadian politics/party colours/Green/row

Greens George Read 79 - - - - 43,563 4.58% +1.82%

Template:Canadian politics/party colours/Social Credit/row

Social Credit Len Skowronski 8 - - - - 2,051 0.22% -1.00%

Template:Canadian politics/party colours/SeparationAB/row

Separation Bruce Hutton 1 - - - - 120 0.01% -0.52%

Template:Canadian politics/party colours/Communist/row

Communist Naomi Rankin 2 - - - - 96 0.01% xx

Template:Canadian politics/party colours/Alberta Party/row

Alberta Party Bruce Stubbs 1 - - - - 51 0.01% -0.27%

Template:Canadian politics/party colours/Independents/row

Independent 7 - 1 - -100% 8,267 0.87% +0.76%
Vacant 1  
Total 407 83 83 83 - 951,451 100%  

2009 Calgary-Glenmore by-election

September 14, 2009 by-election results Turnout 40.53% Swing
Affiliation Candidate Votes % Party Personal

Template:Canadian politics/party colours/Canadian Alliance/row

Wildrose Alliance Paul Hinman 4,052 36.74% 28.67% *

Template:Canadian politics/party colours/Liberal/row

Liberal Avalon Roberts 3,776 34.24% 1.07%

Template:Canadian politics/party colours/Progressive Conservatives/row

Progressive Conservative Diane Colley-Urquhart 2,863 25.96% -24.71% *

Template:Canadian politics/party colours/NDP/row

NDP Eric Carpendale 148 1.34% -2.42% *

Template:Canadian politics/party colours/Social Credit/row

Social Credit Len Skowronski 118 1.07% *

Template:Canadian politics/party colours/Independent/row

Independent Antoni Grochowski 71 0.64% *
Total 11,028 100%
Rejected, Spoiled and Declined ?
27,212 Eligible Electors

References

  1. ^ a b "Wildrose Alliance Party born in Alberta". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2008-01-19. Retrieved 2010-01-03.
  2. ^ "Alta. parties could merge for anticipated election". CTV News. 2008-01-02. Retrieved 2010-01-03.
  3. ^ "Wildrose Alliance unveils Alberta election platform; targets premier Ed Stelmach". Canadian Press. 2008-02-09. Retrieved 2010-01-03.
  4. ^ "Wildrose party president resigns". Calgary Herald. 2008-02-01. Retrieved 2010-01-03.
  5. ^ "Alberta merger unlikely to alter political landscape: expert". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2008-01-21. Retrieved 2010-01-03.
  6. ^ "Environmental group grades parties". Edmonton Journal. 2008-02-20. Retrieved 2010-01-03.
  7. ^ Jones, Jeffrey (2008-02-29). "Undecided voters cloud future of Alberta leader". Reuters. Retrieved 2010-01-03.
  8. ^ "'Ed, Ed, Ed,' chant triumphant Tories". Calgary Herald. 2008-03-04. Retrieved 2010-01-03.
  9. ^ "Wildrose Alliance shut out". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2008-03-03. Retrieved 2010-01-03.
  10. ^ "Participants and results of the 2008 election" (PDF). Elections Alberta. Retrieved 2010-01-03.
  11. ^ "Wildrose Alliance holds key conference call in wake of election drubbing". Canadian Press. 2008-03-09. Retrieved 2010-01-03.
  12. ^ "Paul Hinman will step down as Wildrose-Alliance party leader after losing seat". Canadian Press. 2009-04-21. Retrieved 2010-01-03.
  13. ^ Dormer, Dave (2009-06-07). "Alberta Wildrose party to name leader". Calgary Sun. Retrieved 2010-01-03.
  14. ^ "Wildrose Alliance leadership candidates face upbeat crowd". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2009-09-17. Retrieved 2010-01-03.
  15. ^ Cotter, John (2009-05-06). "Former Canadian independent business leader considers Alberta party leadership bid". Canadian Press. Retrieved 2010-01-03.
  16. ^ Steward, Gillian (2009-05-12). "Wildrose watches its garden grow". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
  17. ^ Libin, Kevin (2009-07-09). "Wildrose Alliance sets sights on Alberta conservatives". National Post. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
  18. ^ McIntyre, Doug (2009-09-10). "Ralph's dad 'changing stripes'". Edmonton Sun. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
  19. ^ Diotte, Kerry (2009-08-12). "Many former Reformers backing Wildrose Alliance: leadership hopeful". Edmonton Sun. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help); Unknown parameter |url-= ignored (help)
  20. ^ Kohler, Nicholas (2009-09-10). "Sending Ed a message". Macleans Magazine. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
  21. ^ Bell, Rick (2009-09-13). "Ed no help to Tory candidate". Calgary Sun. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
  22. ^ "Wildrose Alliance wins Calgary-Glenmore by-election". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2009-09-14. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
  23. ^ Audette, Trish (2009-10-09). "Wildrose success attributed to governing Tories". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
  24. ^ a b White, Tarina (2009-10-19). "Wave of change could topple Tories". Calgary Sun. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
  25. ^ "Wildrose Alliance leadership candidates face upbeat crowd". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2009-10-17. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
  26. ^ Audette, Trish (2009-10-08). "Wildrose suppor blooms". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
  27. ^ "Smith elected Wildrose Party leader". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2009-10-17. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
  28. ^ Barrera, Jorge (2009-10-25). "Canada's Sarah Palin? Wildrose leader is compared to conservative star". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
  29. ^ Taube, Michael (2009-09-22). "Smith may be Stelmach's big nightmare". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
  30. ^ Braid, Don (2009-10-18). "Smart choice for a growing political force". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
  31. ^ Bennett, Dean (2009-12-14). "Alberta's Wildrose Alliance to hit rubber chicken circuit in 2010". Canadian Press. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
  32. ^ a b Liebrecht, Richard (2009-12-13). "Wildrose growing strong: party rep". Calgary Sun. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
  33. ^ a b "Wildrose Alliance drafts two critics for energy task force". Calgary Herald. 2009-11-11. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
  34. ^ a b "Wildrose Alliance scrutinizes MLA pay". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2009-11-19. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
  35. ^ Audette, Trish (2009-11-21). "Wildrose staffer sorry for making fun of premier". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
  36. ^ Kauffmann, Bill; Schneider, Katie (2009-11-25). "Wildrose staffer calls it quits". Calgary Sun. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
  37. ^ D'Aliesio, Renata (2009-10-14). "Stelmach poised for speech amid sagging polls". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
  38. ^ Fekete, Jason (2009-11-05). "Alberta Tories slide, Wildrose gains in new poll". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
  39. ^ "Albertans eyeing Wildrose Alliance". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2010-01-04. {{cite web}}: Text "date-2009-12-29" ignored (help)
  40. ^ "2 Alberta MLAs join upstart Wildrose party". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2010-01-04. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
  41. ^ Fekete, Jason (2010-01-04). "Alberta Conservative dynasty erodes as Tory MLAs defect to upstart Wildrose Alliance". National Post. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
  42. ^ "Wildrose party leader to run for Calgary seat". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2009-10-19. Retrieved 2010-01-06.
  43. ^ Steele, Andrew (2009-10-19). "Safe change". Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2010-01-06.
  44. ^ Thompson, Graham (2009-10-18). "Are Albertans ready for the change Wildrose offers?". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
  45. ^ Ho, Clara (2009-10-18). "Grits and NDP welcome leader to the fray". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 2010-01-06.
  46. ^ a b c Fekete, Jason (2009-11-10). "Wildrose unveils its vision". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 2010-01-06.
  47. ^ a b D'Alesio, Renata (2009-12-22). "Wildrose becomes unlikely contender". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 2010-01-06.
  48. ^ "Wildrose Alliance policy platform" (PDF). Wildrose Alliance Party of Alberta. Retrieved 2010-01-09.
  49. ^ McLean, Archie (2010-01-06). "Stelmach leadership vote 'little third world'". Global Television. Retrieved 2010-01-09.
  50. ^ Daifallah, Adam (2009-09-16). "Is the country's most conservative city dumping the Tories?". Financial Post. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
  51. ^ Kohler, Nicholas (2010-01-04). ""Dysfunction" drives two across the floor". Macleans Magazine. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
  52. ^ Walton, Dawn (2010-01-04). "Stelmach loses two MLAs to upstart party". Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2010-01-04.

External links


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