“Lately, friends have been asking me, “Munsey, are you
crazy, running in Edmonton-Whitemud against Stephen Mandel?
Well, I don't think I’m crazy, and here’s why.
First of all, I didn’t intend to be the
Alberta Party candidate in a 2014 by-election. I was looking ahead at throwing my name into the ring for
the 2016 general election in the riding of Leduc-Beaumont.
Then, back in the winter and spring, the wheels started
falling off the PC government bus.
Alison Redford’s government was the focus of the ire of so many
Albertans her caucus got scared and decided to pitch her under that same bus.
Enter Jim Prentice as our new as-yet-unelected premier.
You would'a thought a fiscally conservative premier would have sought the
already vacant seat in Calgary Elbow, but that’s not what’s happened. Nope. Mr Prentice appointed two unelected
ministers to his new cabinet... and they PCs need to look for three seats.
Then, Whitemud MLA (and former premier), Dave Hancock
stepped down, even though he had another 16 months to serve… even when no one
was asking him to resign (well, not constituents, anyway).
Now we have a by-election in Whitemud so Stephen Mandel can
sit in the legislative assembly (I've heard he's already moving into Mr Hancock's office). I
admit that caught the Alberta Party a bit unprepared.
So as the PC party “renews” itself yet again, the rest of us
have to dance to a tune we didn’t choose.
The Alberta Party had a local resident-member interested in becoming the candidate for Whitemud in the
2016 election and another expression of interest from someone not yet a party
member but our potential candidate was not in a position to put her name
forward now. Our constitution requires potential candidates have to be
members for 30 days prior to the nomination process so while we're interested in the person who expressed the interest, we were left us scrambling
As the president of the Alberta Party for the last two years,
and having already decided to seek the nomination in near-by Leduc-Beaumont in
2016, I am well-positioned to fly the Alberta Party flag. I fully recognize I’m not a resident of
Whitemud, but I suspect Whitemud voters recognize The Alberta Party is
committed over the long-term to local fielding local candidates and accept that
we’re simply adapting to another “rebuilding/rebranding” of the PC Party.
I will fly the Alberta Party colours with pride. Again, I recognize the importance of
local people representing constituents and I’m not about to try to minimize
that. However, if elected, I
will work for the people of Whitemud from morning to night at least five days a
week, knocking on every door in the constituency prior to the 2016 election and
being available to any and all constituents 24 hours a day, seven days a
week. I’m a railroader, after all,
and I’m ready to go to work day or night.
And as my wife assured me, “ Stephen Mandel probably puts
his pants on two legs at a time… just
like you do, dear.”
