Independent staff
Voters in Alberta awarded the New Democratic Party of Alberta a resounding victory and demoted Progressive Conservatives to the position of the third ranking party in the provincial legislature in a historic shift of political fortunes. Wildrose Party, under the 37-day-old leadership of Brian Jean, has become the official opposition.
Premier Jim Prentice resigned as the head of the government and declared that he was not going to sit in the Legislature as the MLA from the riding for which he was elected as PC candidate.
In the Drumheller-Stettler riding, Wildrose MLA Rick Strankman was reelected with a comfortable majority. As the Independent went to press, with results from 79 of the total 89 ballot boxes reported, Strankman was leading with 6,509 votes against PC candidate Jack Hayden’s 4,771. NDP candidate Emily Shannon had received 2,483 votes.
There were lineups at the Stettler Community Centre, where 15 polling stations for the riding were set up, lineups, which at times were stretching out the doors.
“I was quietly confident, but I'm superstitious about that, too,” Strankman said from his constituency office in Hanna on Tuesday night after the results were announced.
“I did my best to promote Wildrose policy and it seems people in the riding responded well,” he said.
Strankman expressed disappointment with the provincial results, saying he had hoped the Wildrose policies would find “broader provincial traction.”
“I've lived beside the failed social experiment called Saskatchewan my whole life,” he said by telephone from Hanna. “I'm sad Albertans chose this path, but now it is up to the leadership of Rachel Notley. The truth will be in the pudding.”
Hayden, who gathered with his supporters at the hall in Endiang, conceded defeat with a short statement around 9 p.m.
“I hope the agenda includes rural Alberta, because we really don't have any representation now in the governing party,” the PC candidate said with reference to the NDP, which took an overwhelming majority of their support from urban centres.
“It's going to be a real challenge for those of us in the rural areas,” Hayden added.
With regard to the strong showing of the Wildrose Party, Hayden did not conceal that he was surprised, but he was stoic. “People are always right. That’s democracy,” he said.
“I think everyone will give the new government a chance and will make a decision on what that produces. And I think the next election will be as exciting as this one,” he predicted.
“It's quite a dramatic change for the province, and we see now what happens for the future.”
He said he and his wife would be going back to their consulting business.
Hayden campaigned on his past experience as an MLA, county councillor and school board trustee, while also citing his experience working in cabinet and in various boards and organizations across Alberta and the country.
However, Hayden’s role as minister in Ed Stelmach government and his active involvement and leadership in the legislative processes leading to the adoption bills restricting property rights alienated many of his supporters.
Emily Shannon of the NDP was not available for comment on the results of the elections.
At the provincial level, the biggest upset in Alberta’s political history ended the 44-year-old political dynasty of the Progressive Conservatives, who wanted to revive their political fortunes late last year by appointing Ottawa-hardened politician Jim Prentice as their leader, following two unsuccessful PC governments under Ed Stelmach and Alison Redford.
However, Prentice’s political maneuver to have opposition Wildrose MLAs cross the floor and his statements blaming Albertans for the budgetary problems of the province generated strong reaction to his leadership.
