Alberta Race Indicative of Party Take Over
As Alberta Progressive Conservatives (and the insta-members who’ve joined up) get ready to head into the second round of voting for Ralph Klein’s replacement, there are echos of Stephen Harper’s successful bids to lead the Canadian Alliance and Conservative parties.
Federal MP’s who hail from the Reform and Canadian Alliance parties are coming out in force to support firewall Ted Morton. That’s unsurprising – Ted Morton and Stephen Harper are firewallin’ soul mates.
A growing brigade of federal Tory MPs, including high-profile Jason Kenney, will storm back to Alberta this week to throw their political and organizational muscle behind Ted Morton in his fight for the Progressive Conservative reins and premiership. [S]ources tell the Herald about a dozen federal Conservative MPs will rush back to Alberta in the coming days to help Morton capture Premier Ralph Klein’s crown. “I would be surprised if it weren’t more (than a dozen),” said Calgary Tory MP Rob Anders. “I’m doing all I can. I see nothing wrong with that—we’re Albertans, you know,” said outspoken Alberta Conservative MP Myron Thompson. (Calgary Herald)
Dinning has attracted the support of near half of the provincial caucus. Morton appears to have no support from members of Alberta’s legislative assembly. That’s telling.
Advice to Alberta Tories: fight for your party while you still can call yourselves “Tories”, for like the late federal PC Party, you are in danger of being taken over. Federal Tories can attest to that.
A side effect of this Alberta battle is likely to be seen on the national stage as well. Such ideological wars can’t help but encourage division within the Conservative Party itself.
Is there more to Michael Chong’s resignation from Harper’s cabinet yesterday? Is there a fracture line opening up in the federal Conservative party, along the lines of former Reform/Progressive Conservative party allegiances?
From my perspective, a little rift widening would be a good thing. Canadians have a right to more fully understand the ideological underpinnings of the parties that want to lead them. There are significant differences in opinion to be found within the party. So far Harper’s iron hand has ensured that a mostly Reform-biased view is presented, and that little dissent is exposed to the public.
Canadians never planned to entrust Preston Manning and his Reformers with the running of the country, but that’s about what they got in Stephen Harper. Morton is just one more step along that same road.
If Morton wins, Harper will have an ideological soul mate in charge of Alberta and a further right-ward swing of the country will take place. Neither appears to even want federalism to succeed. Together Harper and Morton will have a giant sandbox with which they can reshape our country, using Alberta – Ted Morton’s Alberta, not Klein’s or Lougheed’s – as a model. Look for firewalls galore. Its a fractured Canada with an impotent federal government they envision. In short, its the dream scenario of Gilles Duccepe and Quebec separatists.
It’ll be interesting to see if any federal “Tory” support comes out in to help Mr. Dinning. One wonders what secret orders Mr. Harper might have, or want, to issue to prevent such a thing…
It should be noted that my rant is against specific ideologies espoused by Harper and Morton, not against all former Reformers. I’ve worked with a number of them in the merged Conservative Party and have respect and fondness for many.