Innisfail's provincial Tory faithful shed the doom and gloom that has prevailed over party fortunes in recent years to hear what aspiring leader Jim Prentice had to say during a rally last week at Discovery Wildlife Park.
And for those who attended the exuberant June 4 gathering, including several provincial MLAs and local politicians, Prentice did not disappoint.
“What really impressed me was that he said he was going to look after public funds in a responsible way,” said Dennis Cooper, president of the Innisfail-Sylvan Lake Progressive Conservative Riding Association. “It is exciting to hear him speak, and that he will make a difference. I think he really can.”
The 57-year-old former Calgary MP and cabinet minister dazzled more than 100 local party supporters with a five-point plan he promised would shed public perceptions of the much-publicized culture of entitlement, criticisms that deep-sixed the leadership of former premier Alison Redford, who resigned last March amidst escalating controversy over expenses and spending.
“There is not a single person on this veranda who has not had that strain over the course of the last few years and that includes me,” said Prentice, who entered the 2014 Progressive Conservative leadership race on May 15.
“But thank you for sticking with us. People want to come and hear what we are going to do. People are coming back to the party, saying we want to believe and we want to move forward.”
Prentice, who resigned his federal government seat in 2010 after being elected to the Calgary Centre-North riding in 2004, entered the 2014 Progressive Conservative leadership race on May 15. Two former cabinet ministers, Thomas Lukaszuk and Ric McIver, are also in the race but recent polls and an endorsement last week from popular former Edmonton mayor Stephen Mandel strongly point to Prentice being the front-runner.
During his Innisfail leadership campaign stop, Prentice told the enthusiastic gathering his five-point plan for the province includes creating a fiscally responsible government that would be “leaner and trimmer” with a smaller government cabinet, regaining the trust of the electorate, opening new markets for agriculture, energy and forestry products, returning to what he believes was a once widespread view that Alberta was a leader in protecting the environment, and aspiring to be the best anywhere on quality of life issues.
“I don't think it is a big challenge. We are environmental leaders,” said Prentice to the media following his speech to supporters. “It is a question how we balance being an energy producer with those environmental responsibilities. It has always been about balance but we've been good at it and we will be good at it again.”
While he insisted he would provide leadership that would erase past and current notions the party is mired in the culture of entitlement, he added his vision promises policies of fiscal responsibility for all Albertans, ones that would tackle debt but would also provide necessary infrastructure for the province's growing population that is being calculated at 100,000 new citizens each year. However, there are some items on the fiscal and tax fronts he will not change.
“We have a fiscal advantage that Albertans love and is important to them and we need to ensure we maintain that,” he said, adding the corporate and personal income tax system has been “very” advantageous for Alberta. “I don't anticipate changing either of those.
“My campaign is based on the government being fiscally accountable, fiscally responsible, trimming the size of government, being more efficient and innovative and reducing, not increasing, taxes,” said Prentice, adding that if he is chosen the party's new leader and becomes premier he will not bring back health-care premiums.
Meanwhile, Prentice's stop in Innisfail also promised that local party organizers are getting their gears in motion to reclaim the Innisfail-Sylvan Lake riding that was stripped away from them in the last election by Wildrose newcomer Kerry Towle.
Prentice said the local riding is “absolutely winnable”, noting there are many qualified people who are interested in representing the Tories in the next provincial election.
“Kerry (Towle) has worked very hard in the constituency but it is all about the party,” said Cooper. “For 75 years the riding always had a member who was a member of the government. We went three years without having a person who is in the government; therefore it was tougher for towns and counties to get things.
“If the Innisfail Sylvan Lake constituency wants to be in the government side they have to come back with a PC member in the government and move our party forward and Innisfail-Sylvan Lake forward,” he added.
