The planned departure of Dr. David Swann as Alberta Liberal leader won't unduly impact the ability of opposition parties to hold the government accountable on issues facing rural Alberta, says Wild Rose Alliance Leader Danielle Smith.ìAlbertans need to rest assured that there isn't going to be a void on the opposition side,î Smith told the Gazette. ìWe will continue to work with all of the opposition members to make sure that we present a united force in holding the government to account.ìThe important thing is that there isn't going to be an opposition void now that the official opposition is having its own leadership battles,î Smith said.ìIt's clear that the Wild Rose and the NDs are the only parties that aren't distracted by the internal machinations that happen during leadership battles, so that means we'll be focused 100 per cent on listening to Albertans, including rural Albertans.îOn Feb. 1 David Swann announced his intention to step down as Liberal leader at the end of the spring sitting of the legislature.In the meantime Swann said his party intends to ìcontinue to hold this government to account on the issues that matter to Albertansî by tabling motions that will include one proposing the restructuring of Alberta Health Services to ìensure greater decision-making at local levels.îPremier Ed Stelmach announced two weeks ago that he will be stepping down as premier and Progressive Conservative Party leader.For her part, Danielle Smith says Swann's planned departure is not as concerning to her as the PC leadership situation.ìI'm more concerned with the disarray in the government ranks,î said Smith. ìThe fact that we have a very prolonged period of time for departure for the premier does not bode well for the government.ìWe need to have some important decisions made and we are going to be in a period of crisis and turmoil until that decision is finalized.îAsked if he believes Swann's departure will have any impact on the PC government, Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills Conservative MLA Richard Marz said no.ìI don't think so. They have their processes to go through and probably what will have more impact on the government is what we (PCs) do in picking our new leader,î Marz told the Gazette.Asked if he is considering a run for the leadership of his party, Marz said, ìI can say I've made my decision on that and it's no.îMarz said he will ìwait to see who is in the raceî before coming out in support of any particular candidate.He said he is currently compiling a list of questions he plans to ask the various PC leadership candidates.ìIt's a serious decision and it's a tough one,î he said.Sue Huff, the interim leader of the Alberta Party, says Swann's departure may be a good opportunity for Liberal supporters to switch their alliances to her party.ìIt is an interesting time for Alberta politics, no doubt,î Huff told the Gazette. ìWe have something to offer and I hope that Albertans will take the time to get to know us.ìI think it is unprecedented to have three parties involved in a leadership race at the same time. It is an indication of the winds of change that are blowing through the province right now,î Huff said.ìThis is a great opportunity for Albertans to decide where they want this province to go and what their hopes and aspirations for this province are. I think it's an exciting opportunity for everyone and for our party.îThe Alberta Party plans to continue to try to attract sitting MLAs to join the party, she says.ìWe've had conversations with a number of MLAs who are interested in learning about our party, so we will see if that is a good fit for us and for them. Any MLAs who are interested know how to reach me,î she said.Over the next weeks and months the Alberta Party will be focusing much of its effort on its own leadership race, leading up to a May 28 convention in Edmonton, she said.ìIn terms of our party we have an enormous amount of work ahead of us so we are focused on that and trying to meet our own goals of trying to open up constituency associations,î she said.Premier Ed Stelmach issued the following statement regarding Swann's departure:ìAlthough we did not always see eye to eye on the issues, I commend Dr. Swann for his interest and efforts in maintaining civil political discourse, both inside and outside the Legislative Assembly. This was an effort both noticed and appreciated by me,î said Stelmach.Recent public opinion polls have the PCs only slightly ahead of the Wild Rose Alliance, with the Liberals and the NDs at distant third and fourth places respectively.
