PC Party in transition as Alison Redford steps down

With last week's groundbreaking news surrounding Premier Alison Redford's resignation from provincial office sending shockwaves throughout Alberta and the country, MLA for Bonnyville - Cold Lake Genia Leskiw offered her thoughts on the sudden announcement, stating her belief that the outgoing figurehead did the "noble thing" in stepping down.

In speaking to the Nouvelle last Friday, Leskiw, self-described as a strong supporter of Redford in caucus, revealed that concerns surrounding costs incurred by the Premier's office in recent months, most notably a $45,000 tab to attend Nelson Mandela's funeral in South Africa in December, had taken its toll and that the time had come to turn the page and allow the PC party to move ahead on a positive note.

"There are definitely mixed feelings (surrounding Redford's departure), but I understand why she's walking away. When you're elected to govern a province there are a lot of important issues to deal with, and all these questions about the travelling was a distraction," Leskiw said.

"It was clear the opposition wasn't going to let this go, so I think the Premier did the noble thing and figured we had more important things to deal with, such as the budget, growth in our province, dealing with the economy and just ensuring we move this province forward, because just getting stuck on the same topic over and over again was a distraction."

Redford officially walked away from the provincial podium on Sunday, with Deputy Premier and Minister of Innovation and Advanced Education Dave Hancock sworn in as acting Premier later that evening.

In his first address since assuming office, Hancock admitted that mistakes had been made in recent times, but he was confident that the government would now be able to move forward on a positive note.

"We will make mistakes, but we will learn from those mistakes. They will help us to grow and to do better," Hancock said. "I am grateful every day for the love and support of my family, and the confidence they give me. I am honoured by the confidence my colleagues have placed in me and I am humbled by the sense of responsibility and the opportunity to serve."

Hancock is expected to lead the province for the next "four to six months" - the time it will take the PC Party to formally elect a new leader.

PC Alberta President Jim McCormick spoke briefly with media following Redford's announcement, stating simply that Albertans could depend on a committed PC party moving ahead.

"Like most fellow Albertans, we are very closely watching the situation with our government and MLAs who are proud members of the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta," McCormick said. "As everyone can appreciate, it is a very fluid time, but one thing I can say with certainty is that we remain committed to the long-term success of the PC Party in this province and we are confident the party will continue to represent Albertans far into the future."

The news that Redford was indeed planning to step down came almost a week after former PC party member and MLA for Calgary Varsity Donna Kennedy-Glans revoked her status as a conservative caucus member, opting to sit as an independent following a lack of confidence in this government's ability to "make the changes needed to achieve the dream of a better Alberta."

That move came on the back of a similar act from MLA for Calgary-Foothills Len Webber, who walked away from the PC caucus in early March stating he could no longer work for an individual who "treats people poorly and treats tax-payer dollars poorly."

Wildrose leader Danielle Smith spoke positively of Redford as the now-former premier walked away from her leadership role, but Smith reaffirmed her belief that this latest bombshell is the clearest indication yet that the PC party "cannot be fixed."

"For the second time in three years, the Premier of Alberta has resigned, and for the third time in eight years, the PC party will be looking for a new leader," Smith said. "Premier Redford was elected to lead the PC party as an outsider, she wasn't part of the old boys club, she was hailed as a new kind of leader who could fix what was wrong with the party and the government and while I have no doubt she intended to be that leader, what we've witnessed during her short 29 months as premier is the clearest indication yet that the PC party cannot be fixed."

Lac La Biche - St. Paul - Two Hills Wildrose MLA Shayne Saskiw say's that Redford's resignation "paralyzed" the government last week and affirmed that the former premier's resignation was about more than just Redford as a leader.

"(The announcement) was fairly dramatic, but not unexpected," Saskiw said last week. "While the infighting goes on, we'll be focused on advocating for every day Albertans."

While no one has officially thrown their hat into the race for PC party leader, Municipal Affairs Minister Ken Hughes has expressed an interest, while Minister of Jobs, Skills, Trade and Labour and former Deputy Premier Thomas Lukaszuk has also indicated he may be interested in making a run for leadership.

In line with Hancock's comments, Leskiw said the PC party would look to move forward and stamp a positive impression on Albertans following months of negative publicity.

"I think this leaves the PC party where we are - we are a strong party with a lot of talented people that are ready to step up and willing to do what they were elected for, which is help lead and run this great province" Leskiw said. "We're fine, we're strong and we're resilient. Our priorities are and remain providing a good life to the people of this province."

She added, "(Hopefully) now the opposition will start worrying about policies and what's good for the province instead of trying to make us look bad for the simple reason of making themselves look good."