Alison Redford deserved the big win, announced early Sunday morning, of the Progressive Conservative leadership race, but whether she deserves the problems facing the party is quite another matter. Redford ran a strong campaign from start to finish and overcame the odds to become the premier elect.
Locally, Redford's efforts in the campaign did not go unnoticed. Redford was the only candidate to increase her share of the votes in Lac La Biche – St. Paul, going from a mere five per cent to 13 on the second ballot. Gary Mar, while giving the area the courtesy of a campaign visit last Monday in Mallaig and St. Paul last week, stayed at around eight per cent of support, while Doug Horner maintained 80 per cent. All candidates received more votes the second time around, but Redford is the only one to attract a larger percentage of support.
Horner worked hard in the northern regions and it paid off, but he failed to gain the support he needed. While Horner did not tell his voters how to mark their second choice on the ballot, Redford picked Horner, an act of strategic goodwill which likely paid dividends in the end. It is surprising that Mar did not seal the deal and advance beyond the 50 per cent plus one range when he was so close with 41 per cent on the first ballot. But such is the way the party's leadership election process operates, and for which Redford and the second choice support she received can thank.
Redford clearly gained the most support between first and second ballots. Redford led the way in policy announcements, with announcements landing in the inboxes of newspapers daily. Redford also led the way on democratic reform, with several proposals we can expect to see come forward in the coming months. Redford stood alone in releasing a statement in regards to the infringement of free speech by a foreign country threatening legal action for an advertisement promoting oilsands as an ethical alternative.
Redford overcame the loss of her mother on the eve of the final ballot. That she kept the campaign going strong until the end is a testament to her determination to lead the party. Voter turnout shrank significantly from the 2006 leadership race to 2011. The low numbers could mean many things, and trouble brewing in the ranks may be one of them. Redford will have her work cut out for her.
