Now a month on from former Premier Alison Redford's announcement that she was stepping down from the provincial podium, and the race to find a new leader for the Progressive Conservative party has been, well, pretty boring.
So far, we only officially know that longtime cabinet minister Ken Hughes wants his chance to lead the party, but where are all the other potential provincial leaders? Why hasn't anybody else stepped forward with intent to run for the top job? Might it be that the current state of the PC party is in such disarray that people would prefer to remain on the outside looking in, rather than being the one tasked with fixing what appears to be a broken down caucus?
In this column, I'll be taking a look at some of those provincial politicians and others that could potentially step up to the plate and have a good go at repairing relationships, and regaining the trust of everyday Albertans.
Somewhere near the top of that list is current Minister of Skills, Jobs, Training and Labour Thomas Lukaszuk. Since being elected to represent Edmonton – Castle Downs in 2001, Lukaszuk has gone on to serve on a total of 21 legislative committees, chairing six of them, while also spending time as Minister of Employment and Immigration, and Minister of Education.
He has spent time as Deputy Premier, while also serving as Minister of Enterprise and Advanced Education, so make no mistake about it, Lukaszuk is right up there as having the necessary experience and qualifications to make a run for the big job. Whether or not his provincial counterparts would support such a run remains to be seen.
One of those not under consideration at the moment is acting Premier Dave Hancock. Having stepped up to the plate following Redford's resignation, Hancock has done a reasonable job keeping things flowing, and although he stated he would not be making a run to become the party's permanent leader, one has to wonder why someone with over 17 years of parliamentary experience wouldn't be interested in making a run. Perhaps it all boils down to the insider looking in theory.
Finance Minister Doug Horner, who made a run for party leadership in 2011, and new Energy Minister Diana McQueen are other names that have popped up as being contenders for the position, and with both having held important ministry roles in recent years, it would be hard to argue that either of them would be a bad choice. Minister of Infrastructure Ric McIver and Justice Minister Jonathan Denis are also believed to be considering a run.
Then we move onto the real outsiders looking in – those that aren't even involved in provincial politics at present. It has long been rumoured that recently retired Edmonton mayor Stephen Mandel would jump at the chance to take on party leadership, although recent comments from Mandel himself state otherwise, while former MP Jim Prentice is also credited with an interest in the role.
Of course, we could see an unknown step forward from the woodwork and stake a claim for the position, after all when Redford made her claim for provincial leader she was largely considered an outsider and had the support of only one MLA in her leadership campaign.
I suppose we'll all have to sit tight and wait. The first vote in the 2014 leadership race is set for Sept. 6, while a second vote, if necessary, will be Sept. 20. Though it's been a slow start to the leadership race, prepare for a summer of campaigning, Bonnyville.
