Ralph Klein is on the ropes. He is not down and out. Clearly he has a mandate from the Alberta people. He has, according to one recent opinion poll, seventy percent support from the Alberta voters. At the Conservative leadership convention yesterday, curiously, he received only fifty-five percent support of party delegates. Alberta, by and large is on his side; his own party faithful are not. Fifty-five percent for a premier, who has won four consecutive majority governments, just finished paying off the voters with a four hundred dollar “prosperity bonus” and has been at the helm of the Province in the midst of its economic boom and considerable prosperity, is appalling.Â
This writer has been considerably (and perhaps unfairly) critical of Klein over the years.  That pseudo apology comes after meeting the man last summer. He is a decent fellow who loves his Alberta. A populist through and through from his days on Calgary City Council, he knows how to appeal and exploit the political aspirations of Albertans for his own job security. His success is a testament to that.  Certain elements in his party have now circled the wagons against him, determined to “dethrone” him. There is little doubt that the “element” is the social-conservative and neo-conservative factions of the party who see now, when Alberta is on its steepest upward economic curve in its history,  as the time to seize the reigns of power.Â
Klein will probably resign. He is that kind of honourable sort, perhaps. His detractors, with sharpened knives may even celebrate. That will be their mistake. Polls are always subjective and rarely definitive but there may not be another current premier who can boast a seventy percent approval rating from voters. Forcing him out creates a vacuum in a party and a province with no clear favourite as a successor. The door will be wide open to rival parties and factions within the clearly divided Conservatives to build a base of support. Â
Economic boom also presents another problem for the more extreme elements of his party: the in-migration of people from other provinces, more moderate in their political views, to Alberta. Newfoundlanders transplanted to Fort McMurray, for example, will not support a radical consverative agenda. Neither will migrants from most of the other provinces.
With approval ratings as he has, Klein’s treacherous opponents, much too full of ambition, are making a fundamental political mistake by trying to replace him without giving him the dignity to step aside on his own terms. Klein deserves at least that much.
His mistake was the length of time between announcing his retirement and the actual retirement. Having watched the federal Liberals implode when Chretien made a similar move, the PC party faithful were concerned about the negative effect of 18 months of leadership campaigning.
Ralph should have announced his retirement NEXT year, and everyone would have been okay with it. Alternatively, he could have shortened it to THIS October, and he’d have rec’d 80-85% support.
Ralph has lost the ‘fire in his belly’ - that’s been evident for the last year, at least. I feel sorry for him, as he should be going out with great fanfare & appreciation (which he’ll get from the citizens, anyway) instead of what he’s now dealing with.
Now, with respect to
That in-migration has been happening for decades. I’m not sure if there’s something in the water, but Liberals & NDP turn conservative after a year or two here. Not all of them, but a large percentage. How else can you explain the continued massive majority for Ralph et al?
I’m trying to figure out if the voters will punish the party for this; most likely they will. But it will be another rightwing party. Alberta has had rightwing governments since the 1920s, during booms and busts.