Stelmach Downplays New parties' surge in Alberta polls

by Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke | December 28, 2009 at 09:11 am

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Recent polls in Alberta, published in a NP story, indicate that the Wildrose Alliance Party, a new party that emerged from the merger of the Wildrose Party and the Alliance Party in Alberta, enjoys a substantial lead over the governing Conservative Party.

In a recent poll the Wildrose Alliance Party led the Tories with 39% popularity, while the Conservatives dropped to 25% even with the Alberta Liberals.

Albertan's are dissatisfied with Ed Stelmach's performance and perhaps not necessarily the party. When the party reconfirmed Stelmach's leadership, a month ago, it gave Albertans food for thought.

Ed Stelmach's Conservatives which hold 72 of 83 seats in the Alberta Legislature, don't take this turn in their fortune too serious and perhaps they should.

Danielee Smith, who has won the leadership campaign for the Wildrose Alliance Party, has made good use of the social media, e-mail, and MSM to get her message across.

Before Christmas, she launched a telephone campaign to wish her followers a great holiday season. She followed that with a mail out campaign and has a strong presence on twitter.

Ed Stelmach is brushing this aside, perhaps to his peril. He is betting on the fact that Alliance followers will not stay with this party in the long run. Ed Stelmach better think again. His recent cuts to health care, infrastructure and general disarray in the administration of the H1N1 vaccine has not won him any friends.

He may be betting that oil prices will recover and a return to non deficit budgeting. This may be a mistake, especially if the Cap and Trade Bill is passed in the U.S. Canada's Government has stated that their Climate Change policy will mirror that of the Obama Administration.

Mr. Stelmach would be wise to listen to the voters. If he doesn't, the 48 year rule of the Alberta Tories will come to an end.

Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach is brushing aside the lowest poll results his party has seen in 17 years.

Stelmach says the Tories were much lower in the polls in 1992, but he didn't abandon the party as some are doing now.

Recent polls suggest Stelmach's Conservatives are now trailing the upstart Wildrose Alliance party.

But Alberta Finance Minister Iris Evans says she doesn't think diehard Tory voters who say they've switched their allegiance will stay with the Wildrose in the long run.