Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta
Encyclopedia
The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta (often referred to colloquially
as Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta) is a provincial centre-right
party in the Canadian
province of Alberta
. The party has formed the provincial government, without interruption, since 1971 under premiers Peter Lougheed
(1971–1985), Don Getty
(1985–1992), Ralph Klein (1992–2006), Ed Stelmach
(2006–2011) and Alison Redford
(2011-present).
that existed from 1898 to 1905. Unlike their predecessor party, that formed government during its entire existence, the Alberta Conservatives were a marginal party in Alberta for most of the province's early history. In the province's first election, the 1905 election
, the Conservatives, led by future Canadian Prime Minister
Richard Bennett, won only two seats and were barely able to improve on that in subsequent elections. The main policy difference between the Tories and the Alberta Liberal Party
was over the Tories' belief that the province should control its natural resources, which the province had been denied.
, the Tories achieved a breakthrough, winning 18 seats and 45% of the vote. Despite this result, and an even better result in the 1917 election
, they were still unable to beat the Liberals. The Tories then split into 'traditional' and 'radical' camps. The party collapsed, and was unable to run a full slate of candidates in the 1921 election
. Only one Conservative Member of the Legislative Assembly
(MLA) was returned to the Legislative Assembly
in this election, in which the new United Farmers of Alberta
(UFA) defeated the Liberals, and took power.
For the next fifty years, the Tories were unable to elect more than a half dozen MLAs. The party was marginalized after the UFA was able to negotiate the province's control of its resources from Ottawa, denying the Tories their major policy plank.
In 1935, the UFA collapsed. The Social Credit Party of Alberta
took power on a populist and Christian conservative platform. Social Credit attracted conservative voters for decades, particularly after the party moved away from its radical social credit
economic theories, and embraced fiscal conservatism.
, the 1944 election
, or the 1948 election
. Supporters of both parties ran instead as independents.
The failure of the coalition strategy led to the reemergence of separate Liberal and Conservative parties in the early 1950s. The Tories only nominated five candidates in the 1952 election
, only one of whom won election. The Conservative Party was led in the general election of 1959 by William J.Cameron (Cam) Kirby
, Member of the Legislature for Red Deer from 1954 to 1959.
The Tories became Progressive Conservatives in 1959 in order to conform with the name of the federal Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
. The party continued to be unable to improve their fortunes, and lost their only seats in the legislature.
became leader of the party, and began transforming it into a political force by combining fiscal conservatism with a modernist, urban outlook. This approach was in stark contrast to the parochialism
and rural agrarianism
of Social Credit. In particular, the party started gaining support in Calgary
and Edmonton
. Social Credit was slow to adapt to the changes in Alberta as its two largest cities gained increasing influence.
In 1967
, Lougheed's Tories achieved an electoral breakthrough, electing six MLA
s. Lougheed became Leader of the Opposition
.
In 1968, Social Credit Premier
Ernest Manning
resigned after 25 years, and was replaced by Harry Strom
. After 33 years in power, Social Credit had grown tired and complacent. Albertans, particularly those associated with the booming oil industry, began to turn to the young and dynamic Lougheed Tories. Over the next four years, Lougheed saw his small caucus grow to 10 members as a result of two by-election
wins—one of which was Manning's old Edmonton seat—and two floor-crossings
.
In the 1971 election
, the Progressive Conservatives campaigned on a simple theme--NOW!--symbolizing their goal of increasing Alberta's clout in Canada. On August 30, the Tories won power for the first time in Alberta's history. They finished only four percentage points ahead of Social Credit. However, they swept Edmonton and took all but five seats in Calgary. Due to a quirk in the first past the post system, this gave Lougheed a strong majority government, with 49 of the 75 seats in the legislature.
In power, the Progressive Conservatives fought a long battle with the federal government over control of Alberta's natural resources (particularly oil). The oil industry provided the Alberta government with large revenue surpluses that allowed it to maintain Alberta as the only province or territory in Canada without a provincial retail sales tax
. Alberta experienced a large development boom, particularly in Calgary, in the 1970s and 1980s.
During the Lougheed years, Alberta became a virtual one-party state, carrying almost all the seats in the provincial legislature. Lougheed's successor, Don Getty
was unable to match the Lougheed Tories' dominance in the provincial legislature, but he enjoyed large majorities nevertheless.
government. The party's rightward turn came at the same time that the Reform Party of Canada
replaced the federal Tories as the dominant party in Alberta's federal politics. Reform and its successor, the Canadian Alliance
, dominated the province's federal politics until 2003, when it merged with the federal Tories to become the Conservative Party of Canada
. The Alliance's first leader, Stockwell Day
, was a cabinet minister under Klein.
The party was reduced to 51 seats in the 1993 election
, but gained stronger majorities in 1997
and 2001
.
It was viewed as unlikely that a centrist or left-leaning opposition party (the Alberta Liberal Party
and the Alberta New Democrats, respectively) would be in a serious position to challenge the Conservatives for power in the 2004 general election
. The Liberals, New Democrats, and a new right-wing party, the Alberta Alliance, all campaigned aggressively against the Tories in 2004. The Klein government was re-elected, but lost a dozen urban seats. Many pundits expected losses in Edmonton, the traditional heartland of the provincial Liberals; indeed, the Conservatives were cut down to three seats in Edmonton (but subsequently gained a fourth on a recount). However, the Conservatives unexpectedly lost three seats to the Liberals in Calgary, where the Tories had previously held every seat.
The Alliance did not seriously challenge the Tories' majority, but it was competitive in several rural districts that could formerly have been described as Tory bastions. Although the Alliance only won one seat, from the Tories' perspective that seat was a formerly ultra-safe southwestern district. This has led many pundits to conclude that although the Alliance gained less than ten percent of the popular vote in 2004, it could potentially be in a position to launch a more serious challenge to the Tories in the future.
On April 4, 2006, after receiving a 55% vote of support from his party, Ralph Klein issued a press release expressing his intent to retire. A number of candidates stepped forward as possible replacements for a leadership election in late 2006. Klein officially resigned on September 20, 2006. The first round of voting on November 25 eliminated all but three candidates - Jim Dinning
, Ted Morton
and Ed Stelmach
. None received the required 50% of the vote, so a second round was held on December 2. In the second round, Stelmach was declared the winner. He assumed the premiership on December 14.
Stelmach would go on to stun pundits and even his own supporters when he led the Tories to an increased majority in the 2008 general election, winning 72 of 83 seats including 13 in Edmonton, their highest total in the capital since 1982. The Tories lost modest ground in Calgary, winning 18 seats to the Liberals' five. The Liberals were nonetheless reduced to nine seats and the NDP two, and with the Tories re-taking Cardston-Taber-Warner
from the re-named Wildrose Alliance in a close race.
as a result of a dispute with his finance minister, Ted Morton
, over the provincial budget. It is expected that Stelmach will formally resign in September 2011.
Alberta Conservative Party
Alberta Progressive Conservative Party
Colloquialism
A colloquialism is a word or phrase that is common in everyday, unconstrained conversation rather than in formal speech, academic writing, or paralinguistics. Dictionaries often display colloquial words and phrases with the abbreviation colloq. as an identifier...
as Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta) is a provincial centre-right
Centre-right
The centre-right or center-right is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals, political parties, or organizations whose views stretch from the centre to the right on the left-right spectrum, excluding far right stances. Centre-right can also describe a coalition of centrist...
party in the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
province of Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
. The party has formed the provincial government, without interruption, since 1971 under premiers Peter Lougheed
Peter Lougheed
Edgar Peter Lougheed, PC, CC, AOE, QC, is a Canadian lawyer, and a former politician and Canadian Football League player. He served as the tenth Premier of Alberta from 1971 to 1985....
(1971–1985), Don Getty
Don Getty
Donald Ross Getty, OC, AOE is a retired Canadian politician who served as the 11th Premier of Alberta between 1985 and 1992. A member of the Progressive Conservatives, he served as Energy Minister and Federal and Intergovernmental Affairs Minister in the government of Peter Lougheed before...
(1985–1992), Ralph Klein (1992–2006), Ed Stelmach
Ed Stelmach
Edward Michael "Ed" Stelmach, MLA is a Canadian politician and served as the 13th Premier of Alberta, Canada, from 2006 to 2011. The grandson of Ukrainian immigrants, Stelmach was born and raised on a farm near Lamont and speaks fluent Ukrainian. He spent his entire pre-political adult life as a...
(2006–2011) and Alison Redford
Alison Redford
Alison Merrilla Redford Q.C., MLA, is a Canadian politician, and the 14th and current Premier of Alberta, Canada. Upon winning the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta, in October 2011, she became the first female premier in Alberta...
(2011-present).
Origins and early years
The party was created from the Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative PartyNorthwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party
The Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party also known formally as the Liberal-Conservative Association prior to 1903 and the Territorial Conservative Association after 1903, was a short lived political party in the Northwest Territories, Canada. from 1897-1905...
that existed from 1898 to 1905. Unlike their predecessor party, that formed government during its entire existence, the Alberta Conservatives were a marginal party in Alberta for most of the province's early history. In the province's first election, the 1905 election
Alberta general election, 1905
The Alberta general election of 1905 was the first general election held in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on 9 November 1905, to elect members of the Alberta legislature to the 1st Alberta Legislative Assembly, shortly after the province was created out of the Northwest Territories...
, the Conservatives, led by future Canadian Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Richard Bennett, won only two seats and were barely able to improve on that in subsequent elections. The main policy difference between the Tories and the Alberta Liberal Party
Alberta Liberal Party
The Alberta Liberal Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. Originally founded in 1905, when the province was created, it was the dominant political party until 1921 when it was defeated. It has never been in government since that time...
was over the Tories' belief that the province should control its natural resources, which the province had been denied.
On the political sidelines
In the 1913 electionAlberta general election, 1913
The Alberta general election of 1913 was the third general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. The writ was dropped on 25 March 1913 and election day was held 17 April 1913 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. Elections in two northern districts took place on 30 July...
, the Tories achieved a breakthrough, winning 18 seats and 45% of the vote. Despite this result, and an even better result in the 1917 election
Alberta general election, 1917
The Alberta general election of 1917 was the fourth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada, held on 7 June 1917 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
, they were still unable to beat the Liberals. The Tories then split into 'traditional' and 'radical' camps. The party collapsed, and was unable to run a full slate of candidates in the 1921 election
Alberta general election, 1921
The Alberta general election of 1921 was the fifth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on July 18, 1921 to elect members to the 5th Alberta Legislative Assembly....
. Only one Conservative Member of the Legislative Assembly
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
(MLA) was returned to the Legislative Assembly
Legislative Assembly of Alberta
The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is one of two components of the Legislature of Alberta, the other being the Queen, represented by the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta. The Alberta legislature meets in the Alberta Legislature Building in the provincial capital, Edmonton...
in this election, in which the new United Farmers of Alberta
United Farmers of Alberta
The United Farmers of Alberta is an association of Alberta farmers that has served many different roles throughout its history as a lobby group, a political party, and as a farm-supply retail chain. Since 1934 it has primarily been an agricultural supply cooperative headquartered in Calgary...
(UFA) defeated the Liberals, and took power.
For the next fifty years, the Tories were unable to elect more than a half dozen MLAs. The party was marginalized after the UFA was able to negotiate the province's control of its resources from Ottawa, denying the Tories their major policy plank.
In 1935, the UFA collapsed. The Social Credit Party of Alberta
Social Credit Party of Alberta
The Alberta Social Credit Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada, that was founded on the social credit monetary policy and conservative Christian social values....
took power on a populist and Christian conservative platform. Social Credit attracted conservative voters for decades, particularly after the party moved away from its radical social credit
Social Credit
Social Credit is an economic philosophy developed by C. H. Douglas , a British engineer, who wrote a book by that name in 1924. Social Credit is described by Douglas as "the policy of a philosophy"; he called his philosophy "practical Christianity"...
economic theories, and embraced fiscal conservatism.
The party in the 1940s and 1950s
In the late 1930s, the Conservatives and Liberals formed a united front in an attempt to fight Social Credit and, as a result, no Conservative candidates ran in the 1940 electionAlberta general election, 1940
The Alberta general election of 1940 was the ninth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada, was held on March 21, 1940 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
, the 1944 election
Alberta general election, 1944
The Alberta general election of 1944 was the tenth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. The Assembly was dissolved on July 8, 1944 and the vote for was held on August 8, 1944 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
, or the 1948 election
Alberta general election, 1948
The Alberta general election of 1948 was the eleventh general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on August 17, 1948 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
. Supporters of both parties ran instead as independents.
The failure of the coalition strategy led to the reemergence of separate Liberal and Conservative parties in the early 1950s. The Tories only nominated five candidates in the 1952 election
Alberta general election, 1952
The Alberta general election of 1952 was the twelfth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on August 5, 1952 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.Ernest C...
, only one of whom won election. The Conservative Party was led in the general election of 1959 by William J.Cameron (Cam) Kirby
Cam Kirby
The Hon. William J. Cameron Kirby, Q.C. was an Alberta politician, leader of the Conservative Party, barrister, Queen's Counsel, and a Justice of the Court of Queen's Bench.Born in Calgary...
, Member of the Legislature for Red Deer from 1954 to 1959.
The Tories became Progressive Conservatives in 1959 in order to conform with the name of the federal Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
. The party continued to be unable to improve their fortunes, and lost their only seats in the legislature.
The party under Peter Lougheed
In March 1965, Peter LougheedPeter Lougheed
Edgar Peter Lougheed, PC, CC, AOE, QC, is a Canadian lawyer, and a former politician and Canadian Football League player. He served as the tenth Premier of Alberta from 1971 to 1985....
became leader of the party, and began transforming it into a political force by combining fiscal conservatism with a modernist, urban outlook. This approach was in stark contrast to the parochialism
Parochialism
Parochialism means being provincial, being narrow in scope, or considering only small sections of an issue. It may, particularly when used pejoratively, be contrasted to universalism....
and rural agrarianism
Agrarianism
Agrarianism has two common meanings. The first meaning refers to a social philosophy or political philosophy which values rural society as superior to urban society, the independent farmer as superior to the paid worker, and sees farming as a way of life that can shape the ideal social values...
of Social Credit. In particular, the party started gaining support in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
and Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
. Social Credit was slow to adapt to the changes in Alberta as its two largest cities gained increasing influence.
In 1967
Alberta general election, 1967
The Alberta general election of 1967 was the sixteenth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on May 23, 1967 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
, Lougheed's Tories achieved an electoral breakthrough, electing six MLA
Legislative Assembly of Alberta
The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is one of two components of the Legislature of Alberta, the other being the Queen, represented by the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta. The Alberta legislature meets in the Alberta Legislature Building in the provincial capital, Edmonton...
s. Lougheed became Leader of the Opposition
Opposition (parliamentary)
Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. Note that this article uses the term government as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning the administration or the cabinet rather than the state...
.
In 1968, Social Credit Premier
Premier of Alberta
The Premier of Alberta is the first minister for the Canadian province of Alberta. He or she is the province's head of government and de facto chief executive. The current Premier of Alberta is Alison Redford. She became Premier by winning the Progressive Conservative leadership elections on...
Ernest Manning
Ernest Manning
Ernest Charles Manning, , a Canadian politician, was the eighth Premier of Alberta between 1943 and 1968 for the Social Credit Party of Alberta. He served longer than any premier in the province's history, and was the second longest serving provincial premier in Canadian history...
resigned after 25 years, and was replaced by Harry Strom
Harry Strom
Harry Edwin Strom was the ninth Premier of Alberta, Canada, from 1968 to 1971. His two and a half years as Premier were the last of the thirty-six year Social Credit dynasty, as his defeat by Peter Lougheed saw its replacement by a new era Progressive Conservative government...
. After 33 years in power, Social Credit had grown tired and complacent. Albertans, particularly those associated with the booming oil industry, began to turn to the young and dynamic Lougheed Tories. Over the next four years, Lougheed saw his small caucus grow to 10 members as a result of two by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
wins—one of which was Manning's old Edmonton seat—and two floor-crossings
Crossing the floor
In politics, crossing the floor has two meanings referring to a change of allegiance in a Westminster system parliament.The term originates from the British House of Commons, which is configured with the Government and Opposition facing each other on rows of benches...
.
In the 1971 election
Alberta general election, 1971
The Alberta general election of 1971 was the seventeenth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on August 30, 1971 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
, the Progressive Conservatives campaigned on a simple theme--NOW!--symbolizing their goal of increasing Alberta's clout in Canada. On August 30, the Tories won power for the first time in Alberta's history. They finished only four percentage points ahead of Social Credit. However, they swept Edmonton and took all but five seats in Calgary. Due to a quirk in the first past the post system, this gave Lougheed a strong majority government, with 49 of the 75 seats in the legislature.
In power, the Progressive Conservatives fought a long battle with the federal government over control of Alberta's natural resources (particularly oil). The oil industry provided the Alberta government with large revenue surpluses that allowed it to maintain Alberta as the only province or territory in Canada without a provincial retail sales tax
Sales tax
A sales tax is a tax, usually paid by the consumer at the point of purchase, itemized separately from the base price, for certain goods and services. The tax amount is usually calculated by applying a percentage rate to the taxable price of a sale....
. Alberta experienced a large development boom, particularly in Calgary, in the 1970s and 1980s.
During the Lougheed years, Alberta became a virtual one-party state, carrying almost all the seats in the provincial legislature. Lougheed's successor, Don Getty
Don Getty
Donald Ross Getty, OC, AOE is a retired Canadian politician who served as the 11th Premier of Alberta between 1985 and 1992. A member of the Progressive Conservatives, he served as Energy Minister and Federal and Intergovernmental Affairs Minister in the government of Peter Lougheed before...
was unable to match the Lougheed Tories' dominance in the provincial legislature, but he enjoyed large majorities nevertheless.
Recent history
While the popularity of the Tories sagged somewhat under Don Getty, it was revived under Ralph Klein, who succeeded Getty as premier in 1992. Klein moved the party sharply to the right, and since then the Alberta Tories have been one of the most right-wing provincial governments in Canada. In contrast, under Lougheed and Getty, the party was considered a classic example of a Red ToryRed Tory
A red Tory is an adherent of a particular political philosophy, tradition, and disposition in Canada somewhat similar to the High Tory tradition in the United Kingdom; it is contrasted with "blue Tory". In Canada, the phenomenon of "red toryism" has fundamentally, if not exclusively, been found in...
government. The party's rightward turn came at the same time that the Reform Party of Canada
Reform Party of Canada
The Reform Party of Canada was a Canadian federal political party that existed from 1987 to 2000. It was originally founded as a Western Canada-based protest party, but attempted to expand eastward in the 1990s. It viewed itself as a populist party....
replaced the federal Tories as the dominant party in Alberta's federal politics. Reform and its successor, the Canadian Alliance
Canadian Alliance
The Canadian Alliance , formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance , was a Canadian conservative political party that existed from 2000 to 2003. The party was the successor to the Reform Party of Canada and inherited its position as the Official Opposition in the House of Commons and held...
, dominated the province's federal politics until 2003, when it merged with the federal Tories to become the Conservative Party of Canada
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
. The Alliance's first leader, Stockwell Day
Stockwell Day
Stockwell Burt Day, Jr., PC, MP is a former Canadian politician, and a member of the Conservative Party of Canada. He is a former cabinet minister in Alberta, and a former leader of the Canadian Alliance. Day was MP for the riding of Okanagan—Coquihalla in British Columbia and the president of...
, was a cabinet minister under Klein.
The party was reduced to 51 seats in the 1993 election
Alberta general election, 1993
The Alberta general election of 1993 was the twenty-third general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on June 15, 1993 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta...
, but gained stronger majorities in 1997
Alberta general election, 1997
The Alberta general election of 1997 was the twenty-fourth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on March 11, 1997 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
and 2001
Alberta general election, 2001
The Alberta general election of 2001 was the twenty-fifth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on March 12, 2001 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
.
It was viewed as unlikely that a centrist or left-leaning opposition party (the Alberta Liberal Party
Alberta Liberal Party
The Alberta Liberal Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. Originally founded in 1905, when the province was created, it was the dominant political party until 1921 when it was defeated. It has never been in government since that time...
and the Alberta New Democrats, respectively) would be in a serious position to challenge the Conservatives for power in the 2004 general election
Alberta general election, 2004
The Alberta general election of 2004 was the twenty-sixth general election for the province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on November 22, 2004 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
. The Liberals, New Democrats, and a new right-wing party, the Alberta Alliance, all campaigned aggressively against the Tories in 2004. The Klein government was re-elected, but lost a dozen urban seats. Many pundits expected losses in Edmonton, the traditional heartland of the provincial Liberals; indeed, the Conservatives were cut down to three seats in Edmonton (but subsequently gained a fourth on a recount). However, the Conservatives unexpectedly lost three seats to the Liberals in Calgary, where the Tories had previously held every seat.
The Alliance did not seriously challenge the Tories' majority, but it was competitive in several rural districts that could formerly have been described as Tory bastions. Although the Alliance only won one seat, from the Tories' perspective that seat was a formerly ultra-safe southwestern district. This has led many pundits to conclude that although the Alliance gained less than ten percent of the popular vote in 2004, it could potentially be in a position to launch a more serious challenge to the Tories in the future.
On April 4, 2006, after receiving a 55% vote of support from his party, Ralph Klein issued a press release expressing his intent to retire. A number of candidates stepped forward as possible replacements for a leadership election in late 2006. Klein officially resigned on September 20, 2006. The first round of voting on November 25 eliminated all but three candidates - Jim Dinning
Jim Dinning
Jim Dinning is a Canadian Progressive Conservative politician and businessman. He was a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta , and now serves on the board of directors of a variety of Canadian companies. Dinning ran for the leadership of the Alberta Progressive Conservatives to replace...
, Ted Morton
Ted Morton
Frederick Lee Morton , known commonly as Ted Morton, is a Canadian politician and Minister of Energy for the Province of Alberta. As a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta he represents the constituency of Foothills-Rocky View as a Progressive Conservative...
and Ed Stelmach
Ed Stelmach
Edward Michael "Ed" Stelmach, MLA is a Canadian politician and served as the 13th Premier of Alberta, Canada, from 2006 to 2011. The grandson of Ukrainian immigrants, Stelmach was born and raised on a farm near Lamont and speaks fluent Ukrainian. He spent his entire pre-political adult life as a...
. None received the required 50% of the vote, so a second round was held on December 2. In the second round, Stelmach was declared the winner. He assumed the premiership on December 14.
Stelmach would go on to stun pundits and even his own supporters when he led the Tories to an increased majority in the 2008 general election, winning 72 of 83 seats including 13 in Edmonton, their highest total in the capital since 1982. The Tories lost modest ground in Calgary, winning 18 seats to the Liberals' five. The Liberals were nonetheless reduced to nine seats and the NDP two, and with the Tories re-taking Cardston-Taber-Warner
Cardston-Taber-Warner
Cardston-Taber-Warner is a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada. The district is mandated to return a single member to the for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
from the re-named Wildrose Alliance in a close race.
2011 leadership election
On January 25, 2011, Stelmach announced his intention to step down as party leader and Premier prior to the next provincial election28th Alberta general election
The 28th general election in Alberta, Canada, will take place when the Premier formally advises the Lieutenant Governor to dissolve the Legislative Assembly....
as a result of a dispute with his finance minister, Ted Morton
Ted Morton
Frederick Lee Morton , known commonly as Ted Morton, is a Canadian politician and Minister of Energy for the Province of Alberta. As a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta he represents the constituency of Foothills-Rocky View as a Progressive Conservative...
, over the provincial budget. It is expected that Stelmach will formally resign in September 2011.
Party leaders
Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party- Frederick HaultainFrederick W. A. G. HaultainSir Frederick William Alpin Gordon Haultain was a lawyer and a long serving Canadian politician and judge. His career in provincial and territorial legislatures stretched into four decades...
(1897–1905)
Alberta Conservative Party
- Richard (R.B.) Bennett (1905 electionAlberta general election, 1905The Alberta general election of 1905 was the first general election held in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on 9 November 1905, to elect members of the Alberta legislature to the 1st Alberta Legislative Assembly, shortly after the province was created out of the Northwest Territories...
) - Albert RobertsonAlbert RobertsonAlbert John Robertson was a politician from Alberta, Canada, and the first Leader of the Opposition in the province's history. He led the Conservatives in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1905 to 1909, before being defeated in the 1909 election....
(1905–1909) - Richard (R.B.) Bennett (1909–1910)
- Edward MichenerEdward MichenerEdward Michener was a politician from Alberta, Canada. He was born in Tintern, Ontario.Edward was acclaimed as Mayor of Red Deer, Alberta. In the 1904 Mayoral race, he held that position for 2 terms until 1906....
(1910–1917) - George Hoadley (1917–1920)
- James Ramsey (1920–1921)
- Alexander McGillivrayAlexander McGillivray (Alberta politician)Alexander Andrew McGillivray was a lawyer and provincial level politician from Alberta, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta representing the electoral district of Calgary from 1926 to 1930...
(1925–1930) - David Milwyn DugganDavid Milwyn DugganDavid Milwyn Duggan was a politician in Alberta, Canada, a mayor of Edmonton, a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, and a leader of the Conservative Party of Alberta.-Early life:...
(1930–1942) - John Percy PageJohn Percy PageJohn Percy Page also known as J. Percy Page was a Canadian teacher, basketball coach, provincial politician, and the eighth Lieutenant Governor of Alberta.- Early life, education :...
(1952Alberta general election, 1952The Alberta general election of 1952 was the twelfth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on August 5, 1952 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.Ernest C...
, 1955 electionsAlberta general election, 1955The Alberta general election of 1955 was the thirteenth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on June 29, 1955 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
)
Alberta Progressive Conservative Party
- Cam KirbyCam KirbyThe Hon. William J. Cameron Kirby, Q.C. was an Alberta politician, leader of the Conservative Party, barrister, Queen's Counsel, and a Justice of the Court of Queen's Bench.Born in Calgary...
(1959 electionAlberta general election, 1959The Alberta general election of 1959 was the fourteenth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on June 18, 1959 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.Ernest C...
) - Ernest WatkinsErnest WatkinsErnest Shilston Watkins was a provincial politician and author from Alberta, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1957 to 1963.-Political career:...
interim (1959–1962) - Milt Harradence (1962–1964)
- Peter LougheedPeter LougheedEdgar Peter Lougheed, PC, CC, AOE, QC, is a Canadian lawyer, and a former politician and Canadian Football League player. He served as the tenth Premier of Alberta from 1971 to 1985....
(1965–1985) - Donald Getty (1985–1992)
- Ralph Klein (1992–2006)
- Ed StelmachEd StelmachEdward Michael "Ed" Stelmach, MLA is a Canadian politician and served as the 13th Premier of Alberta, Canada, from 2006 to 2011. The grandson of Ukrainian immigrants, Stelmach was born and raised on a farm near Lamont and speaks fluent Ukrainian. He spent his entire pre-political adult life as a...
(2006–2011) - Alison RedfordAlison RedfordAlison Merrilla Redford Q.C., MLA, is a Canadian politician, and the 14th and current Premier of Alberta, Canada. Upon winning the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta, in October 2011, she became the first female premier in Alberta...
(2011–present)
See also
- List of Alberta general elections
- List of political parties in Canada
- Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative PartyNorthwest Territories Liberal-Conservative PartyThe Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party also known formally as the Liberal-Conservative Association prior to 1903 and the Territorial Conservative Association after 1903, was a short lived political party in the Northwest Territories, Canada. from 1897-1905...
- Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta leadership electionsProgressive Conservative Association of Alberta leadership electionsThis page lists the results of leadership elections held by the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta or as it was known before 1958, the Conservatives.-Developments 1905-1923:...