Race has begun for new Alberta Party leader
Posted Jan 17, 2018 6:08 am.
Last Updated Jan 17, 2018 7:09 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Calgarians got an up-close and personal look at the three individuals running to become the new leader of the Alberta Party, Tuesday night.
Former Edmonton Mayor and PC Health Minister Stephen Mandel, Former PC Minister and Calgary MLA Rick Fraser, and Calgary Lawyer Kara Levis shook hands with supporters at the Kerby Centre.
Levis tells 660NEWS the party and it’s supporters need to throw out the old play book when it comes to Alberta politics, and that now is the time for new ideas.
“The Alberta Party has a huge opportunity right now, to capitalize on people that are disaffected with the current government, but who are really uncomfortable with the vision that the UCP is putting forward,” she said. “I’ve been talking to people in Calgary, Edmonton and throughout the province and they are looking for an alternative to that.”
Mandel doesn’t believe that his past with the Progressive Conservatives will count against him.
“I was only short-lived, the Premier asked me to join and I was only short-lived in the government. Doesn’t change the fact that people progressive need to join together to unite, to build a strong Alberta, from the centre.”
Fraser, who was briefly a member of the United Conservative Party before crossing the floor, says the decision to put his name in the ring was deeply personal for him and his family.
“It’s a body of work I’ve put together, the way that I conduct myself in the legislature, how I treat other people. That’s the only thing that I can stand on, is just who Rick Fraser is, and what I have been. So whether that’s a problem or not, I don’t think so. That’s not what I’ve heard anyway.”
Election results will be announced February 27.
Former leader and Calgary-ELbow MLA Greg Clark announced his resignation on November 18, 2017 and is serving as interim leader in the meantime.
