New Alberta Tory leader must sweep away vestiges of cronyism
Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams appears staggered that several individuals in his province’s legislative assembly may have had their fingers in the cash register.
Such naivete at the top, even from a self-made multi-millionaire businessman.
Yes, even smart people can be blind at times.
When, a couple of decades ago I tried to tell Saskatchewan Premier Grant Devine he was surrounded by charlatans and clowns, he insisted they were “all good guys.”
Later, when some 20 MLAs and political insiders on his staff were charged with fraud, he found out differently.
Today we of know all kinds of nefarious goings-on within the ranks of Jean Chretien’s and Paul Martin’s governments.
Unless one keeps a squeaky clean administration—as did former Alberta premier E.C. Manning—patronage and pork-barrelling become the norm.
Just check out Sir John A. Macdonald’s days. Chances to rip off the taxpayers are rampant.
There were whiffs of scandal and instances of self-serving individuals in premier Don Getty’s administration—recall how billions of the taxpayers’ money were invested in shaky business deals from telecommunications to magnesium plants to slaughter houses—and profits just evaporated.
Even at the start of Premier Ralph Klein’s term there was talk of nefarious goings-on by political insiders with money being made on the side.
Recall the Multi-Corp affair? Had Multi-Corp and other shenanigans happened in any other province, premiers would have been forced to resign, their governments would have faced the wrath of the voters, and a stack of political insiders would have been out on the streets, or maybe in government-sponsored housing.
The longer a government stays in power, the more ingrained it becomes and the more political insiders see the opportunities for nice employment contracts and easy money.
Since Klein became premier in 1992 there have been individuals within his Progressive Conservative apparatus who’ve ridden the gravy train and gotten rich, often for little or no real work, over the past 15 years.
Without casting aspersions on any particular individual or individuals, we surely need a cleansing in the government hierarchy at the provincial legislature.
We would get that best with a complete change of government, but the Alberta Alliance seems moribund, and most voters fear the Liberals would simply sell out the province to their federal brethren, get involved in every hare-brained scheme coming their way, and spend us into huge debt again.
This means we have to look forward—or at least look towards—another Progressive Conservative administration with one of four former cabinet ministers or two current MLAs taking the helm.
Scratch out Calgary MLA Alana DeLong because this lady is simply wasting her time bidding for the leadership.
Foothills-Rockyview MLA Ted Morton is a top-notch fellow. An early supporter of the Reform party, he wants to see fixed election dates, term limits, referendums, and bolstering the power of the auditor general.
He would surely clean out the backroom boys and bureaucrats who have infested the Klein administration.
I have never met Ed Stelmach—‘Steady Eddie’, as he is known—but hear he’s a decent fellow with good values. That said, he likely lacks the stamina to take on the money-hungry establishment that has flourished under Klein.
Ex-economic development minister Mark Norris is firmer and would show some muscle, especially on provincial rights, should the Liberals regain power in Ottawa. Sadly, like Getty in 1989, Norris in 2004, couldn’t even hold his own seat.
Former provincial treasurer Jim Dinning is said to be the frontrunner, followed closely by former infrastructure minister Lyle Oberg.
Dinning is a personable fellow, as is Oberg, and both are thoughtful and visionary.
Each is likely to put out solid policies as their campaigns gather steam.
So which of the five viable candidates to choose?
Easy—check out the campaign teams of all the candidates and if you find them top-heavy with insiders from the Klein era, tell the candidates either to clean out these individuals or tell them you’re backing someone else.
We simply can’t cleanse the premier’s office and the party hierarchy, and have visionary new policies and higher ethical standards, with holdovers from the Klein regime still running the show.
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