The strange resignation of Alberta Party leader Clark

With province in political ferment, there may be more to decision than meets the eye

It’s not every day that a party leader sees his caucus double in size. It’s an even odder day when that same leader quits less than two weeks later.

Yet that’s what Greg Clark did. He quietly resigned as leader of the Alberta Party earlier this week.

On Oct. 29, former NDP MLA Karen McPherson announced that she was joining the Alberta Party. That made it a legislature caucus of two, along with Clark.

Joy all around. Wow, maybe the Alberta Party would even get official party standing in the legislature.

Now, Clark says he’ll stay as interim leader until a new one is chosen, don’t know where, don’t know when.

He may run for that leadership, again. “You haven’t seen the last of me,” he said. He firmly believes the leadership has to be opened up — “in order to grow the party.”

And that’s the crux of it. The MLA for Calgary-Elbow is a fine representative and legislator. He is often sharper than bigger parties on issues, even though he has a fraction of their staff.

But the Alberta Party hasn’t grown very much under his leadership, even though it seems ideally framed for the times as a centrist, fiscally responsible, socially progressive force.

The current party clocks in under 10 per cent in the polls. Despite some increase in popularity, it’s largely a Greg Clark phenomenon, based in one riding.

And now, a lot of influential people who have been orphaned by the formation of the United Conservative Party want a new home.

These include longtime PCs, people like Calgary operative Stephen Carter and former PC president Katherine O’Neill.

In Edmonton, former PC minister Stephen Khan has been active.

Stephen Mandel, the former Edmonton mayor and Tory cabinet minister now dealing with a death in the family, is also said to be interested.

In general, those people either don’t like the Liberals or don’t believe they can ever win. They mistrust the NDP and harbour deep distaste for Jason Kenney and the UCP.

And when they look around, what do they see?

A small party, ideologically suited to them, with the best name in provincial politics. Just look at Premier Brad Wall’s run with the Saskatchewan Party.

Thus began a movement to join the Alberta Party, build it, and — for some — find somebody fresh and new to lead it.

One person often mentioned is Ryan Jespersen, the host of a popular talk-radio show with 630 CHED in Edmonton.

Pressure was applied on Clark. The Alberta Party board had a meeting this week at which a change in the rules was discussed.

Under the existing system, a leadership convention can only be called with approval of the caucus — a high hurdle to jump, when there are only two MLAs and one is the leader.

That was to be altered to remove the caucus vote as a factor.

A leadership contest could then be forced by a 75 per cent “super-majority” of board members.

Apparently, the board vote wasn’t held, perhaps because Clark made the decision for himself. He resigned.

But Clark is a team player. He refuses to talk about board discussions, except to say he completely supports the decisions.

Some people associated with the parties aren’t happy at all about his treatment. “It puts anything the old PCs ever did to shame,” says one.

Clark has many virtues, both political and personal, but one failing that’s never tolerated for long is failure to expand the base of the party.

Maybe this had to happen. Clark himself is gracious enough to say he’s fine with it.

But it could have been done with more respect for one of the finest people in Alberta politics.