Morton taking his defeat in stride
Return to academia is likely option
Ever the professor, Ted Morton lays out the reasons for his electoral loss like he’s teaching a political science class.
The Wildrose party tide that swept rural southern Alberta was too strong. Drastic changes in his riding’s boundaries left him scrambling for support east of the city. And he faced a political opponent who had been campaigning for months before him.
“We knew we were in tough,” Morton, 63, said from his home in Calgary on Tuesday.
“We thought we could pull it out of the fire, but we didn’t.”
After losing his seat to the Wildrose in the riding of Chestermere-rocky View in Monday’s election, the former provincial energy cabinet minister said he’s now likely to return to academia.
Morton plans to take a couple of months off, getting in some gardening and spring skiing, and then will figure out whether he’ll set his sights on a think-tank, his tenure at the University of Calgary, or government work.
The two-time PC leadership candidate said he thinks he’s finished with electoral politics, but still fully backs his Tory brethren and their majority win against the Wildrose.
“I’m glad they lost. I think if they won, it would have been amateur hour. And Alberta doesn’t need the amateur hour right now.”
But Morton has many likeminded friends in the Wildrose party.
A former flag-bearer for his
We knew we were in tough. We thought we could pull it out of the fire, but we didn’t.
DEFEATED TORY CANDIDATE TED MORTON
the Tory party’s right flank — he once introduced a private member’s bill focused on conscience rights and protecting the free speech of same-sex marriage opponents — could have found a home in the official Opposition.
In fact, Morton’s campaign manager suggested last weekend his candidate’s connections to both the PC and Wildrose camps meant Morton could act as a power broker between the two parties — should a minority government situation emerge.
“Ted could be the ‘bridge’ between the two camps to shape working majorities on conservative issues,” said a mass e-mail sent by Gord Elliott.
Instead, Wildrose candidate Bruce Mcallister is the winner in Chestermere-rocky View and Morton has borne the brunt of rural anger over the Tory government’s landuse laws — something he calls a “bogus” propaganda campaign against good legislation.
Lethbridge College political science professor Faron Ellis describes Morton as “noble” in his loyalty to the political organizations or causes he backs, whether it be the PC party or environmental protection of the Eastern Slopes.
Without him on Alberta’s political scene, “it will certainly be less colourful,” added Ellis, a former student of Morton’s.
But focusing on the small-c conservative movement will still be Morton’s main thrust going forward.
He believes competition between two right-of-centre parties will be good for Albertans in getting balanced budgets, strong property rights laws and a better health-care system.
The former professor added if the PCS fail in those tasks, “the Wildrose and Danielle Smith are there to put our feet to the fire.”