Prentice to declare where he’ll run in byelection
‘ Over the next 24 hours it will be very clear’
With Jim Prentice expected to announce Monday where he will run in a byelection, opposition parties say they are ready and eager to hit the campaign trail against the yettobe- elected premier.
The premier’s two unelected cabinet ministers — Education Minister Gordon Dirks and Health Minister Stephen Mandel — have been nominated to run in Calgary-Elbow and Edmonton- Whitemud respectively, but the Wildrose opposition and other rivals have been kept in the dark so far on where, exactly, Prentice intends to seek a legislature seat himself.
On Sunday morning, Prentice indicated he will soon put an end to the speculation.
“I’m not going to say today where that is, but I think if people stay tuned over the next 24 hours, it will be very clear,” he told CTV Question Period.
Prentice’s press secretary Emily Woods later confirmed to the Herald that Prentice would make his intentions known on Monday — though it is unclear whether the premier will actually call the byelection right away, or simply indicate which seat he plans to pursue. If he does call the byelection immediately, the typical four- week campaign period would mean voters go to the polls on Oct. 27.
For Prentice’s run, anticipation has focused on two ridings: Calgary-Mackay- Nose Hill, where MLA Neil Brown has offered to step aside for the premier; and Calgary- Foothills, where Tory- turned- independent MLA Len Webber has just secured a federal Conservative nomination for next year’s election.
Neither Brown nor Webber could be reached for comment Sunday.
However, at least three of the province’s opposition parties say it doesn’t matter which riding Prentice chooses — they will be ready. Wildrose press secretary Heather Hume said Sunday the party will have a strong candidate in place as soon as Prentice announces his choice of riding.
“Wildrose is prepared to take on Mr. Prentice wherever he decides is most convenient for him to run,” Hume said in an e- mail. “Clearly, Mr. Prentice must be nervous about running on the PC record since he seems so reluctant to let voters know which riding he’ll be contesting.”
The Alberta NDP is also gearing up for the race, with Calgary writer Jennifer Burgess prepared to seek the party’s nomination in whatever riding Prentice decides to run in. On the NDP’s website, Burgess is referred to as the party’s candidate for “Calgary- Prentice.”
“It’s been tricky to prepare, obviously, when we don’t know what riding it’s going to be,” said Burgess, who lives in the riding of Calgary-Buffalo. “But we know it’s going to be Prentice, and we’ve been ready to go for weeks.”
Burgess added she is not intimidated at the thought of going into a byelection against a sitting premier. “I’m pretty hopeful. I think it’s a myth that the PC party is this monolith that we’re going to have forever. We tend to get into this cynical cycle where we think it can’t change, but I don’t believe that’s true,” she said.
Greg Clark, leader of the Alberta Party and its candidate in Calgary-Elbow, confirmed Sunday the party has a candidate prepared to run against Prentice. Michelle Glavine, a teacher who also serves as Rocky View Local 35 president for the Alberta Teachers’ Association, lives in Calgary- Foothills and will take on the premier wherever he decides to run.
Clark said the fact the Alberta Party will run candidates in all three byelections shows they are serious about presenting an alternative to the PCs and Jim Prentice’s leadership.
“We’re ready to rock,” Clark said. “We’ll take him on.”
A representative of the Alberta Liberal Party could not be reached for comment Sunday.