Contenders leave cabinet: opposition
Tory cabinet minister Ken Hughes says support within the Progressive Conservative caucus will be a key factor in the race for his party’s leadership.
In a news conference Monday in his Calgary-West Riding, Hughes launched an exploratory initiative to get feedback from the public to determine whether to run for the PC leadership.
But he said the next leader of the party must also have backing from within the government.
“What I need to determine is whether or not first of all there is a material amount of support from within caucus from all corners of the province,” he said.
Alison Redford resigned as premier as of Sunday night, creating a vacancy that must be filled in four to six months.
Redford’s leadership bid in 2011 initially had the support of only one sitting MLA and a poor relationship with members of her government — along with a series of controversies over travel and expenses — was a major factor in her downfall.
Hughes said he has worked hard to build relationships with his fellow MLAs, but would not say if any are prepared to endorse him at this point.
He was first elected in the 2012 provincial election but has extensive public service experience. He was a Tory MP from 1988 to 1993 and served as the first chair of Alberta Health Services.
Provincial cabinet ministers contemplating a run for the Progressive Conservative leadership should step down immediately to avoid any perception they are using their government position to campaign, opposition parties say.
“The optics are a concern,” NDP critic Rachel Notley said Monday. “You cannot have a leadership campaign on the public dollar and you cannot be soliciting support while doing the very important job of a cabinet minister.”
The government’s official itinerary for this week shows several events scheduled for three ministers believed to be interested in joining the race to replace Redford.
Finance Minister Doug Horner will be travelling across much of the province over the next few days, set to make speeches about the budget in Edmonton, Morinville, Fort Saskatchewan, Cold Lake, Grande Prairie and Red Deer.