Alberta Votes

Here was my official prediction for the Alberta election yesterday:
PC: 68
Lib: 11
NDP: 3
Alliance: 1

Here's what happened:
PC: 61
Lib: 17
NDP: 4
Alliance: 1

Not too bad eh? I'm glad Albertans sent Ralph a message. I couldn't believe Mark Norris, a cabinet minister, lost. He was touted to run for the leadership. He beat Nancy Macbeth, Liberal leader in 2001. Ian McLelland lost, after being in government since 1993 with the Reform Party, then to the Alberta PCs in 2001.

I was glad to see the Alliance got a seat. If they get a new leader - a more charismatic one, they should be able to do much better in 2008. Now they should be in the TV debates as well. The NDP concentrated their vote to Edmonton and although they only got 90,000 votes, they won four seats - where in some elections they got 100,000 and no seats. They're smarter now.

Preston Manning, former Reform Party leader whose father was Premier of Alberta for 25 years, said that Albertans, as they've done three times in provincial history, may be ready for a complete party change in the next election. I would agree. The PCs are tired and out of concrete ideas. The Alliance put together a pallatable platform with actual specific ideas. I was reluctant at first, then switched in the last few days. They got 77,000 votes - not too far off the NDP. If they double that and concentrate on certain rural ridings, they could get a dozen seats in 2004.

I'm of the belief now that if Alberta doesn't reform the legislature and elections, then how can we propose parliamentary reform federally? If we had fixed election dates, free votes, and more opposition on committees right here in Alberta, then I think we'd have more clout federally. Don't you agree?