Emerging onto a political landscape long dominated by the Progressive Conservatives will no doubt deliver its share of challenges for the fledgling Alberta Party but it's one the party faithful is ready to embrace.
"I think our biggest challenge right now and something that I'm really focused on is just letting people know that we exist," acting party leader Sue Huff told the Gazette a week before the party holds its first constituency meeting here next week.
"It's a very big province and … as they say, rural Alberta is not following us on Twitter and I think that's obviously true for many areas. People don't even know the Alberta Party is here."
Huff previously served as a trustee with Edmonton Public Schools and has worked as a writer, actor and film director in Edmonton for the last 20 years.
Although the Alberta Party has existed in one form or another since 1985, it was in 2009 when Renew Alberta — a movement borne from dissatisfaction with both the governing Tories and opposition parties — announced its intention to establish a new centrist party.
Last February, Renew Alberta joined the Alberta Party and subsequently launched the Big Listen — a process of engaging Albertans through meetings, the Internet and information booths.
Huff said it was that process that sparked her interest in the party because Albertans were asked what issues were important to them.
"That process felt so right to me because most political conversations, if you come into political circles, usually it degenerates into a complaining session and people get very stuck in this loop of complaining and I'm tired of that — I'm tired of complaining," Huff said.
Policies on health, the environment, economy and democratic renewal were developed during a convention in Calgary this past November, through input provided during the Big Listen.
"There is a lot of concern about democracy here in terms of what happens when a government is in power for 40 years," Huff said. "Does entitlement start to creep in there, and is there the same level of independence and is there the same level of freedom of expression in … appointments to boards? A lot of these issues, people feel that democracy is not as robust as it could be here."
She said the issues that are important to St. Albertans are the same issues that resonate with all Albertans, with health care at the forefront.
"A lot of the common things that we've heard were concerns around health care, obviously it's a huge issue for many people. [There are] concerns about the future in terms of long-term planning and where are we going as a province with our vast resources and wonderful blessings in this province. Are we really saving enough for the future?"
Other issues of importance include saving for retirement and debt, said Huff. The party's next round of policy development will include energy and municipal affairs.
Although party members consist of a "blend of generations," Huff said, the Alberta Party has attracted a large number of Albertans in their twenties and thirties, something she in part attributes to the party's strong online presence and use of social media like Twitter.
"I think there is also something very dynamic and energetic about the party and I think that draws young people as well. There is a sense of we're building something new, come build with us as opposed to here is the structure, it's always been this way."
Constituency meetings
Liza Sunley, who is organizing next week's constituency association meeting in St. Albert said there has been plenty of interest from the community.
"It's been great actually," Sunley said of the response. "As soon as people found out we were setting something up here, we had a core group of members that were getting things going."
The Alberta Party will hold its inaugural constituency association meeting for the Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock riding on Monday, Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. at Don's Bistro, 10015 - 100 Ave. in Morinville.
A meeting for the St. Albert and Spruce Grove-Sturgeon-St. Albert ridings will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. in the Community Room at the Save-On Foods in north St. Albert.
