Red Deer — Progressive Conservative leadership candidates traded light verbal barbs, but found many places to agree Thursday night as the race to replace Ed Stelmach entered its final three weeks.
All six hopefuls came to Red Deer for the sixth of eight forums, which drew a packed house of nearly 600 people.
Rick Orman opened the evening continuing his mantra of governing for public service.
"When I left, I left. I didn't seek any government contracts or appointments," he said. "I am not looking for a job, but there is a job to be done."
Ted Morton pushed his ability to unite the right and bring back Wildrose supporters.
"We are being challenged by a second conservative party and this threatens vote splitting."
Doug Horner stressed he would return the party to its basic values and get good results for Albertans.
"Those values and principles do not get old and they do not get stale."
Gary Mar focused on some of the local issues, promising Red Deer would be an important part of his government. He said Alberta's future was bright.
"We can keep Alberta working, we can keep Alberta learning and we can treat seniors and caregivers with dignity and compassion."
Doug Griffiths stressed his experience, while also suggesting he was the fresh face the party needed.
"Our party must embrace the future, it must embrace forward thinking leadership and it must embrace the next generation."
Alison Redford said she has the experience to know what's wrong with politics and the drive to fix it.
"I am not a career politician, but I was in cabinet long enough to know what works and what doesn't."
Range of questions
Audience questions tried to pin the candidates down on issues including seniors' drug costs, balanced budgets, value-added agriculture, poverty reduction, the provincial labour code and high-speed rail.
On a high-speed link, the candidates were mostly supportive, but questioned the multibillion-dollar price tag.
"That is a lot of money that can go to schools and hospitals, so we better be really sure," said Griffiths.
Horner suggested the link makes more sense than some of the other transport projects the province is considering.
"It makes a lot more sense to do that than build another outer, outer ring road."
Ted Morton and Gary Mar both agreed it was too early to start construction, but the province should consider purchasing the right of way.
Mar joked he had always told Premier Ralph Klein he wanted to be a part of it.
"After 100 years of railway building experience, the Chinese want to move from labour to management."
All the candidates also agreed the government's decision revealed this week to cut funding for a community restorative justice program was offside.
"We can't have decisions that are ripping the heart out of community decision-making and volunteerism in this province," said Redford.
Distinctions drawn
On electrical transmission lines, Horner argued Bill 50 was not the problem, and that it was an issue still in the hands of the government that could be resolved.
"It is what are we doing under Bill 50 that is the issue and you need the answers to those questions and so does cabinet."
Mar suggested Horner should have asked them much sooner.
"You should have asked those questions before you passed the bill."
Orman took aim at all the current MLAs on the panel for their involvement in the legislation, which some of them are now trying to distance themselves from.
"We have had members of this panel that were involved in drafting Bill 50."
Redford took aim at Mar and his recent comments on health care to draw a line in the sand.
"When you decide not to fix the system and instead commercialize the system, you are beginning to dismantle public health care."
Griffiths also attempted to draw a distinction between him and the other panellists, noting he was the only person running without any cabinet experience.
He said a balanced budget was important, but it had to be part of a broader discussion about where to take the province.
"This needs to be a long-term plan. We are not running a flea market where it is money in and money out. We are running a $40-billion corporation."
There are two more forums left: in Calgary on Sept. 7 and at the Radisson Edmonton South on Gateway Boulevard on Sept. 15. The first ballot in the race is Sept. 17.
