Raj Sherman, Glenn Taylor, Danielle Smith, Alison Redford or Brian Mason are not running in either of St. Albert’s riding, but as potential premiers all of them could have a big impact on the city, both positive and negative.
Would their standard-bearers in the community be able to run against their own party if they needed to? Local MLA Ken Allred spoke out against his own party on several occasions during his first and only term in the legislature.
Allred spoke out against the government’s plan to delist gender re-assignment surgeries, offered a private member’s bill on fixed election dates when then-premier Ed Stelmach was opposed to the idea and has spoken out on several other issues.
With the exception of the gender re-assignment surgery issue, which he said caught his party off guard, he said he generally was accepted for speaking his mind.
“Other than maybe the first instance it was generally accepted by the caucus.”
Allred said it is important for an MLA to be able to speak his or her mind on the issues and he would like to see a legislature that encouraged more free votes.
“I truly believe that we have to have more free votes then we have to be able to speak out for our constituents.”
He said the current debate, from all sides of the house, is disappointing because it is more about rhetoric and politics and not nearly enough about dialogue.
“I do feel it is important to speak out, that is what debate is all about and we have to have honest, objective debate.”
Alberta Party candidate Tim Osborne said his party was formed partly on the idea that local MLAs weren’t representing their constituents very well. He said they would support free votes and other measures all designed to make the legislature more accountable.
“The job that an MLA is elected to do is to represent their constituents and without things like a free vote you don’t get that.”
Wildrose candidate James Burrows said his party’s pledge to Albertans would open all but the budget to free votes and would give people power to recall MLAs who weren’t representing their communities.
“The way our platform is set out, it basically says that everything is a free vote,” he said. “We are going to give Albertans the power to recall misbehaving MLAs.”
He said his party would not rule out an idea simply because they didn’t come up with it themselves.
“This is why government isn’t working in Alberta anymore. Nobody has a monopoly on good ideas.”
PC candidate Steve Khan said he would always remember where his loyalty should lie.
“The people who are in this position are working for their constituents,” he said. “You need to remember where you are from.”
Khan said that can mean working with fellow MLAs to improve legislation and trying to find ways to mitigate potential impacts.
“There is always a time and a place where you need to work with people.”
He said if push came to shove he would represent St. Albert first.
“If we have a situation where PC legislation circumvents what is best for St. Albert, I owe it to stand up to St. Albert.”
Liberal candidate Kim Bugeaud said she is very passionate about the need for an MLA to represent the constituency and not the party.
“I think that totally changes the paradigm that we now live, which is the MLAs serving the government, versus the representative serving their constituents.”
She said with the nature of Canadian democracy, governments here don’t typically have majority support over the whole province, which makes it even more important to have people who can speak for their communities.
She said it goes beyond simply having free votes in the legislature and into a more engaged representative who reaches out to citizens all the time.
“Door knocking can’t be just prior to a campaign, the promises we have been hearing these past few weeks can’t just be because of the campaign.”
NDP candidate Nicole Bownes said her party would leave her free to vote for her constituents, except in areas that are fundamental to the party, like strong public health care and getting a larger share of oil revenues.
“I think I have been very open and transparent about what the NDP stands for.”
She said she ran for the NDP because she believe in what the party has to offer and is comfortable that its policies are the right ones for St. Albert.
“I am running for the NDP, because the NDP matches my personal beliefs and values.”
