Premier Ed Stelmach announced yesterday he plans to resign as premier, saying he cannot commit to another term in the legislature.
"Upon much reflection and consultation with family and close friends, I have determined that after 25 years of public service, I am not prepared to serve another full term as premier. Therefore I have decided to announce today that I will not be running as a candidate in the next general election," Stelmach told reporters in Edmonton.
Stelmach said he will provide written notice of his intention to resign at a later date, after which a leadership race will be held.
He said he will continue to serve as premier until a formal notice has been submitted.
Announcement a surprise
"I was certainly very surprised, to put it mildly," said St. Albert MLA Ken Allred, of Stelmach's intention to resign.
Allred said it was likely that the emergence of two political parties, the Alberta Party and the Wildrose Alliance, during Stelmach's time as premier that had something to do with his decision.
"I suppose there is something to that. I wouldn't say so much the Alberta Party, they still need to be proven. The Wildrose has certainly caused some concern, I would think particularly in Calgary and southern Alberta."
Allred said Stelmach has never been able to connect with southern Albertans, particularly in Calgary, and speculated that former Calgary MLA Jim Dinning's failed bid for the Tory leadership in 2006 could be partly to blame. The province's royalty review was another factor, he said.
"I think a lot of it came out of the royalty issue and the fact that Jim Dinning did not win. I think there has been some resentment and I don't know if it's just the Dinning camp or if it's spread to Calgarians in general," Allred said.
"There has certainly been some problems, like health care, but health care will always be a problem I think. But he just didn't seem to be able to connect in Calgary."
During Tuesday's press conference, Stelmach spoke briefly about the upcoming provincial budget, saying that his party will present a budget that "shows the way to being balanced on a fully consolidated basis in 2013 — a year later than we had hoped."
He said the budget will be "tough yet responsible" and will not gut funding to municipalities, health projects, schools or road construction.
"The budget my government brings in will use the cash we saved during the boom to help us through the bust and position us to leap ahead of the nation and the continent," Stelmach said.
He said his successor is under no obligation to call an election next spring.
"That is my timetable and mine alone," said Stelmach. His successor has until March, 2013 to call an election.
Before ending his brief press conference, after which he did not take questions, Stelmach warned the next election campaign would include "U.S. style negative, attack politics."
"The danger is that it could allow for an extreme right party to disguise itself as a moderate party by focusing on personality — on me personally," he said.
"This type of U.S.-style wedge politics is coming into Canada, and it comes at our peril."
Local MLA and Deputy Premier Doug Horner was unavailable for comment Tuesday.
