Alberta’s Tory government appears more committed to cementing its grip on power in Alberta instead of governing. That strategy alone and voters’ perception of it could be one more nail in the coffin of the Tory dynasty.
How else is the public supposed to perceive the party’s actions during the last brief session of the legislature? Instead of signature pieces of relevant discussion and legislation, all the Tories have tried to do is exert influence in inappropriate ways, and then backpedal furiously after often predictable criticism emerged. The flip-flop has become an all-too-familiar tactic of the Ed Stelmach government and Albertans are starting to take notice.
It isn’t often in the modern day we hear the word “gerrymandering” being bandied about, but the Tories might be trying to resurrect the practice, courtesy of our deputy premier and own MLA Doug Horner. The 200-page report he dropped on the desk of the Alberta Electoral Boundaries Commission, which is examining changes to names and borders of Alberta’s constituencies, has been criticized as the Tories trying to exert influence on an independent commission. The document is said to detail the “wishes” of the party and its opinions in areas where the commission has erred. Trying to rig constituency boundaries in its favour is one thing; interfering politically in the matters of an independent commission is quite another.
Even Speaker Ken Kowalski has tiptoed over the lines of propriety of his office in the last session. Also representing voters in our area (Barrhead-Morinville), the speaker thought it would be wise to pass along a report to all MLAs in the legislature that called for new restrictions on the responsibilities of the auditor-general, an office the Tories seldom acknowledge, and only if it suits their needs. It turns out the report was written by the infamous Ron Hicks, former head of the public service who worked closely with Stelmach and former premier Ralph Klein.
Even the public accounts committee has become a Tory target. The word “neuter” has been brought back into legislative vogue because the government MLAs on the board ganged up on its chair — a Liberal — with the intent of making sure no piece of correspondence could be sent from the chair without the signature of the deputy. Given that Parliamentary tradition has always seen public accounts committees — even at the federal level — chaired by a member of the opposition, the tactic smacked of political opportunism and an attempt to hijack the work of the committee. In the end, the motion was withdrawn.
All three incidents point to an alarming trend in the Tory government in that it is more interested in consolidating and protecting its power than actually governing. It’s a movement that is not without its history — from its repeated mistreatment of former auditor-general Fred Dunn to hamstringing the former chief electoral officer — all the Tories seem interested in is silencing opposition and cementing power. They are building up their defences for a siege instead of going on the offence and actually governing. It is not the approach Alberta needs and proves only the ongoing belief that the party acts predominately in its own interests and not those of the electorate.
