by David J. Climenhaga
Well, Ken Kowalski is marching into history, so why the heck not?
At any rate, earlier today, Edmonton Centre Liberal MLA Laurie Blakeman sent along a Twitter message saying she’s still the nominated candidate for her party, then went on to say: “Excited by idea of running for Speaker – best qualified but still need PC votes.”
The four-term MLA has sought the job before, and not gained much purchase with the vast Tory majority in the Assembly at any given time.
Still, with the Alberta Liberals floundering under the leadership of former Conservative Raj Sherman, hope springs eternal. Maybe this time can be different. Ms. Blakeman could certainly do the job with aplomb.
And becoming Speaker would solve a problem for Ms. Blakeman, who earlier this year ran for the leadership of the Alberta Liberals and lost to Dr. Sherman. She has clearly seemed disaffected since. Her personal political website makes no mention of her party affiliation.
Rumours have suggested she might follow the example of her caucus colleague and fellow leadership candidate, Hugh MacDonald, and announce her retirement from politics, or petition to join the NDP caucus, which would have been a good fit for the experienced and genuinely liberal politician.
This provides another option – if an unlikely one. Unless the outcome of the next general election is closer than appears probable right now, Premier Alison Redford’s Conservatives seem much more likely to reward one of their own with the important and well-compensated post.
Mr. Kowalski, the Legislature’s longest-serving member, announced Friday that he is stepping down.
By Christopher Walsh, editor
The race to lead the Alberta Liberals is attracting a lot of interested Albertans, with registered eligible voters reaching numbers not seen for the party since ...
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By Christopher Walsh, editor
Candidates vying for leadership of the Alberta Liberals will be facing off tonight in Calgary for the final forum in the city before the party’s vote ...
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L-r: Hugh MacDonald, Raj Sherman, Bruce Payne, Laurie Blakeman (standing), Bill Harvey
By Christopher Walsh, editor
It was shortly after the pleasantries amongst candidates were exchanged that things got ...
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Calgary businesses looking to expand their operations into the Middle East can pick the brain of a regional expert Sept. 16 thanks to the Lunchbox Soapbox Speaker Series.
Doing Business in the ...
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by David J. Climenhaga
The planned departure of Hugh MacDonald from the crumbling Alberta Liberal Party became official yesterday when paid reporters finally tracked down the Edmonton-Gold Bar MLA and got ...
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by David J. Climenhaga
ST. ALBERT, Alberta
Timing is everything, I wrote of former St. Albert city councillor James Burrows back in February 2010: “If Mr. Burrows can get the Wildrose nomination, ...
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by David J. Climenhaga
Can the Alberta Liberals survive the election of Raj Sherman as their leader?
This question has to be asked because the probability now seems quite high that Dr. ...
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By David Climenhaga
In case you missed it, as almost everybody did, Calgary-North West MLA Lindsay Blackett, generally acknowledged as the last-place candidate in the Alberta Conservative leadership contest, has ...
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Alberta Liberal leadership race attracts surprising interest
Liberal leadership hopefuls square off in Calgary tonight
Why are cats and dead people on the
Lunchbox Soapbox Speaker Series: Doing business in the
Departure of Hugh MacDonald a more serious blow
Remember where you heard it first! Former St.
The other leadership race: Can the Alberta Liberals
The Tory leadership race: Lindsay Blackett gives up
Tags: Laurie Blakeman, Raj Sherman
Category: Opinion
