Alberta Alliance Party
Encyclopedia
The Alberta Alliance was a right wing
provincial political party
in Alberta
, Canada
. Many of its members were former supporters of the now-defunct Canadian Alliance
federal political party and its predecessor, the Reform Party of Canada
. Members also joined from such other provincial fringe parties as the Alberta First Party
, the Alberta Party
and Social Credit. Alliance supporters tended to view themselves as "true conservative
s", and believed the Progressive Conservative government of Premier
Ed Stelmach
to be out of touch with the needs of Albertans.
Paul Hinman
was elected the party's leader at a leadership convention
held on November 19, 2005.
On January 19, 2008, the party voted to change its name to the Wildrose Alliance Party when it merged with the Wildrose Party of Alberta
.
, Alberta
.
Former Social Credit Party of Alberta
leader Randy Thorsteinson
was selected as the first leader of the party on the second day of the founding convention on February 15, 2003. Thorsteinson had previous experience in Alberta politics as he was former leader of Social Credit
from 1992 to 1999. He left the party in April 1999 in protest of an internal party proposal to limit the involvement of Mormons within the Party.
The Canadian Alliance never formed provincial wings or forged formal links with existing provincial parties. In the case of the Canadian Alliance's predecessor, the Reform Party of Canada
, an inactive Reform Party of Alberta
had been formed by members of the federal party to keep the Reform name out of provincial politics. Unlike the Reform Party, the founders of the Alberta Alliance intended to form a very active party, and many members of the Alberta Alliance undoubtedly hoped the new party would be seen as the unofficial provincial wing of the Canadian Alliance
.
The new party never sought a formal link with the Canadian Alliance, and had it done so, the overture would likely have been rebuffed, since many Albertan CA members continued to support the Progressive Conservatives
. However, the Alberta Alliance used the same blue-and-green colours used by the CA, and its logo bears a striking resemblance to that of the federal party. The Alberta Alliance continued to grow following the Canadian Alliance's merger with the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
to form the new Conservative Party of Canada
.
The Alliance gained its first Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
(MLA) on June 29, 2004, when Gary Masyk
crossed the floor
, quitting the Progressive Conservative Party to protest Ralph Klein's handling of health care
issues during the 2004 federal election
. Masyk had represented the electoral district of Edmonton-Norwood
since 2001.
, which was held on November 22, 2004. The party was excluded from Global Television's leaders' debate because it had not elected any members in the 2001 election
, which was held before the party was founded. Some Alliance members noted that in the 1997 election
, the Alberta New Democratic Party
leader was allowed in the debate (as was then Social Credit leader Thorsteinson), even though the NDP had no MLAs at the time. They also noted that the NDP did not even have a full slate of candidates in the 1997 election.
The Alliance hired an American
firm, Campaign Secrets, to help run its campaign. Campaign Secrets, which has extensive experience working on Republican campaigns, produced advertisements that were criticized by some Albertans for employing "U.S.-style" negative campaign
tactics. The Alliance leadership defended their use of American strategists, claiming that most right-leaning Albertan consultants were already hired by the well-heeled Tories.
The party kicked off the "I Blame Ralph" tour holding pre-election campaign events in numerous cities including opening its Campaign Headquarters in Red Deer. Part of the promotional package used by the party was bumper stickers a variety of fliers for different problems and a television ad, as well as t-shirts and a website. "I Blame Ralph" received significant attention, but did not include any of the standard Alberta Alliance logos or colours, instead using red and white leading many to believe the Liberals were responsible.
. The Alberta Alliance was the only party besides the Progressive Conservatives to successfully nominate candidates. The Social Credit Party had intended to run a candidate but failed to get the signatures required to field a candidate.
The candidates finished 7th 8th and 10th out of the field of 10 candidates in the block vote.
, results for the party could be described as mixed. Most analysts did not expect the two-year-old party to seriously challenge the Progressive Conservative government. The party made a few in roads finishing second in a number of rural districts and a few respectable third place showing in Calgary.
The party's lone incumbent MLA, Gary Masyk
, was defeated running for re-election in the new electoral district of Edmonton Decore
, placing a distant fourth. Masyk's old electoral district Edmonton-Norwood had been merged in Edmonton Highlands, the district represented by popular New Democrat leader Brian Mason
.
The party on the whole did very poorly in the urban ridings of Edmonton and Calgary. The Alliance appears to have played spoiler
in some urban seats, siphoning off enough votes from the Tories that Liberals
or New Democrats were elected.
The Alberta Alliance had its best results in a number of rural seats where it managed to finish second. Party Leader Randy Thorsteinson placed second running in Innisfail-Sylvan Lake
. The party managed a narrow victory in Progressive Conservative strong hold of Cardston-Taber-Warner
, where Paul Hinman
became the first MLA elected under the Alliance banner defeating incumbent Broyce Jacobs
. The rural results were mixed and it was badly defeated in other districts.
was called for November 19, 2005. Eleanor Maroes was appointed leader by the Provincial Council to serve in the interim until the new leader was chosen.
The Nominations closed on September 20, 2005. Candidates were eligible if had been a party member for at least 90 days prior to the convention, obtain 100 signatures from party members in good standing, and provide a $5, 000 deposit.
The Alberta Alliance had four candidates were officially nominated.
Paul Hinman was elected as the party's new leader on November 19, 2005, after a bitter leadership campaign. He was elected on the third ballot defeating Marilyn Burns.
and re-entered merger talks with the Alberta Party
in order to unite the political right in Alberta.
Merger talks with the Social Credit collapsed after a motion was put forward at the 2006 Social Credit policy convention to break off merger talks and focus on electing members in the next provincial election.
The Alberta Alliance Party and Alberta Party held their Annual General Meetings on March 23, 2007 and March 24, 2007, in Edmonton and Red Deer, respectively, to vote on a new party constitution that would have merged the parties. The new party would have kept the Alberta Alliance Party name and Paul Hinman as leader. Talks between the two parties had been on-going prior to the election in 2004. The Alberta Alliance party membership voted to withhold a potential merger until after the Alberta Party deals with its current legal troubles.
encouraged his party members to buy memberships in the rival Progressive Conservative Party
and vote for candidate Ted Morton
in the PC Party's upcoming leadership race, as Morton is considered the candidate that is ideologically most in sync with Alliance philosophies.
The idea wasn't well received by the provincial council and voted down.
It has been argued by some that parties such as Social Credit and Alberta Alliance could, with sufficient support, possibly threaten the now-traditional Progressive Conservative dominance in the province despite the much greater levels of support currently attained by parties such as the Liberal and New Democratic parties. The basis for such an argument is that both Social Credit and Alberta Alliance would most likely to compete for the "rural vote"- traditionally PC heartland. However, this has so far failed to materialize despite the promising showings by both parties in a number of ridings in recent elections.
and Drumheller-Stettler
by-elections at the Annual General Meeting held on March 24, 2007. The same meeting also saw former party leader Randy Thorsteinson return to the executive as the President of the party.
The Alberta Alliance party pinned its best hopes in picking up Drumheller-Stettler, a rural riding in central Alberta. The Alliance nominated Dave France who had finish second as the candidate in the previous general election. In Calgary Elbow the party nominated its chief financial officer Jane Greydanus to stand as the candidate.
When the returns came back on June 12, 2007 the results showed Dave France finishing a distant fifth place and a significant re-alignment of votes among the opposition parties. The Drumheller-Stettler seat was retained by the Progressive Conservatives. In Calgary Elbow the party managed a slight increase in its popular vote percent but failing to make a breakthrough. The party retained its previous fourth place standing in the riding.
Right-wing politics
In politics, Right, right-wing and rightist generally refer to support for a hierarchical society justified on the basis of an appeal to natural law or tradition. To varying degrees, the Right rejects the egalitarian objectives of left-wing politics, claiming that the imposition of equality is...
provincial political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Many of its members were former supporters of the now-defunct Canadian Alliance
Canadian Alliance
The Canadian Alliance , formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance , was a Canadian conservative political party that existed from 2000 to 2003. The party was the successor to the Reform Party of Canada and inherited its position as the Official Opposition in the House of Commons and held...
federal political party and its predecessor, the Reform Party of Canada
Reform Party of Canada
The Reform Party of Canada was a Canadian federal political party that existed from 1987 to 2000. It was originally founded as a Western Canada-based protest party, but attempted to expand eastward in the 1990s. It viewed itself as a populist party....
. Members also joined from such other provincial fringe parties as the Alberta First Party
Alberta First Party
The Alberta First Party was a right-wing political party that operated in Alberta, Canada from 1999 until 2003. It was founded by former members of the Social Credit Party of Alberta. The party was registered with Elections Alberta on November 2, 1999...
, the Alberta Party
Alberta Party
The Alberta Party Political Association, more commonly known as the Alberta Party, is a political party in the province of Alberta, Canada...
and Social Credit. Alliance supporters tended to view themselves as "true conservative
Canadian conservatism
Conservatism in Canada is generally considered to be primarily represented by the Conservative Party of Canada at the federal level, and by various right-wing parties at the provincial level...
s", and believed the Progressive Conservative government of Premier
Premier (Canada)
In Canada, a premier is the head of government of a province or territory. There are currently ten provincial premiers and three territorial premiers in Canada....
Ed Stelmach
Ed Stelmach
Edward Michael "Ed" Stelmach, MLA is a Canadian politician and served as the 13th Premier of Alberta, Canada, from 2006 to 2011. The grandson of Ukrainian immigrants, Stelmach was born and raised on a farm near Lamont and speaks fluent Ukrainian. He spent his entire pre-political adult life as a...
to be out of touch with the needs of Albertans.
Paul Hinman
Paul Hinman
Paul Hinman is a provincial politician and small business entrepreneur from Alberta, Canada. He was formerly the leader of the Wildrose Alliance. He served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 2004 to 2008 representing the electoral district of Cardston-Taber-Warner...
was elected the party's leader at a leadership convention
Alberta Alliance Party leadership election, 2005
The Alberta Alliance Party, a conservative political party in Alberta, Canada, held its second leadership election on November 18 and 19, 2005, in Red Deer, Alberta...
held on November 19, 2005.
On January 19, 2008, the party voted to change its name to the Wildrose Alliance Party when it merged with the Wildrose Party of Alberta
Wildrose Party of Alberta
The Wildrose Party of Alberta was a right wing provincial political party founded in Alberta, Canada in 2007. The party took its name from Alberta's provincial flower....
.
Early history
The party was registered on October 25, 2002, and its founding convention was held for two days beginning on February 14, 2003, in Red DeerRed Deer, Alberta
Red Deer is a city in Central Alberta, Canada. It is located near the midpoint of the Calgary-Edmonton Corridor and is surrounded by Red Deer County. It is Alberta's third-most-populous city – after Calgary and Edmonton. The city is located in aspen parkland, a region of rolling hills...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
.
Former Social Credit Party of Alberta
Social Credit Party of Alberta
The Alberta Social Credit Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada, that was founded on the social credit monetary policy and conservative Christian social values....
leader Randy Thorsteinson
Randy Thorsteinson
Randy Thorsteinson is a politician and businessman in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada.-Early years:Thorsteinson was born in Gimli, Manitoba spending his youth living in Winnipeg, Manitoba; Edmonton, Alberta; Calgary, Alberta and Grande Prairie, Alberta.-Education:He graduated from St. Paul's High School...
was selected as the first leader of the party on the second day of the founding convention on February 15, 2003. Thorsteinson had previous experience in Alberta politics as he was former leader of Social Credit
Social Credit Party of Alberta
The Alberta Social Credit Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada, that was founded on the social credit monetary policy and conservative Christian social values....
from 1992 to 1999. He left the party in April 1999 in protest of an internal party proposal to limit the involvement of Mormons within the Party.
Reform Party of Canada
The Reform Party of Canada was a Canadian federal political party that existed from 1987 to 2000. It was originally founded as a Western Canada-based protest party, but attempted to expand eastward in the 1990s. It viewed itself as a populist party....
, an inactive Reform Party of Alberta
Reform Party of Alberta
The Reform Party of Alberta is a defunct provincial political party in Alberta, Canada, that was registered with Elections Alberta. Its leader was David Salmon.-Early history:...
had been formed by members of the federal party to keep the Reform name out of provincial politics. Unlike the Reform Party, the founders of the Alberta Alliance intended to form a very active party, and many members of the Alberta Alliance undoubtedly hoped the new party would be seen as the unofficial provincial wing of the Canadian Alliance
Canadian Alliance
The Canadian Alliance , formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance , was a Canadian conservative political party that existed from 2000 to 2003. The party was the successor to the Reform Party of Canada and inherited its position as the Official Opposition in the House of Commons and held...
.
The new party never sought a formal link with the Canadian Alliance, and had it done so, the overture would likely have been rebuffed, since many Albertan CA members continued to support the Progressive Conservatives
Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta
The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta is a provincial centre-right party in the Canadian province of Alberta...
. However, the Alberta Alliance used the same blue-and-green colours used by the CA, and its logo bears a striking resemblance to that of the federal party. The Alberta Alliance continued to grow following the Canadian Alliance's merger with the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
to form the new Conservative Party of Canada
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
.
The Alliance gained its first Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
Legislative Assembly of Alberta
The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is one of two components of the Legislature of Alberta, the other being the Queen, represented by the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta. The Alberta legislature meets in the Alberta Legislature Building in the provincial capital, Edmonton...
(MLA) on June 29, 2004, when Gary Masyk
Gary Masyk
Gary Masyk is a businessman and politician in Alberta, Canada.Born in High Prairie, Masyk owned Garco Oilfield Service and Masyk Lumber Company before entering politics...
crossed the floor
Crossing the floor
In politics, crossing the floor has two meanings referring to a change of allegiance in a Westminster system parliament.The term originates from the British House of Commons, which is configured with the Government and Opposition facing each other on rows of benches...
, quitting the Progressive Conservative Party to protest Ralph Klein's handling of health care
Health care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
issues during the 2004 federal election
Canadian federal election, 2004
The Canadian federal election, 2004 , was held on June 28, 2004 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 38th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal government of Prime Minister Paul Martin lost its majority, but was able to form a minority government after the elections...
. Masyk had represented the electoral district of Edmonton-Norwood
Edmonton-Norwood
Edmonton-Norwood was provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada. The District was created from the Edmonton district in 1959 and was abolished in 2004 when it merged with Edmonton-Highlands to form Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood. The district was a swing riding and was held by every major party...
since 2001.
2004 election campaign
The Alliance nominated candidates in all 83 electoral divisions and three candidates for the Senator-in-waiting, for the 2004 Alberta electionAlberta general election, 2004
The Alberta general election of 2004 was the twenty-sixth general election for the province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on November 22, 2004 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
, which was held on November 22, 2004. The party was excluded from Global Television's leaders' debate because it had not elected any members in the 2001 election
Alberta general election, 2001
The Alberta general election of 2001 was the twenty-fifth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on March 12, 2001 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
, which was held before the party was founded. Some Alliance members noted that in the 1997 election
Alberta general election, 1997
The Alberta general election of 1997 was the twenty-fourth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on March 11, 1997 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
, the Alberta New Democratic Party
Alberta New Democratic Party
The Alberta New Democratic Party or Alberta NDP is a social-democratic political party in Alberta, Canada, which was originally founded as the Alberta section of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation...
leader was allowed in the debate (as was then Social Credit leader Thorsteinson), even though the NDP had no MLAs at the time. They also noted that the NDP did not even have a full slate of candidates in the 1997 election.
The Alliance hired an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
firm, Campaign Secrets, to help run its campaign. Campaign Secrets, which has extensive experience working on Republican campaigns, produced advertisements that were criticized by some Albertans for employing "U.S.-style" negative campaign
Negative campaigning
Negative campaigning, also known more colloquially as "mudslinging", is trying to win an advantage by referring to negative aspects of an opponent or of a policy rather than emphasizing one's own positive attributes or preferred policies...
tactics. The Alliance leadership defended their use of American strategists, claiming that most right-leaning Albertan consultants were already hired by the well-heeled Tories.
"I Blame Ralph"
The Alberta Alliance Party devised a campaign strategy in September 2004 prior to election called "I Blame Ralph", the purpose of which was to court voters who were uncomfortable with Ralph Klein's behaviour, and highlight his tight controls over the governments decision making.The party kicked off the "I Blame Ralph" tour holding pre-election campaign events in numerous cities including opening its Campaign Headquarters in Red Deer. Part of the promotional package used by the party was bumper stickers a variety of fliers for different problems and a television ad, as well as t-shirts and a website. "I Blame Ralph" received significant attention, but did not include any of the standard Alberta Alliance logos or colours, instead using red and white leading many to believe the Liberals were responsible.
Senate campaign
The Alberta Alliance party ran three Senator-in-waiting candidates in the 2004 Alberta Senate nominee electionAlberta Senate nominee election, 2004
The 3rd Alberta Senate nominee election was held on November 22, 2004 in conjunction with the Alberta general election, 2004. Alberta is the only Canadian province to elect nominees for the Senate of Canada.-Background:...
. The Alberta Alliance was the only party besides the Progressive Conservatives to successfully nominate candidates. The Social Credit Party had intended to run a candidate but failed to get the signatures required to field a candidate.
The candidates finished 7th 8th and 10th out of the field of 10 candidates in the block vote.
| Candidate | Votes # | Votes % | Ballots % | Place |
Michael Roth | 176, 339 | 8.1% | 24.7% | 7th |
Vance Gough | 167, 770 | 7.7% | 23.5% | 8th |
Gary Horan | 156, 175 | 7.2% | 21.9% | 10th |
|---|
Legislature results
On election dayAlberta general election, 2004
The Alberta general election of 2004 was the twenty-sixth general election for the province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on November 22, 2004 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
, results for the party could be described as mixed. Most analysts did not expect the two-year-old party to seriously challenge the Progressive Conservative government. The party made a few in roads finishing second in a number of rural districts and a few respectable third place showing in Calgary.
The party's lone incumbent MLA, Gary Masyk
Gary Masyk
Gary Masyk is a businessman and politician in Alberta, Canada.Born in High Prairie, Masyk owned Garco Oilfield Service and Masyk Lumber Company before entering politics...
, was defeated running for re-election in the new electoral district of Edmonton Decore
Edmonton Decore
Edmonton-Decore is a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada. It is one of 83 districts mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using the first past the post method of voting....
, placing a distant fourth. Masyk's old electoral district Edmonton-Norwood had been merged in Edmonton Highlands, the district represented by popular New Democrat leader Brian Mason
Brian Mason
Brian Mason is a Canadian politician and leader of the Alberta New Democrats . Mason was first elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood in a 2001 byelection, and his career in politics spans more than 20 years.Mason first became politically active...
.
The party on the whole did very poorly in the urban ridings of Edmonton and Calgary. The Alliance appears to have played spoiler
Spoiler effect
The spoiler effect describes the effect a minor party candidate with little chance of winning has in a close election, when that candidate's presence in the election draws votes from a major candidate similar to them, thereby causing a candidate dissimilar to them to win the election...
in some urban seats, siphoning off enough votes from the Tories that Liberals
Alberta Liberal Party
The Alberta Liberal Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. Originally founded in 1905, when the province was created, it was the dominant political party until 1921 when it was defeated. It has never been in government since that time...
or New Democrats were elected.
The Alberta Alliance had its best results in a number of rural seats where it managed to finish second. Party Leader Randy Thorsteinson placed second running in Innisfail-Sylvan Lake
Innisfail-Sylvan Lake
Innisfail-Sylvan Lake is a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada. It is one of 83 current districts mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using the first past the post method of voting....
. The party managed a narrow victory in Progressive Conservative strong hold of Cardston-Taber-Warner
Cardston-Taber-Warner
Cardston-Taber-Warner is a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada. The district is mandated to return a single member to the for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
, where Paul Hinman
Paul Hinman
Paul Hinman is a provincial politician and small business entrepreneur from Alberta, Canada. He was formerly the leader of the Wildrose Alliance. He served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 2004 to 2008 representing the electoral district of Cardston-Taber-Warner...
became the first MLA elected under the Alliance banner defeating incumbent Broyce Jacobs
Broyce Jacobs
Broyce G. Jacobs is a Canadian politician and current Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta representing the constituency of Cardston-Taber-Warner as a Progressive Conservative.-Early life:Jacobs was born in Cardston, Alberta...
. The rural results were mixed and it was badly defeated in other districts.
| Candidates | Seats | Votes | % | Place |
83 | 1 | 77, 506 | 8.7% | 4th |
|---|
Aftermath of the 2004 election
On March 7, 2005, Thorsteinson announced his resignation as leader of the Alberta Alliance, citing that he would not be able to devote the time and energy into the party. He stepped down on April 15, 2005. A leadership conventionLeadership convention
In Canadian politics, a leadership convention is held by a political party when the party needs to choose a leader due to a vacancy or a challenge to the incumbent leader.- Overview :...
was called for November 19, 2005. Eleanor Maroes was appointed leader by the Provincial Council to serve in the interim until the new leader was chosen.
2005 leadership election
The party replaced former leader Randy Thorsteinson in a two day leadership convention held on November 18, and November 19, 2005 in Red Deer.The Nominations closed on September 20, 2005. Candidates were eligible if had been a party member for at least 90 days prior to the convention, obtain 100 signatures from party members in good standing, and provide a $5, 000 deposit.
The Alberta Alliance had four candidates were officially nominated.
- Paul HinmanPaul HinmanPaul Hinman is a provincial politician and small business entrepreneur from Alberta, Canada. He was formerly the leader of the Wildrose Alliance. He served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 2004 to 2008 representing the electoral district of Cardston-Taber-Warner...
- Marilyn Burns
- David CrutcherDavid CrutcherDavid Crutcher is a politician and small business man from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He graduated from Brunel University in England in 1962 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.In 1994 David Crutcher founded Ramatek Inc...
- Ed KlopEd KlopEd Klop is a politician and business man from Red Deer, Alberta Canada born in 1966.Klop is the President and Founder of Klop Construction based in Red Deer...
Paul Hinman was elected as the party's new leader on November 19, 2005, after a bitter leadership campaign. He was elected on the third ballot defeating Marilyn Burns.
Merger talks
Following the leadership convention, the party entered discussion about merging with the Social Credit Party of AlbertaSocial Credit Party of Alberta
The Alberta Social Credit Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada, that was founded on the social credit monetary policy and conservative Christian social values....
and re-entered merger talks with the Alberta Party
Alberta Party
The Alberta Party Political Association, more commonly known as the Alberta Party, is a political party in the province of Alberta, Canada...
in order to unite the political right in Alberta.
Merger talks with the Social Credit collapsed after a motion was put forward at the 2006 Social Credit policy convention to break off merger talks and focus on electing members in the next provincial election.
The Alberta Alliance Party and Alberta Party held their Annual General Meetings on March 23, 2007 and March 24, 2007, in Edmonton and Red Deer, respectively, to vote on a new party constitution that would have merged the parties. The new party would have kept the Alberta Alliance Party name and Paul Hinman as leader. Talks between the two parties had been on-going prior to the election in 2004. The Alberta Alliance party membership voted to withhold a potential merger until after the Alberta Party deals with its current legal troubles.
2006 Progressive Conservative leadership election
In an unorthodox political move, on October 11, 2006, Alliance leader Paul HinmanPaul Hinman
Paul Hinman is a provincial politician and small business entrepreneur from Alberta, Canada. He was formerly the leader of the Wildrose Alliance. He served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 2004 to 2008 representing the electoral district of Cardston-Taber-Warner...
encouraged his party members to buy memberships in the rival Progressive Conservative Party
Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta
The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta is a provincial centre-right party in the Canadian province of Alberta...
and vote for candidate Ted Morton
Ted Morton
Frederick Lee Morton , known commonly as Ted Morton, is a Canadian politician and Minister of Energy for the Province of Alberta. As a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta he represents the constituency of Foothills-Rocky View as a Progressive Conservative...
in the PC Party's upcoming leadership race, as Morton is considered the candidate that is ideologically most in sync with Alliance philosophies.
The idea wasn't well received by the provincial council and voted down.
It has been argued by some that parties such as Social Credit and Alberta Alliance could, with sufficient support, possibly threaten the now-traditional Progressive Conservative dominance in the province despite the much greater levels of support currently attained by parties such as the Liberal and New Democratic parties. The basis for such an argument is that both Social Credit and Alberta Alliance would most likely to compete for the "rural vote"- traditionally PC heartland. However, this has so far failed to materialize despite the promising showings by both parties in a number of ridings in recent elections.
2007 by-elections
The Alberta Alliance began its campaign for the Calgary ElbowCalgary Elbow
Calgary-Elbow is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Canada. Its current MLA is Alison Redford, a Progressive Conservative, who defeated incumbent Liberal candidate Craig Cheffins in the 2008 Alberta general election....
and Drumheller-Stettler
Drumheller-Stettler
Drumheller-Stettler is a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada. The electoral district is mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using the first past the post method of voting...
by-elections at the Annual General Meeting held on March 24, 2007. The same meeting also saw former party leader Randy Thorsteinson return to the executive as the President of the party.
The Alberta Alliance party pinned its best hopes in picking up Drumheller-Stettler, a rural riding in central Alberta. The Alliance nominated Dave France who had finish second as the candidate in the previous general election. In Calgary Elbow the party nominated its chief financial officer Jane Greydanus to stand as the candidate.
When the returns came back on June 12, 2007 the results showed Dave France finishing a distant fifth place and a significant re-alignment of votes among the opposition parties. The Drumheller-Stettler seat was retained by the Progressive Conservatives. In Calgary Elbow the party managed a slight increase in its popular vote percent but failing to make a breakthrough. The party retained its previous fourth place standing in the riding.