Premier Alison Redford and the Progressive Conservative government surprised many winning Monday’s election, but the results in the Highwood were predictable.
Wildrose Party leader Danielle Smith defeated PC candidate John Barlow by more than 1,900 votes to become the new Highwood MLA.
Barlow put up a tremendous fight knocking on doors across the riding to personally meet as many voters as possible.
It’s a difficult task to take on a party leader.
He kept the campaign close, but it wasn’t enough to defeat the leader of a party that has spent the past month in the spotlight.
Smith was elected as part of a wave of support for the Wildrose swept across rural southern Alberta, including the three ridings encompassing the foothills area.
Former MD of Foothills councillor Pat Stier won in the Livingstone-Macleod Riding, while former Vulcan County coun. Ian Donovan won in the Little Bow Riding.
There is still strong support for the Tories in southern Alberta and the party kept the results close in most ridings.
However, it’s clear issues like property rights and accountability, that were large parts of the Wildrose platform resonated with voters.
Many will now ask what the election results will mean for the Highwood after it elected an opposition MLA.
During the campaign, some said the foothills would lose out without an MLA sitting at the government’s table.
The following four years will be a test of whether this will come true. It’s up to Premier Alison Redford’s new government to prove that oppositions ridings don’t lose out to those with PC MLAs.
Albertans sent a message during Monday’s election, to both the Progressive Conservative and Wildrose parties.
In re-electing the PCs with five fewer seats, Albertans put the Tories on warning the party needs to take issues like accountability brought up during the campaign more seriously. As for the Wildrose party, Albertans have said they’re not quite ready for prime time.
It’s clear the PCs have a lot of work to regain the trust of Albertans. Premier Alison Redford must follow through on promises to improve government accountability, look at MLA pay, following through with election promises without breaking the provincial bank in the process.
