I was a little surprised at when I heard that Innovation & Science Minister and Red Deer South MLA Victor Doerksen had resigned from the Tory cabinet yesterday and may run in the Alberta PC leadership race.Though I had heard rumblings that Doerksen, a very social conservative MLA since 1993, was thinking about running, I was nearly convinced that he would be the first Tory MLA to endorse Ted Morton (which he also still might do).
I wonder what affect this will have on the social conservative vote that Morton seemed to have a near monopoly on? (As an MLA, Doerksen has advocated for the ban of liturature such as "Of Mice and Men" from schools).
Will this split Ted Morton's presumed support on the first ballot? Does Doerksen have what it takes to draw enough of the disgruntled right to his side?
The 1992 PC leadership race saw three main social conservative Christian candidates - then-Edmonton Parkallen MLA Doug Main, then-Red Deer South MLA John Oldring, and former Social Credit candidate Lloyd Quantz.
So, not only is Doerksen the second outed social conservative candidate of the race - but it is also at least the second time an Alberta PC leadership candidate has also been the MLA for Red Deer South. Interesting...
I think this is different.
ReplyDeleteJohn had a record in the community before he ran.
Waiting for his turn to be Minister was really all Doerksen has accomplished as an MLA.
But if it is a case of Red Deer South, John backed the wrong horse and was faded into political obscurity. For Victor, obscurity could not happen to soon.
hey cfsr, I completely agree. It's different.
ReplyDeleteMy point was more pointing out a seemingly useless peice of Alberta political triva.
I could also point out that just as Victor Doerksen and John Oldring were elected in the same riding, Dave Hancock and Don Getty represented the same riding (...Edmonton Whitemud - not Stettler...)
To get even more obscur, Mark Norris used to represented the riding that Nancy MacBeth represented as Alberta Liberal leader (she was MLA for Edmonton Glenora when she ran for the Alberta PC leadership).
And even more obsur is that in 1986, 1984 Tory Leadership candidate Julian Koziak was defeated by NDP candidate Gordon Wright. In 1993, Ed Stelmach defeated NDP MLA Derek Fox...
Similarties? Not really. More seemingly useless Alberta political trivia....
Yeah.
ReplyDeleteOK, I can live with that.
Mark Norris, on the other hand, is probably stalking you fearing any link, no matter how trivial, to Nancy...
And Norris defeated MacBeth in McClung, Senator Mitchell's former riding.
Having lived in the ridings of both Doerksen and Day for the better part of my life, I thought I would chime in. (Incidentally, I also went to the same church for several years.) Knowing what I know about socially conservative Alberta from the religious point of view, it doesn't surprise me, whatever the pragmatism of the move. Nor would it surprise me if he garnered a significant amount of support because of his longstanding ties with disgruntled socially conservative communities. But I'm certainly not competent to judge how he'll do on the larger Albertan scene. Needless to say I'm watching with interest.
ReplyDeleteI dunno Dave... I like the line your trivia takes. It would stand to reason, then, that the PC Leadership candidate who LIVES in Calgary-Elbow stands a good chance of becoming Premier :)
ReplyDelete