New kid on the block
The Canadian Alliance jumps into provincial politics

Charging that the Alberta government suffers from "vision deficit," a new provincial party is announcing its inception at a press conference today. The interim leader of the Alberta Alliance will be Randy Thorsteinson, former head of the the Social Credit party. Thorsteinson claims the party organizers and supporters include current Canadian Alliance MPs, and promises to run a full slate of candidates in the next provincial elections.

The Alliance would oppose increased spending and favour a system of direct democracy for party members.

"They’ve had 32 years to get it right and I think if you look at the last five years, they’re drifting," says Thorsteinson. "Once you see the draft of our constitution, the leaders report to the members of the party, not the other way around. A very bottom-to-top party."

Party organizers are touting a mid-August poll they commissioned that reveals 17.2 per cent of Albertans would vote for an Alliance party, making it the official opposition. The poll, conducted by JMCK Inc. polling, asked people to rate the image of the PC government –79.2 per cent of a weighted sample of 1418 described the government as either "stuck in neutral" or "old and tired."

"It reveals as much about the government and current opposition as it does any new party," says JMCK pollster Faron Ellis. "What it says is that the majority of Albertans are receptive to the idea of a new party. They see the government as adrift or worse. They don’t see the current opposition as having much potential to replace the government."

Thorsteinson says the party isn’t worried about splitting the conservative vote.

"We’re taking votes away from the Liberals as well as the NDP. Of course we have to take a certain amount away from the Progressive Conservatives. But they have 90 per cent of the seats. Besides, I’m more concerned about the future," says Thorsteinson.

Liberal leader Ken Nicol dismisses the new party as "the old social credit party trying to revitalize itself under a name that has an attraction."

He also questions whether the PCs and Alliance are different enough to warrant two parties.

"[Both parties] share the same absolute commitment to the corporate agenda. If they want to divide the right wing, they can. We can see what’s happening federally, so for us that would be all right," says Nicol.

Raj Pannu, leader of the NDP, is not surprised to hear about the Alberta Alliance.

"The Tories in this province are putting off so many Albertans because of their arrogance and their cockiness. I’m not surprised that some right-wingers are unhappy with them. It shows you that it’s not just the poor and the people of the so-called ‘left’ that are put off by their arrogance," says Pannu. "I say ‘Welcome to to the fray.’ I have a lot more to worry about than just another right-wing fringe party. The Tories should be the ones worried about it."