Where have all the PCs gone?
Not too long ago, I offered the opinion that the fortunes of the 
Progressive Conservative party in Alberta in the post-Ed Stelmach era were on the upswing, given that oil and gas money, from producers and from the service and supply sector, was again flowing into the leadership election coffers of several of the PC leadership candidates, including Alison Redford, who eventually assumed the mantle in a pair of votes last fall. Of course, many of those same contributors were covering bases, not only within the PC leadership context but in the broader provincial political contect, by sending contributions to Redford's leadership opponents and to Danielle Smith and the Wildrose Alliance. This is just common sense: you want to be able to say you supported the next premier - whoever she/he might be - when it comes time to start building bridges with the next administration.
I know the phrase "Progressive Conservative" hasn't been real popular with oil and gas producers or oilfield service and supply providers lately, but I thought maybe Redford's ascension to the throne might have caused some closet PCs to come out into the light. That, it seems, hasn't happened, at least according to votes that have come into the latest Oilweek online poll asking our readers who they thought would be the next premier of the province if an election were to be held tomorrow. So far, the sentiment is running strongly towards Danielle Smith, charismatic leader of the Wildrose Alliance Party of Alberta: fully 90% of the votes cast have been in her favour, and the rest have gone to Dr. Raj Sherman, who's the new leader of the virtually invisible Liberal Party of Alberta. As of this writing (late morning, Dec. 5) not a single vote has been cast in favour of Redford, and that surprises me a little, because I personally know several people who work in the patch that are supportive of Redford, not only in a physical, get-my-hands-dirty-stuffing-envelopes sense and a put-cash-in-the-war-chest sense. So I know they're out there - for whatever reason, they just don't want the rest of us to know who they are or what they're up to.
I know that Danielle Smith and the Wildrose Alliance have caught the fancy of those who are just slightly left of Attila the Hun on the political spectrum, but it doesn't make sense that the PCs have dropped off the map altogether. After all, Ted Morton, who's Redford's energy minister, is fairly well-respected in the industry.
So come on, all you closet PCs! Surf to Oilweek.com, click on the Latest Poll button on the right hand side of the page, and prove to me that the Progressive Conservatives in Alberta aren't destined for oblivion after the next election!!
-- Dale Lunan
