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Edmonton Journal on the Calgary Provincial Political Scene

From http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/features/albertavotes/story.htm...



Calgary giving Tories cold shoulder

Anger at Stelmach could mean Liberal majority in Cowtown

Jason Markusoff, The Edmonton Journal; With files from Renata D'Aliesio, Calgary Herald

Published: 2:02 am



Progressive Conservative supporters get badly outnumbered at all-candidates forums; red Liberal signs break out like rashes on front lawns in many neighbourhoods.



Welcome, for the first time in ages, to a politically volatile Cowtown. This isn't Ralph's world anymore -- and it doesn't seem to be Ed's, either.



Many Calgary voters are cranky and unsure about the new premier from a small town east of Edmonton, who jacked up energy royalties and downsized the city's cabinet clout.



Polls show that it's no longer Edmonton, but Calgary that is the most anti-Tory region in Alberta, though Ed Stelmach's party still narrowly leads among decided voters. Polls have consistently shown a large pool of undecided voters.



The Kevin Taft Liberals hope to build on the party's current four-seat beacRating 2ead in Calgary, and possibly take a majority of the city's 23 seats.



Long gone are the days that Liberals were perceived as devils, said James Maxim, campaign manager for Darshan Kang, who lost in northeast Calgary-McCall by 300 votes in 2004, and may be one of the Liberals' best shots in the city.



"It's like the Tory blue is being a little bit diluted by newcomers moving from other parts of the country to Calgary and making an informed decision, and that could lead to some possible victories," Maxim said.



Tory insiders say volunteers are more scarce, and many are disheartened. But Stelmach isn't going down without a fight in what he calls the "Conservative heartland" and the "heart of the new West," vowing to try to retake the Liberal seats and appoint more Calgary cabinet ministers.



The premier and his charter bus will make 11 campaign stops around Calgary today, mostly for pep talks and appearances at campaign offices. Taft will hold a rally.



After watching a candidates' debate in the downtown swing riding of Calgary-Buffalo, riding resident Jon Palmer said he's frustrated about the stream of homeless people who break into his condominium complex. He's undecided about who to vote for, but keen for change. "I think for a real long time in Alberta we have really suffered from not having a strong opposition," Palmer said.



About 80 people move to Calgary each day, straining hospitals, roads, housing and schools. The health region's executives last week demanded action on a $115-million deficit, evoking memories of Mayor Dave Bronconnier's spat with the Tory government over funding last summer, which Stelmach countered with a 10-year funding plan for cities.



But the premier's decision to raise oil and gas royalties had many in Calgary's energy company offices complaining he doesn't understand their industry. That feeling is expected to push some grumpy voters to the Wildrose Alliance, who disavow the royalty hikes, which could split the right-wing vote and help the Liberals.



"The climate has to be receptive and the soil has to be fertile for something to happen, and I think in Calgary it is," said Doreen Barrie, a political scientist and author of The Other Alberta: Decoding a Political Enigma.



"There's so much dissatisfaction to be harvested. And Calgary's not used to being ignored."



Liberals have never had more than four Calgary MLAs before; a victory in former premier Ralph Klein's former Calgary-Elbow seat was the party's highlight in Stelmach's rookie year.



The Tories are running hard in that riding with lawyer Alison Redford, one of many of the party's Calgary hopefuls who offer the city a cosmopolitan, young and progressive image.



"That's the new team we're building here, people that have been disengaged and we're bringing them on side," said Calgary-Montrose candidate Manmeet Bhullar, 27, hoping to replace veteran MLA Hung Pham in a bitterly contested riding.



Much as Klein hurt the Tories in past Edmonton races, Stelmach isn't helping in a city where many didn't back him in the PC leadership race, one Tory operative complained.



"At the door, he's the issue: we get a lot of, 'I like you, but not your leader,' " he said.



Barrie said Taft hasn't drawn many voters into his fold, and the issues haven't either in a race she called "bland and blander."



jmarkus...@thejournal.canwest.com



© The Edmonton Journal 2008

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