Dave Taylor officially announced this morning he’s joining the Alberta Party, giving the fledgling centrist alternative its first MLA in the provincial legislature.
The MLA for Calgary-Currie had been sitting as an Independent since he left the Liberal caucus last April, disillusioned with where Leader David Swann was taking the Grits.
Taylor was officially welcomed to the Alberta Party by acting leader Sue Huff at a news conference in Calgary this morning at Hotel Arts.
"Here’s why I’m joining the Alberta party today — because, unlike all the other parties, it’s a place of hope and possibility," Taylor told reporters. "The Alberta Party is new — barely on the radar. We have nowhere to go but up."
Taylor had previously condemned the Wildrose Alliance for accepting defectors from the Tories without having them run in a byelection. He also vowed he would run in a byelection if he joined another party before the next provincial election, expected in March 2012.
But, he said today he would not cross the floor to an existing party in the legislature and that a byelection is a waste of taxpayer dollars with an election expected in the next year or so.
The Alberta Party will host a leadership convention May 28 in Edmonton. Taylor said he hasn’t decided whether he’ll throw his hat into the race.
Jason Fekete
Calgary Herald
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