CALGARY – At the Liberal leadership debate Monday night, one thing all of the candidates seemed to agree on is the need to rebuild and reload the Alberta Liberal Party.
“I see tremendous opportunities to bring the government down if we all work at this together,” said Raj Sherman, an MLA from Edmonton Meadowlark
About 175 people turned out to the Croatian Canadian Cultural Centre to listen to Sherman, Hugh MacDonald, Laurie Blakeman, Bruce Payne and Bill Harvey on their policies related to the party.
The candidates agreed with the need to inform and interact with more people for the Liberal party to succeed, which holds eight seats in the legislature.
“If you can grow this political party 10 percentage points, we can topple this government with the advent of the Wildrose party,” said Sherman.
He added this includes signing up more people to vote in the leadership election, speculating “the Liberals are coming back if we can sign up 15,000 people.”
MacDonald, an MLA for Edmonton-Goldbar, said the party needs to start the rebuild at the constituency association level.
“The constituency association has been neglected, it is sad to tell you this but it is true,” he said.
“But if we are to compete and if we are to form a solid competition to the Conservative government … we are going to have to organize at the constituency organization level.
“Where we have organized in the past at the constituency association level, we have been very successful.”
Blakeman, an MLA for Edmonton-Centre believes the best way to compete in the next general election, which she thinks might be coming in November, is using strong candidates, even if it means running in only 50 constituencies.
“I will commit to you to be running the best candidates that we can recruit, and training and supporting them to a win,” she said.
She said this would start with the urban ridings, where she thinks they have the best chance to win.
This is in stark contrast to Payne, who plans on using 87 candidates throughout Alberta.
“We will build 87 strong candidates,” he said, hoping to use his previous experience as a union leader and a pastor to open the doors needed to find those people.
While Harvey doesn’t have any MLA experience, he said he’s learned where to rebuild after more than 25 years of being involved with the provincial party.
In that time, he said, he’s gone door-to-door during elections, and “That’s where you learn to grow the party is at the door.”
People can sign up until Aug. 19 to vote in the leadership race. The leadership election starts in early September.
Calgary Herald
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