Alberta Progressive Conservative Leadership Election - March 18, 2017

[Hatman 🍁]

The contempory understanding of it amongst PCs is that it represents our party being fiscally conservative and socially progressive.

You can kiss that goodbye if the creepy virgin wins.

[Hatman 🍁]

What is it that you don't like about the NDP again? It's not like you're on the right of the average Albertan.

[Hatman 🍁]

While electoral reform would save the NDP from the possibility of returning to obscurity way down the road, it would ultimately help the right wing, as I do not believe a majority of Albertans are centre/ centre-left.

Also, the NDP didn't campaign on electoral reform, so there's that.

[Hatman 🍁]

Good question, Joe. I really don't have a good explanation, other than that's how we do things. I suppose the advantage is it gives parties a chance at a gradual transition to the new leadership, rather than what we're seeing in Britain: "Surprise! you have a new Prime Minister!".

Unlike Australia and the UK, Canadian parties have had a longer tradition of having leadership elections where the party membership votes rather than just the MPs themselves. We used to have (and still are in some jurisdictions / parties) delegated conventions, meaning the process would have to be longer and drawn out like in the U.S.

[Hatman 🍁]

Oh yeah, a big reason for the long leadership races is the fact that parties in Canada tend to have low membership numbers most of the time (compared to other countries), so time is needed to build that up by the respective campaigns.

[Hatman 🍁]

that's the second Tory to join the NDP this Fall. (The NDP candidate in Niagara West-Glanbrook was a card carrying Tory up until he was nominated!)

Anyways, doesn't the NDP have a no party switching policy?

[Hatman 🍁]

Anyways, doesn't the NDP have a no party switching policy?

Apparently that is a federal NDP policy that was never adopted by the Alberta NDP :-)

Yeah, but it's a policy I support, so this is a bit disappointing. I'm sure the voters in her riding won't be happy.