Member Since: 11/18/2010
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Premier Alison Redford announces she is stepping down
Quote:
With the government in turmoil and Tory MLAs and party members in open defiance of her leadership, Premier Alison Redford resigned Wednesday night less than two years after leading the Progressive Conservative party to another massive majority government.
Redford — who became Alberta’s first female premier in Oct. 2011 and took the party to 61 seats in the April 2012 provincial election — stepped down in a hastily-called announcement in the legislature rotunda.
“I have given my heart and my soul to this province every single minute of the day for the last two and a half years,” said Redford, who choked up at times but also smiled through much of the announcement.
“I am not prepared to allow party and caucus infighting to get in the way of building a better future for our province and all Albertans. And that is why I am announcing today, with a profound optimism for Alberta’s future, I am resigning as premier of Alberta effective this Sunday evening.”
The 48-year-old Redford’s exit from the premier’s office follows the rocky departures of her predecessors in the 43-year-old dynasty, Ed Stelmach and Ralph Klein.
She said the PC party would have a decision to make in the weeks ahead and that she fully supported the party. It was unclear who would take over the reins of the government but the PC caucus is meeting tomorrow.
Redford did not take questions from reporters.
Redford’s political career has been filled with drama, with the former justice minister capturing the Tory leadership in 2011 as an outsider underdog and leading the PCs to a come-from-behind victory over the Wildrose Party in 2012.
But Redford has come under fire for a series of controversies over travel and expenses, and a top-down management style, with the issues exploding last week.
While Redford repaid the contentious $45,000 cost for her trip to South Africa for Nelson Mandela’s memorial, it was done in the face of a potential caucus revolt, with an estimated 20 to 25 MLAs potentially ready to bolt the government benches.
Len Webber, MLA for Calgary-Foothills, chose to leave to sit as an independent. On the way out, he accused Redford of being a bully who abused and intimidated government staffers and MLAs.
The premier spent more than four hours on Saturday hearing the Tory party’s board of directors bare their grievances with her leadership.
When it was over, the premier and party president Jim McCormick emerged talking of a work plan that would lay out what the party expects Redford to do to turn around her — and the long-governing party’s — fortune.
But on Monday, associate cabinet minister Donna Kennedy-Glans also left the Tory caucus. While her criticism of Redford was tempered, she said there was a culture of entitlement within the PC government.
Two other MLAs have been openly musing about leaving the government out of discontent with Redford while veteran Tories such as Moe Amery, George Rogers and Mary Anne Jablonski have said the premier must make changes to her management style.
Constituency association presidents were to meet in Calgary and Edmonton Wednesday night and were set to consider resolutions calling for the premier to step down.
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I'm from BC so excuse my ignorance but I thought everyone loved her and that she had led Alberta to a prosperous last few years