Allison Redford
The Calgary-Elbow byelection will fill the vacancy left by Alison Redford.
It’s election time. For some of you. On October 27 some voters in Calgary and Edmonton will be heading to the polls to replace former MLAs in Calgary-Foothills Calgary-Elbow Calgary-West and Edmonton-Whitemud. If voting trends from past byelections are anything to go by turnout will be poor.
These four elections are crucial for the governing Progressive Conservatives as they will decide whether Premier Jim Prentice Education Minister Gordon Dirks and Health Minister Stephen Mandel will have seats in the legislature and therefore be legally capable of participating in government committee work. The races will replace former PC MLAs Ken Hughes and Len Webber and former premiers Alison Redford and Dave Hancock.
Prentice and Dirks have been criticized for not attending all-party debates in their respective ridings during the campaign. Dirks’ chances have also suffered as opposing candidates questioned his suitability for the role of education minister in light of his role as former president of Rocky Mountain College in Calgary. College policy requires students and staff to “abstain from homosexual behaviour.”
