General

A “real, deep dislike”

Failed Alberta Tory candidate blames Ed Stelmach for her loss

Ald. Diane Colley-Urquhart should have had it made: As a candidate in last month’s Calgary-Glenmore byelection, she had the might of the Tory machine at her back, the name recognition of being a long-time Calgary alderman, and she was up against a muddy pool of competitors that included the leader of the Social Credit Party. And yet, she lost, badly, coming third behind the victor Paul Hinman, interim leader of the Wildrose Alliance, and Avalon Roberts, the Liberal candidate. Why? Suddenly, Colley-Urquhart doesn’t mind saying: Premier Ed Stelmach, to whom voters in the riding harbour a “real deep dislike,” she says, adding: “I honestly must tell you, I’ve never felt such personal animosity towards an individual–the premier–as I did door-knocking.” The remarks come just as Albertans try to absorb Stelmach’s head-scratchingly banal televised address last night, in which he tried to explain his government’s approach to negotiating the recession but actually said… very little. Then, this morning, he decides he should take a middling 15 per cent pay cut, his ministers just 10 per cent. Colley-Urquhart’s comments may confirm the onset of the inevitable: It’s open season on the premier.

Calgary Herald

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