Ed Stelmach’s cabinet shuffle takes its cues from an encroaching Wildrose
It was so long in its arrival that little in Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach’s cabinet shuffle yesterday managed to surprise—least of all the amount of inspiration for his appointments that the premier took from the up-and-coming Wildrose Alliance Party. Former U of C political scientist Ted Morton, likely the smartest minister around the table currently, and certainly the smartest Minister of Sustainable Resource Development in Alberta history, moves to finance; a staunch conservative, Morton will be a difficult target for Wildrose leader Danielle Smith, a like-minded fiscal hard-noser. There were other moves of this kind yesterday: Calgary’s tough Ron Liepert moves from health to energy, where he will likely be as vocal a defender of his—and Alberta’s—methods, particularly around the oil sands. Will it all pay off for Stelmachites? It’s been a while since it’s ever made sense in Alberta to say, I can’t wait to find out.