Two members of the Wildrose have decided to leave the party and announced on Monday that they will join the Prentice government.
Wildrose MLAs, Kerry Towle and Ian Donovan, made the official announcement alongside Premier Jim Prentice from Edmonton.
“I feel that the door has opened for a different discussion with the government on how better to suit the needs of Albertans, and I think that it is imperative to my constituents and to Albertans to look at that opportunity and try to help make Alberta better, working with the government, rather than working opposite of them,’ said Towle.
“I’ve always been an advocate of trying to find solutions. As an agricultural producer and representing my constituents, what we can do to do that and under the new leadership, I’ve seen that the premier was open to discussion and what to do for Albertans, so I was excited about that, and for me it’s what’s right for my constituents,” said Donovan.
Towle says this is one of the hardest decisions she has had to make and that things have changed since last session.
“What has changed is where we’ve been in the last five weeks and the direction we were heading down and also what has changed is, I have seen, some of the doors being opened to different conversations. I’ve seen an understanding that we need more money for rural senior’s care lodging, I’ve seen an understanding about a willingness to keep Michener open, an issue I fought dearly for, I’ve seen some of that work being done and I just felt strongly that in order for us to move forward, that conservatives as a whole needed to come together and offer those options in government,” she said.
She says there was no one single thing that made her decide to cross the floor but her constituents were part of that decision.
“It was my constituents who started opening that door saying that there is room to make Alberta better and it seems that this government was heading in that direction and started asking me if I would consider it. That along with some of the decision making processes and some of the ways in which our membership was taking our party, caused me concern, but for me it’s about my constituents and that's why I made the decision.”
The pair was approved by the PC caucus and Prentice says they are strong elected representatives and welcomed them to his team.
“I’m humbled by their support. I mean these are two people that are known to be tough advocates, each in different spheres, They’re tough advocates, they’re hard working, they have an enormous amount of integrity, as a person in our caucus they have been warmly welcomed and received because of their work ethics and because of their passion for serving Albertans and so I’m humbled,” said Prentice. “I’m honoured to have these two people at our side as part of our caucus and I think they will help us do a much better job for Alberta.”
He says they should be prepared to work hard and that the addition will make his party stronger.
Smith responded to the defection from Edmonton on Monday afternoon.
“I have always believed that politics should be about principle. Today I was proud to be in the legislature with Rob Anderson and Heather Forsythe at my side. Rob and Heather crossed the floor from government to opposition because of principle. They gave up the perks of power to serve Albertans, not for personal gain but because they wanted to put Albertans first. Today we saw the opposite,” said Smith.
She says the principles her party stands on remain important to Albertans.
“We believe in balanced budgets and staying out of debt. We believe more money doesn’t solve every problem Alberta has. We believe in empowering MLAs to stand up for their constituents with free votes. We believe in decentralized health care and better outcomes for patients and vulnerable Albertans. And we believe in providing a strong and principled alternative to an old and tired government. Until today, these were the principles my former colleagues espoused as well. They were the principles they were elected to stand on. Now they will have to answer for their actions, both in their constituencies and in the legislature,” she said.
Smith says changing one person at the top does not change the government's recurring problems of entitlement and mismanagement.
“The premiers change, the problems remain. They always do,” she said.
Both Donovan and Towle were elected as MLAs in 2012.
