The Progressive Conservatives have set the date for a nomination vote in Spruce Grove-St. Albert as rumours of an early provincial election continue to swirl.
Incumbent PC Spruce Grove-St. Albert MLA Doug Horner said he’d make his intentions about running again known next week.
“What the party has done is set the date. The association has not opened the nomination yet,” Horner said.
The riding association executive will be meeting early next week to set out the process, with the understanding that a vote, if the nomination is contested, will be held on Feb. 21.
“We’ll be working backwards from that date now,” Horner said.
Spruce Grove-St. Albert was one of 35 ridings included in the Feb. 21 date. The constituency of St. Albert – currently represented by MLA and Service Minister Stephen Khan – was not.
In a news release, PC Alberta president Terri Beaupre assured party members and the public that the nomination contests “will be fully open.”
There has been some backlash over the idea that former Wildrose MLAs who crossed the floor to join the PCs would get a guaranteed nomination in their ridings.
Other provincial political parties are gearing up to hold nomination contests in St. Albert and Spruce Grove-St. Albert as they jockey to be prepared in case Premier Jim Prentice does call an election sooner than spring 2016.
The Wildrose constituency association for Spruce Grove-St. Albert opened up its nomination process last week.
Party president Jeff Callaway said Thursday that the applications in that riding were supposed to close Jan. 16 at 5 p.m., and if more than one candidate submitted an application the contest would conclude 21 days later.
If there’s only one qualifying applicant they’ll be acclaimed the candidate, he said.
They haven’t opened the St. Albert riding candidate selection process yet.
“I think it all really depends on Premier Prentice and whether or not he wants to call a snap election of course,” Callaway said.
If an election is called, the Wildrose will have 87 candidates on the ballot, Callaway said.
Greg Clark, leader of the Alberta Party, said it absolutely plans to run candidates in both St. Albert ridings, though nomination contests have not started in either riding quite yet.
“We’re expecting a spring election because Jim Prentice doesn’t want a fair fight,” Clark said, noting his party established an election readiness committee just before the holiday season.
Brendon Legault, a public affairs officer for the Alberta Liberals, said that party’s intent is to have a majority of its nominations completed throughout February, finishing the process off by March.
Requests for comment from the Alberta NDP were not answered before deadline.
