Alberta Party

Infobox_Canada_Political_Party
party_name = Alberta Party
party_wikicolourid = Alberta Party
status = active
class = prov
party_
leader = Bruce Stubbs
president = Richard Kayler
foundation = 1986
dissolution =
ideology = Populism
headquarters = 2604 Kensington Rd NW
Calgary AB
T2N 4S5
int_alignment = none
colours = Blue & Gold
seats_house = 0
website = [http://www.albertaparty.ab.ca http://www.albertaparty.ab.ca]

The Alberta Party Political Association, known in its short form as the Alberta Party, began as an alliance of the Alberta Social Credit Party, Western Canada Concept, and the Heritage Party of Alberta in 1986. The party was originally named at its inception as the Alberta Political Alliance Party abbreviated APAP or its short form Alberta Alliance (not to be confused with the Alberta Alliance, formed in 2002), this coalition did not last long. During the 1986 election, the Western Canadian Concept party broke ranks and ran candidates under its own banner without success.

Following the 1986 election, members the Alliance Party took part in the development of a new federal party, the Reform Party of Canada. Following the Reform Party’s inception, the Alliance party returned to provincial politics. In 1990 the name of the party changed for the second time to the Alberta Party of Alberta more simply known as the Alliance.

Early history

In the early 1980's the Alberta political landscape was fragmented on the right side of the spectrum between a number of different parties. Many of these parties had been spawned in the wake of the National Energy Program with the feelings that Premier Peter Lougheed had done little to actually to prevent the economic collapse it caused. Some of these parties had already archived modest success holding seats in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.

The 1982 general election had seen Social Credit, the Alberta Reform Movement and the Western Canada Concept loose their representation in the Legislature. The preceding years saw the rise of the Heritage Party of Alberta, Representative Party of Alberta and the Confederation of Regions, in total five parties to the right of the Progressive Conservative's were officially registered in 1985.

This coalition of parties took another blow in 1989, when the Social Credit Party withdrew its support from the Alliance. Since then, the Alliance Party has continued its attempts to gain recognition as a viable alternative to the three parties currently in the legislature.

Alliance Party

The party changed its name on October 30, 1990 to the Alliance Party of Alberta.cite book|title=Thirteenth Annual Report of the Chief Electoral Officer of Alberta|publisher=Elections Alberta|date=1991] The name change marked a transition away from trying to build a coalition to participation in electoral politics. The party would participate in its first by-election in the electoral district of Little Bow on March 5, 1992 almost eight years after it's founding. The party did moderately well winning seven percent of the popular vote, but still splitting the right wing vote with Social Credit and the Confederation of Regions.cite web|url=http://www.electionsalberta.ab.ca/Public%20Website/742.htm#march1992|title=Little Bow by-election|publisher=Elections Alberta|accessdate=2008-07-06]

The party would contest it's second and last by-election to date in its history running in the electoral district of Three Hills. The election would see the party win similar results among another divided right wing vote. The Alberta Liberals who moved the party towards the right under Laurence Decore ended up taking the district in a shocking upset.cite web|url=http://www.electionsalberta.ab.ca/Public%20Website/742.htm#oct1992|title=Three Hills by-election|publisher=Elections Alberta|accessdate=2008-07-06]

In 1993 the party attracted high profile candidate and leader Mark Waters. Waters is the son of former elected Alberta senator Stan Waters.cite book|title=Preston Manning and the Reform Party|first= Murray|last=Dobin|isbn= 1550283596|pages=97 | publisher=James Lorimer & Company] The party went into the 1993 Alberta general election fielding a total of four candidates. The party made respectable showings in the districts it ran in but did not come close to taking a seat. Waters finished last in Calgary Currie winning 1,200 votes and finishing in fourth place.cite web|url=http://www.abheritage.ca/abpolitics/database/maps_choice.asp?Year=1993&Constit=Calgary-Currie | title=Calgary Currie Official Election Results 1993|publisher=Alberta Heritage|accessdate=2008-03-22]

After the election George Flake became leader of the party for the first time. Flake lead the party to mediocrity and it decided not to contest the 1997 Alberta general election.cite web|url=http://www.gov.ab.ca/acn/199702/4628.html|title=1997 Alberta Provincial General Election Information|publisher=Elections Alberta|date=February 25, 1997|accessdate=2008-07-06] In 1998, the Alliance Party followed the example of the Saskatchewan Party and the Manitoba Party by changing its formal name to the Alberta Party Political Association, better known as the Alberta Party.cite book|title=Nineteenth Annual Report of the Chief Electoral Officer of Alberta|publisher=Elections Alberta|date=1999]

Alberta Party

Shortly before the 2004 election, the Alberta Party attempted to merge with the Alberta Alliance Party. The failed deal would have guaranteed all Alberta Party candidates nominations in the riding of their choosing. The merged party would have adopted the Alberta Party platform, and Alberta party provincial council would have had seats on the Alberta Alliance Provincial Council.

The deal fell through when the Alberta Party would not agree to de-register the Alberta Party name with Elections Alberta. This was the only hurdle to preventing the merger.

Recently Alberta Party delegates have been present at major Alberta Alliance Party functions, such as the annual convention on May 28, 2005, and the leadership convention on November 19, 2005.

The Alberta Party has invited Paul Hinman MLA and Alberta Alliance Leader and Lavern Ahlstrom the Alberta Social Credit Party Leader to speak at the Alberta Party annual convention in Red Deer with the hopes of fostering new cooperation between right of centre parties to oppose the Progressive Conservatives.Fact|date=February 2007

In the 2004 provincial election, the party nominated candidates in four ridings, winning a total of 2,485 votes, or 0.3% of the provincial total. This was a reduction of 0.6% from the previous election.

The party managed to field just one candidate, Margaret Saunter, for the March 3 2008 provincial election. Saunter placed last out of a field of six candidates in Edmonton Centre, capturing just 0.46%% of the vote.

Leaders and election summary

References

External links

* [http://www.albertaparty.ab.ca/default.asp?pageID=4 Alberta Party website]

Alberta politics