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Regional: Keep on plugging
Commentary by Jeff Burgar
for South Peace News
Seeking clarity in the Alberta political landscape is like seeking the proverbial ghost in a snowstorm.
The problem is, observers in the media just aren’t close enough to "the action" to know what the heck is going on. Meanwhile, those close enough to Premier Stelmach’s inner circle, and perhaps even inside it, seem to be packing their own political baggage of biases, leanings, tendencies and thoughts that colour what could be clear opinions.
Usually, this wouldn’t be much of anything. Our own Lesser Slave Lake isn’t known as an indicator constituency. Our history is such we look to see which way the wind has blown, then decide to follow along. Usually, in an election a few years down the road from the one which signals political change.
Our own MLA, Pearl Calahasen, is comfortable enough after 20 years in office, it doesn’t matter much if she is in office, or retired at the lake. She may sit in the backbenches, at the front of the Leg, or even beside Independant Guy Boutillier. Boutillier, you may recall, was booted from the Conservative caucus after speaking his mind about the need for senior health services in his hometown of Ft. McMurray.
This "take no prisoners" approach to government is common enough. If there is a choice to be made between conciliation, negotiation, and finding a middle-ground, politicians these days go for the jugular every time.
It’s only in arenas where one seriously needs co-operation, such as international affairs or the United States health reform, that leaders actually sit down and talk.
So, if Calahasen decided to throw a tantrum over the High Prairie hospital, the result might be fabulous, or it might be disconcerting, to say the least. Since the future of Ed Stelmach is so unclear, this still has room to play out.
Stelmach’s future concerns Conservatives greatly.
One observer says, "Never mind Wild Rose Alliance. If the Liberals could get their act together they could mount a real threat."
It’s these kind of comments, combined with the shuffles in Cabinet, combined with flip-flops on health services, combined with obvious attempts by Conservatives to reach out to their public, combined with spending announcements, and yes, combined with the rise of Wild Rose, that make the future so muddy. It’s quite a hodge of ingredients to sift through.
The good news is, we might see progress on the High Prairie hospital sooner instead of later.
The bad news is, you know government wants to get the most bang for the money in an announcement.
Once again, a hospital isn’t a matter of yes or no. It’s a matter of how much, how soon, how to be played out for the most political profit. Everybody’s job, no matter what, is make sure we don’t become politically expendable.
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