(This is the first in a series of columns on the Alberta election and the implications for business and the community.)
The 2001 Alberta provincial election would appear to be about several issues. The first is leadership.
This is the question of who Alberta voters want to lead the province over the next four years. The choices are clear: we have the incumbent Progressive Conservative Premier Ralph Klein, Liberal leader Nancy MacBeth and the New Democrats under Raj Pannu.
All three have track records which voters can use to judge their potential in the coming years.
The second major block of issues includes energy deregulation, the question of continued public administration of hospital and medical care, the Stockwell Day funding controversy and a variety of other questions.
These are all areas of legitimate concern. They have created a great deal of anxiety for business and consumers.
But there is an underlying theme that is of much more profound importance for the future of the province. This is the question of management.
Management is the underlying and significant issue of this election. Simply put, voters must decide on March 12 who would best manage the affairs of the province for the next four to five years.
The question of management puts the provincial election in a very different perspective from specific policy question and even the notion of leadership. As with any large organization, the province succeeds or fails because of management.
The difference between leadership and management is quite profound. Leadership is the public face of any organization; management is the decision-making structure and the individuals involved in that process. In this circumstance, questions of competence and ability become relevant.
The record of the Progressive Conservative government of Ralph Klein is there for everyone to see. In eight years in office, the Tories under Klein have eliminated the deficit and brought the provincial debt close to extinction. They have been justifiably praised for sound fiscal management.
But there are many areas in which their record is, at best, problematic. There are legitimate questions about the extent, planning and focus of the cuts to public spending in the mid-1990s. They appear to have been unplanned, indiscriminate and ideological in motivation and execution.
Of more immediate concern are the issues of electrical deregulation and health care. The provincial government must, for example, take responsibility for the debacle of electrical deregulation. It appears to have been an unplanned exercise in ideological policy making that has put the much touted Alberta Advantage in jeopardy. Electricity prices have skyrocketed, forcing many businesses — especially in technology and e-commerce — to think about relocating out of Alberta or not to consider a move here at all.
There appears to have been little or no planning, regulations failed to materialize for almost five years and the existing power contracts were auctioned at a fraction of their market value. The management process seemed to have broken down.
This was a result of ideological motivation, a civil service that has been so devastated by reorganizations and downsizing that it may no longer be able to offer proper advice to its political masters, and a decision-making process which failed to recognize the problems inherent in the policy.
The result of this process has been a payout of $4.1 billion in energy subsidies to offset the staggering increase in business and consumer energy costs. Every Albertan should be concerned about the sustainability and consequences of the energy rebates. The environmental and fiscal impact will be felt for decades.
Combined with the controversy surrounding the payment of former Treasurer Stockwell Day’s legal bill in a defamation suit and problems in education, health care and a number of other policy fields, the management of post-deficit Alberta puts the Tory record into question.
On the other hand, the Liberals under Nancy MacBeth have not presented a credible alternative to the governing Conservatives. It is the job of an opposition party — especially the Official Opposition — to present policies as an alternative government. The Liberals have failed to do this.
Their criticisms of the Conservatives have been muted, while the only major policy unveiled during the first week of the election was a proposal to partially re-regulate electrical distribution and generation. This appears to be a deliberate policy of not presenting alternatives to the Conservatives for fear that the government will adopt these suggestions as their own.
Not engaging in policy debate in the pre-election period demonstrates a lack of political skill and calls into question the ability of the Liberals to manage a complex, industrial economy.
The New Democrats have presented an alternative to the governing Tories. Raj Pannu and his caucus partner Brian Mason have put forward a platform that consists of a program to re-regulate electricity and reinstate a system of progressive taxation. With a credible leader and a credible set of policies, the New Democrats will appeal to many in the province.
Yet the party is tarred with the legacy of poor leadership, underfunding and lack of organization. At best, the NDP can hope to increase its legislative representation by a few seats and its percentage of the popular vote. They cannot be considered credible contenders for government.
Nevertheless, with a bigger caucus they may prove to be a much more effective opposition than the Liberals over the last four years.
The Klein government’s record of management has been mixed. The great successes seem past them.
On the other hand, the party with the best chance of replacing the government has presented little which would convince Albertans that they are an appropriate alternative.
The New Democrats have neither the organization nor the following to be considered likely contenders for power.
The question for voters on 12 March is, therefore, one of management — the continued ill-conceived policies and unsustainable spending of the Tories or the unknown and untested abilities of the Liberals.
(Dr. Keith Brownsey is a political science professor at Mount Royal College.)
