There appears to be interest in the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party in the riding as 75 interested individuals came out to hear the leadership candidates.
On Friday, November 18, the Drumheller-Stettler PC Constituency Association held a PCAA Leadership Candidate forum at the Legion in Stettler.
A diverse crowd of interested people came out to hear what the prospective, future leaders of the PC party of Alberta had to say on a range of topics. Three of the four candidates for the leadership including Richard Starke, Stephen Khan and Byron Nelson, took part in the forum, which lasted for over two hours.
Questions ranged from topics on health care to education and rural issues to the future of the party and their place in it.
On topics such as Hanna’s coal-fired electricity plant and the impending carbon tax, candidates agreed that the current governments’ plans are ill-timed and will only do further damage to the fragile economy of our province.
With education and health care funding in small, rural Alberta also an issue, the candidates agreed there needs to be a better balance of providing services to our communities while getting the best value for our tax dollars.
On the future of the PC party, the prevailing attitude was that the PC party needs to get back to its roots of being fiscally conservative but not lose the ideals of being socially progressive. Bringing back the Alberta advantage and reinstating our place as the most attractive province in Canada to live, is top of the candidates’ minds heading into the next election.
The PC Party will be holding its Leadership election convention in Calgary, in March 2017.
