A long-time strategist with Alberta's Progressive Conservative Party has abandoned the governing party in favour of a right-wing competitor.
Calgary businessman Hal Walker, who has been a Tory supporter for 35 years and was a respected member of former premier Ralph Klein's so-called kitchen cabinet, announced Thursday he is taking over as interim president of the upstart Wildrose Alliance Party due to "the failure of Premier Ed Stelmach."
"I've become increasingly disillusioned with the Stelmach government," said Mr. Walker, citing "public policy disasters" such as the "botched royalty review" and "uncontrolled spending."
Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith doesn't have a seat in the legislature, yet she has already attracted two unhappy Tory MLAs to cross the floor, enjoyed growing support in the polls and a boom in membership sales. But the bloom on the party hasn't translated into a massive influx of financial support.
Recently revealed fundraising figures from Elections Alberta for 2009 showed that the Tories rang in $2,784,851, while the Wildrose collected $694,621 - just behind the Liberal Party's $768,858 and barely ahead of the New Democrats' $681,423. The PCs have $4-million in the bank. That's 20 times the size of the Wildrose war chest.
Wildrose officials said they hope fundraising will ramp up by the next election in 2012, but confessed it's an uphill battle against what Mr. Walker called the entrenched Tory "money-raising machine" established over 39 years in power.
"If you're not donating to the party that's forming the government, you have to understand it's at your peril that you don't," he said. "And so, an opposition party in raising money is at a decided disadvantage and we understand that."
Ms. Smith said Mr. Walker will be reaching out to his many business contacts for support and will build a stronger fundraising network.
Cam Hantiuk, a spokesman for Mr. Stelmach, said the Premier's Office assumed Mr. Walker had already moved to "that party so there was no real surprise."
"Mr. Walker may choose to make the issue one of personality over policy, but we're confident that between now and the next general election the Premier's steady leadership will prove itself out - and in fact we are seeing many positive signs," he added.
The Tories have 68 members of the 83-seat legislature. The Liberals have eight seats, the Wildrose has three, the NDP has two and there are two Independents.