Liberal byelection wins not likely in Calgary, but party aims to gain momentum; political scientist
Posted Mar 25, 2017 10:28 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
All the campaigning in Calgary and Alberta likely won’t pay off with wins for Liberals in the upcoming federal byelection, according to one political scientist. Lori Williams with Mount Royal University says there is a slim chance the party will walk away with victories in Calgary-Midnapore and Calgary-Heritage, but it has been making unprecedented moves by campaigning in the province lately.
“That is a dramatic shift from previous Liberal and NDP leaders. They’re taking very seriously, Alberta as a constituency they want to represent, and a place where they think they’ve got some political advantages to gain,” she said.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held a rally in Calgary to drum up support for the April 3 byelection. He tried to do the same in Medicine Hat before last October’s byelection, but the Liberal candidate only received about 25 per cent of the vote.
The two ridings up for grabs in the city were previously held by former Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his cabinet minister Jason Kenney, and Williams notes there is only one weak point for Conservative Party.
“We’ve got a temporary or an interim leader and a whole lot of controversy going on in the leadership race, a lot of uncertainty about the direction of the leadership and of course the direction of the party. All of that’s up in the air. And that certainly leaves them vulnerable in this byelection,” she said.
Meanwhile, Tories are pushing for a policy to prohibits a prime minister from campaigning during byelections. Conservative House leader Candice Bergen says this would avoid questions about whether public money is used for partisan activities. Trudeau has campaigned in every federal byelection since becoming party leader in 2013, and Liberal officials say the party will pay for expenses incurred by his appearances at events hosted by Liberal candidates.
Voters in Calgary-Midnapore and Calgary-Heritage can cast their ballots in the advanced polls until Monday.
