Star Alberta Tory candidate Arthur Kent, dubbed the Scud Stud during his days as a television news correspondent, said Saturday he doesn't like the way party staff are communicating with candidates and constituents.
Kent, who is the Progressive Conservative candidate in the riding of Calgary-Currie, accused staff surrounding PC Leader Ed Stelmach of "talking down" to constituents and candidates, adding he doesn't like the "one-way communication" going on with Stelmach's office.
Kent is upset that Stelmach suddenly cancelled a long-planned appearance at a fundraising event in his riding Friday, something that the candidate said he didn't hear about directly.
"To find out that suddenly the premier wasn't coming is a blow to the event," he said in an interview from his Calgary constituency office.
"The fact that nobody had the courtesy to call the candidate, that I had to learn about this through back channels, was disconcerting. However, I took that as perhaps a mishap on the campaign trail," Kent said.
Voters are headed to the polls in Alberta March 3.
The Progressive Conservative supporters who've been working doggedly in the riding, trying to take it away from the Liberals who won the seat in the last provincial election, deserve better treatment, Kent suggested.
"I'm afraid that there have been just too many instances of one-way communication and that's just something that the people of Calgary-Currie are telling me they've had enough of," he said.
No one from Stelmach's office could immediately be reached for comment.
Kent said that before the provincial election was called, he'd been trying to make headway on a number of issues important to Calgarians, including the effects of changes to energy royalty schemes and the government's approval of a $16-million redevelopment of Fort Calgary — one of the city's main historic sites.
He said the redevelopment has been "mysteriously sidetracked".
Kent said he'd been constructive and positive in trying to bring these issues to the attention of the premier and the ministries concerned when communications began to break down.
"Specifically we were told that since the election was taking place, there was no further latitude for discussions on these issues," he said.
"[That's] something of a problem because Calgary is a growth centre, an economic powerhouse in Canada and not everything in this city can wait forever while the aftermath of last year's party leadership is decided or plays out, which is sadly a process that still continues in many senses," Kent said.
Stelmach, who is going to the polls for his first mandate, won the party's leadership in a close race after the retirement of former premier Ralph Klein.
Despite his disappointment, Kent said both Stelmach and the party still have his "absolute" support.
He knows Stelmach personally, and it was because of the Tory leader that the former NBC war correspondent and veteran journalist became a political candidate, Kent said.
"In this case he needs to know that there are too many individuals around him who believe that all government has to do is speak down to their candidates and down to their constituents. That's not how it works," Kent said.
"I'm not surprised to find that there are officials that surround some politicians who forget that people want results, they don't just want messages, they actually want to communicate — and that's what I have been seeking to do," Kent said.
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Alberta Votes 2008 »
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Riding Profiles
More Alberta Votes Headlines »
- It's 'Ed's Empire' after Alberta election sweep
- Political observers in Alberta are calling it remarkable and opposition politicians are wondering what hit them after Ed Stelmach guided his Conservative party Monday to one of its biggest majorities ever.
- Low voter turnout in Alberta election being questioned
- As Premier Ed Stelmach and Alberta Conservatives savour their sweeping election victory, some people are raising a nagging concern: why so few people bothered to vote.
- Albertans elect historic 11th straight Tory government
- Voters in Alberta stuck with tried-and-true blue, giving the Progressive Conservative party an unprecedented 11th consecutive majority government in Monday's provincial election.
- Political tide turns in Edmonton
- Alberta Progressive Conservative Leader Ed Stelmach has proven true to his word, putting the "Ed" back in Edmonton.
- Conservatives' Calgary fortress resists change
- The Progressive Conservatives' fortress in Calgary stood strong as the party took 18 of the city's 23 ridings Monday night.
