Albertans elect historic 11th straight Tory government

Despite an apparent appetite for change, voters in Alberta stuck with tried-and-true blue, giving the Progressive Conservative party an unprecedented 11th consecutive majority government in Monday night's provincial election.

The Tories, who began their political dynasty in 1971, captured 72 of 83 seats, gaining 11 seats and increasing their share of the popular vote by about six per cent from the last vote in 2004.

Surrounded by candidates, Alberta Conservative Leader Ed Stelmach addresses supporters in Calgary, shortly after the polls closed.
(Larry MacDougal/Canadian Press)

"Welcome to Alberta's century!" a grinning Conservative Leader Ed Stelmach announced to a jubilant crowd in Edmonton, minutes after arriving on a plane from Calgary where he made an earlier acceptance speech.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it's not how long you govern, it's how well you govern."

Political analyst Bruce Cameron called Stelmach's victory "spectacular," saying the rookie leader's accomplishment rivalled the heady triumphs of former premiers Ralph Klein and Peter Lougheed.

Driven by the booming oilsands, the province is grappling with major growth pressures, including a lack of affordable housing and aging infrastructure, as well as balancing environmental concerns with the massive oilsands developments.

Alberta Liberal supporter Lisa Bowers, left, watches polling station returns in Edmonton Monday.
(Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press)

Monday night's landslide signals that Albertans are willing to let the Tories continue to manage the province's prosperity, and to give Stelmach the chance to prove he can bring change to Alberta.

"Whether they just trust Ed, or they see Ed as an honest, trustworthy man, or that Ed is in charge, this is a huge victory for him and to be able to hold Calgary and to wipe out the Liberals in Edmonton, he's really put his stamp on the province," said political scientist Duane Bratt.

"This is a monumental victory for Ed Stelmach."

Nods to wife, family in victory speech

Criticized as lacking charisma, a relaxed Stelmach cracked a few jokes on the podium Monday night, revealing a self-deprecating charm.

"I'm almost as happy as 35 years ago, standing at the altar marrying Marie," he said. "And I think I was sweating just as hard as well."

The farmer from Andrew also acknowledged his Ukrainian roots: "How lucky I was that in 1898 my grandparents chose the ship that took them to Canada because the others that year were leaving to Argentina, and as I said before, my Spanish isn't that good."

Steady Eddie won voters over with measured approach

Stelmach took over from the brash, and sometimes impulsive, Klein in December 2006 and has tried to distinguish himself as a measured politician who can engineer a plan for the province's future.

"We've shown we have new ideas, new energy, new leadership for a new century," said the leader, sometimes referred to as "Steady Eddie."

Stelmach interpreted Monday's victory as voters liking what they saw in his 13 months as premier, when his government introduced oil and gas royalty increases and successfully nailed down a pension plan agreement with the public school teachers.

He credited his party's candidates, volunteers and never taking anything for granted for the massive win.

Support for Alberta Liberals collapses

The extent of the Conservative victory stunned the Alberta Liberals, led by Kevin Taft, who lost seven of their 16 legislative seats, led by a collapse in their traditional base of support in Edmonton.

Alberta Liberal Leader Kevin Taft delivers his post-election address to supporters as his wife Jeanette Boman looks on in Edmonton.
(Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press)

Taft blamed part of his party's disastrous showing on a lack of sufficient campaign funding against the well-oiled Tory machine. He accepted responsibility for the losses, but did not say if he would be stepping down as Liberal leader.

"I think the Liberal brand is so toxic in this province that the only way they can survive is a name change," said political scientist Bratt, referring to Albertans' distrust of the federal Liberals, dating back to the National Energy Program.

The NDP also suffered a major blow Monday night, losing two of their four seats, including one in Edmonton held by former leader Ray Martin.

The Alberta Greens increased their popular vote by nearly two percentage points over their 2004 election results, grabbing 4.58 per cent of the vote, but failed again to elect their first-ever MLA in the province, or in Canada.

The Wildrose Alliance will not be represented in the legislature as leader Paul Hinman lost a tight race to retain the party's single seat in southern Alberta.

Worst turnout in Alberta history

Various polls showed anywhere from 20 to 45 per cent of voters were undecided during a campaign that saw few sparks.

Voter turnout in Monday's election was the lowest in Alberta's history.
(CBC)

Voter turnout dropped even further from a dismal 44.7 per cent in the 2004 campaign to about 41 per cent on Monday night, the worst turnout in Alberta history, according to preliminary numbers.

There were 2,252,104 Albertans eligible to cast a ballot in this provincial election, compared to 1,982,843 in the 2004 vote, said Elections Alberta.

When the election was called, the Progressive Conservatives had 60 seats in the legislature, the Liberals 16, the NDP four and the Wildrose Alliance one, with one Independent and one vacant seat.