The Progressive Conservative sweep in the four byelections held in Calgary and Edmonton on Oct. 27 is great news for Premier Jim Prentice and his Tory colleagues.
After months of nothing but bad news surrounding the disaster rule and fall of Alison Redford, Prentice certainly had his work cut out for him in terms of regaining public confidence in the PC government and in the integrity of its MPs.
With last week's byelection results, Prentice can now move forward with a solid mandate, the bad-old Redford days seemingly behind him.
Without doubt, the PC comeback following the Redford meltdown must rank as one of the most profound political turnarounds seen in Alberta in many years.
And with a general provincial election set for the spring of 2016, Premier Prentice now has more than a year to build up his party's coffers and to move forward with his agenda in key areas such as education and health care.
“Tonight is a clear victory for optimism over negativity,” Prentice said in his election victory speech. “We are on the right path, but we know that the work has just begun.”
While last week's byelection victory is great news for the PCs, it is at the same time very bad news for the official Opposition Wildrose Party.
Never before has an opposition party been given more ammunition against a ruling party than Danielle Smith's party had against the Prentice Tories.
The dramatic fall of Alison Redford amidst allegations of misrule, backroom politics and flagrant misuse of public resources should have been a goldmine for the Wildrose.
Yet in the end, the PCs and their new leader were able to sweep away any real challenge from the Wildrose.
For her part, Danielle Smith called on her party members to decide her future as leader with a vote at the party's annual general meeting in Red Deer on November 13 - 14.
Over the weekend the Wildrose caucus voted to support Smith, saying a leadership review is not needed and requesting that the party executive remove the review from the agenda at the AGM.
The caucus vote came at the same time Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre Wildrose MLA Joe Anglin left the party to sit as an independent. Smith accepted his resignation on Sunday.
Regardless of the caucus support of Smith, last week's Prentice PC sweep – coupled with fairly strong showings by the NDP and the Alberta Party – still puts the Wildrose in the unenviable position of being the party that has once again failed to make the most of glorious opportunities.
The big question now may not be whether the Wildrose will form the next government but whether it can even hold onto the 17 seats it currently holds.
