Albertans can now see what desperation
looks like. Former premier Allison Redford got a 77 per cent
endorsement at her last leadership review, but today she officially
has no friends.
About the kindest things said about her
when the news broke Wednesday of her resignation as MLA: people expressed disappointment over “lost promise” followed by a quick “it's
time to move forward.”
Current premier Dave Hancock got a
preview of a report from auditor general Merwan Saher, that was to be
released publicly Thursday. Parts of it had already been leaked to
CBC News — which in itself is a measure of how the Tories have
lost control of the internal workings of government.
The leak reported that for at least a
dozen flights on government aircraft taken by Redford when she was
premier, the seats were booked by “ghost passengers” whose names
were removed before takeoff, so that Redford could fly alone.
If that's true, then we're looking at
fraud, right? That's why Hancock quickly called in the RCMP to do its
own investigation.
In some cases, the entourage of fellow
MLAs and other officials going to some far-flung event in the
province needed to be booked on another flight, or even — gasp —
had to drive.
For our government, booking a second
flight is no problem. Alberta has a fleet of four aircraft at its
beck and call, a situation unique in Canada. B.C. and Saskatchewan,
for instance, don't have any government aircraft; when flights are
needed, they charter. It's cheaper. And more transparent.
Redford didn't go out and buy those
planes. Ralph Klein did — and he and his government used them. A
lot. And you can reasonably surmise not always strictly on official
business.
But last week, a poll in Calgary voted
former premier Klein as Alberta's greatest citizen.
People everywhere are talking about the
PC Party of Alberta's sense of entitlement. Redford didn't invent
that. She likely used (abused?) it egregiously, but in the broad
sense, she wasn't doing anything that hadn't been done by others, for
years.
The difference? The leaders before her
had friends. Today, Allison Redford looks pretty alone in the world.
I say that's a function of desperation
within the party.
She amply deserves it, but I think
Redford is taking one for the team here. A person with the arrogance
and entitlement that has been attributed to Redford wouldn't give up
her seat without taking the transition allowance due to her. I's a
$179,000 hit to her own retirement plan. But she did it.
It's icing on a farewell cupcake for a
party that wants to distance itself from its own past. Not one party
member is coming boldly forward with any regrets for Redford here.
Everyone wants to show that somehow the leopard has changed its
spots, that the party now is something other than what it has been.
Not the party that became the longest,
most secure dynasty in western democratic history. Not the party
that's only the fourth government since Alberta joined Confederation.
But a party that is trying to convince
itself — and us — that it can deny how decades of power might be
a corrupting influence.
A desperately tall order.
I think it's quite amazing the
restraint being shown by the opposition parties at this point. Most
likely, they're saving their arrows for a time after the auditor
general's report (which Redford herself had ordered) is fully
digested, or after the RCMP investigation (which her successor had
ordered) is completed.
Until all the facts are in, that is.
Not so for the PCs. The bloodletting is
well under way. All the party leadership hopefuls are crying “Not
me! Not me!” and voters are going to see a campaign to convince us
that former premier Allison Redford alone is the author of her demise
(which, in large measure she is, but by no means completely).
In her letter of resignation, Redford
said “mistakes were made.” Not “I'm sorry.” She did say she
takes responsibility for her decisions, which is easier to say than
“I'm sorry.”
Right now, that doesn't sound like
enough to absolve the party that created the environment in which she
rose to be leader.
At this point it looks to me like
Redford is taking one for the team. I wonder if the team, which chose
her, then left her friendless, appreciates the gesture.
Follow Greg Neiman's blog at
Readersadvocate.blogspot.ca
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