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November 18, 2003

The whole contrived and choreographed exercise last weekend at the Alberta PCs' annual policy conference was to achieve one end: contain the damage, control the situation and scotch the snake.

In terms of immediate political results it may have worked, at least for a couple of days.

It was obvious that Premier Ralph Klein was trying to head something off at the pass when he made his "bridges not walls" speech at Fort McMurray a few weeks before the policy gabfest, where one of the issues that the Tory hierarchy has been trying to get rid of since last spring's annual general meeting in Red Deer was on the main course.

Sure, Klein regurgitated the usual litany of Ottawa abuses. But this is standard practice for the premier these days.

And it's also par for the course that he and his struggling frontline ministers like Halvar Jonson, Dave Hancock, Shirley McClellan and Lorne Taylor haven't got the stomach to do much about it, except pray that the Ottawa Liberals' new guy, Paul Martin, turns out to be nicer than the two previous Grit prime ministers.

Klein barked that "we're tired" of being shortchanged on health care, the wheat board monopoly, the gun registry, environmental protection, the unelected Senate and the general feeling that "Ottawa knows best."

But here's the scary part, especially for the Tories who are trying to get a handle on something they feel is lying out there ready to pounce.

"What we need to do now is gather this frustration and channel it into positive, productive solutions," Klein said. "Solutions that will help Alberta take its proper place on the federal-provincial stage."

The premier then created yet another MLA committee under Edmonton Tory Ian McClelland. Now that should strike fear into the hearts of the Ottawa Liberals.

McClelland, who is chair of the Edmonton PC caucus, has been a complete bust at presenting an alternative conservative viewpoint in the capital city.

So any notion that the former Reform MP will be a crusader for the so-called "firewall" is foolish, to say the least.

And it's clear that the fellow at the head of the grassroots political movement pushing the Alberta Tories to protect the province with a legislative fence sees right through Klein's little ruse.

"It could be real or it could be a stalling tactic," said Alberta Residents League chairman Pat Beauchamp.

"We're going to continue holding town hall meetings throughout Alberta," Beauchamp added. "We feel we're going to go on the offensive here a bit."

The ARL meetings, which have taken place largely in rural Alberta, have been drawing interesting numbers, especially when Alberta senator-in-waiting Ted Morton shows up to speak about the so-called "Alberta Agenda."

And that seems to be why the Tories are so jittery.

Beauchamp correctly sensed a gang-up against his organization's program at the policy conference, right down to the conference workbook, which he branded as "quite biased."

"We're also gearing up for the Tory annual general meeting at Banff in March," he vowed. "It will be back on a lot harder the next time."

Then Beauchamp made the interesting claim that "we believe there are 32 or 33 MLAs onside with what we are promoting" - the legislative wall that includes an Alberta police force, pension plan and the collecting of provincial income tax.

If it's true, that's a pretty hefty chunk of Klein's caucus that just got the shaft from the Red Tories.

Not to mention the councillors for 13 municipal districts and counties that make up the Foothills-Little Bow Association.

They have a resolution before the Alberta Municipal Districts and Counties convention later today that calls for the creation of the same corral of legislation that the PCs and the premier balked at on the weekend.

There's an interesting grassroots political phenomenon going on here, a movement that the PC insiders are trying their hardest to make go away.

Yet every time they do they only make it angrier and more determined. And where it's leading is an interesting question.