ANDREW — As his tumultuous, five-year tenure winds down, Ed Stelmach says he has no regrets as premier — be it on energy royalties, large salary hikes for cabinet or the budget dispute that contributed to his resignation.
In an exit interview from his Andrew-area farm northeast of Edmonton, Stelmach reflected on a quarter-century in municipal and provincial politics, including 18 years in the legislature and half a decade as Alberta’s 13th premier.
The 60-year-old calls his majority victory in the 2008 provincial election — winning 72 of 83 seats — his proudest accomplishment as premier, a period in which Alberta has gone from multibillion-dollar surpluses to potentially four straight budget deficits amid an unprecedented global economic downturn.
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Special Ed may have no regrets but the same can not be said for many Albertans who out of no where else to go voted for him or like me just stayed home. He has been the worst premier in Alberta’s history followed closely by Lougheed and Getty, with his love-in with the bureaucrats and needless, endless spending. The problem Albertans have is that none of his party’s replacements are any better! Gary Mar, Doug Horner EWWWW. Even the supposed fiscal hawk in the bunch Ted Morton wants to increase taxes to pay for new arenas etc. Wildrose seems the only alternative to these hackneyed wanna be liberals.
Joe, you beat me to it re Albertans have regrets. Ted Morton should have won last time, but wont vote for him this time. WRA, is the future. ndp and libs have no hope in he== of winning.