Byelection loss due to economy: Stelmach

A victory by the right-wing Wildrose Allianceparty in a key byelection in Calgary on Monday was driven by concerns about the recession and a desire for the Progressive Conservatives to do more about the Alberta economy, Premier Ed Stelmach said Tuesday.

"What I heard is that we have to move to more conservative values in the budgeting and maybe do more to bring our costs in line to ensure that the savings we have set aside are enough to protect Albertans," Stelmach told reporters in Cardston on Tuesday afternoon.

Voters in the riding of Calgary-Glenmore elected Paul Hinman of the Wildrose Alliance as the first non-Tory MLA in 40 years. The seat became vacant after former cabinet minister Ron Stevens stepped down in May to become an Alberta Queen's Court judge.

Hinman won about 37 per cent of the 11,028 ballots cast. Liberal candidate Avalon Roberts drew 34 per cent of the votes, and the Tory candidate, CalgaryAld. Diane Colley-Urquhart, came in third with 26 per cent.

After his win, HinmansaidCalgary voters were sending the premier a message.

Colley-Urquhartsaidshe found that during the campaignpeople were "grumpy" with the Tories and Stelmach. But Stelmach brushed off suggestions the loss was due to his leadership, blaming it instead on his government's need to do more for Albertans hit by the recession.

"We have to clearly articulate our position on how we're going to deal with the recession," he said.

In the past year, the province has seen its economic fortunes change dramatically, going from an $8.5-billion surplus in August 2008 to a $6.9-billion deficit a year later.

But some Alberta political scientists believe voters were sending a message to Stelmach.

"We saw a migration of Tory votes to the Alliance, which is remarkable," saidChaldeans Mensah, a political scientist at Grant MacEwan College in Edmonton. "Typically, Tory voters who are unhappy stay at home. But this time they went to vote, they met and expressed preference for the Alliance party. This is where I think Ed Stelmach has to take a message."

The result reflects problems Stelmach has had in Calgary since he won the party leadership in 2006 over JimDinning, who was favoured by the city's Progressive Conservative establishment, according to Duane Bratt, a political science professor at Calgary's Mount Royal University.

"Diane Colley-Urquhart took the bullet, but this was aimed at Ed," Bratt told The Canadian Press.