Selinger, Pallister weigh in on NDP victory in Alberta

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This article was published 06/05/2015 (3816 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Premier Greg Selinger says the Alberta NDP’s dramatic majority victory Wednesday could aid the federal party, but he was more circumspect about drawing any conclusions as to what it means for New Democrats in Manitoba.

“I think it allows the NDP to say that they represent every part of the country and that they have the ability to represent every part of the country,” Selinger said today after announcing an expansion to the culinary arts shops facility at Collège Louis-Riel.

He said he is certain that national NDP leader Tom Mulcair will be emphasizing that point in the months leading up to this fall’s federal election.

On Tuesday, the Alberta NDP, led by Rachel Notley, won a stunning victory in Canada’s oil province, ending 44 years of Tory rule.

“I think it’s great that Rachel Notley and her team got elected. I think they ran a very strong campaign, and they obviously resonated with the values of Albertans,” Selinger said. “I think it’s a great story.”

Asked whether he thought it meant that long-standing governments like the NDP’s in Manitoba were vulnerable to defeat, Selinger demurred.

“As long as you stay focused on the values and priorities of your citizens you have a chance to serve them,” he said. “And you have to demonstrate that you’re committed to that every single day.”

Alberta embraces change

Opposition Leader Brian Pallister said today the NDP’s victory in Alberta last night could be a sign of things to come in Manitoba for the Selinger government.

Pallister said it was clear the majority of Alberta voters embraced change in electing NDP Rachel Notley as that province’s new premier.

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“The perception I think that was evidently widespread throughout the province was that the government was not listening to the people,” Pallister said. “They stopped being as accountable as perhaps the people of Alberta perceived they deserved to be and treated.

“What I saw there last night was an incredible piece of evidence that Manitobans can follow is that the people get to decide, and if they believe it’s time for a change, then changes happens.”

He also said the NDP, which has been in power since 1999, has enormous communications resources to spread its message compared to the PCs.

“What I took from yesterday (in Alberta) is that our party needs to stay focused on listening, reaching out, building, growing and making sure we’re in touch with the perspectives that Manitobans have. I think the government has increasingly demonstrated they’re less concerned with what Manitobans think and more concerned with promoting themselves.

“When a government gets old and tired they are prone to or susceptible to thinking they should be in power because that’s their right, that they are entitled to stay in power, and that’s what I see here in Manitoba with the NDP.”