Calgary

Heather Forsyth promises Wildrose Party will keep hammering Tories

Wildrose leader Heather Forsyth says her five-member caucus can be just as effective in its role of Alberta's Official Opposition as when the party had many more MLAs.

Interim leader said MLAs who crossed the floor must decide whether to stand in byelections

Calgary-Fish Creek MLA Heather Forsyth says the Wildrose Party will continue to be an effective Official Opposition to the governing Progressive Conservatives. (Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press)

Wildrose leader Heather Forsyth says her five-member caucus can be just as effective in its role of Alberta's Official Opposition as when the party had many more MLAs.

She said her party has done a good job over the past four years to keep the government accountable.

“We've seen two premiers, both premier Stelmach and premier Redford, say goodbye while we have been hammering as the Official Opposition and that's our role. And that's what we are going to do.”

Forsyth says it is up to the MLAs who crossed the floor to sit as Tories to decide if they should run again in byelections.

“I will tell you that Albertans have been speaking very loud and clear to me over the last several days about how they feel about this,” Forsyth said.

Petitions are circulating to convince former Wildrose leader Danielle Smith and Airdrie MLA Rob Anderson to resign their seats and run again.

After Forsyth crossed the floor from the Tories to the Wildrose Party in 2010 she did not step down to run in a byelection. She was elected under the Wildrose banner in the 2012 provincial election.