Content
Skip to Main ContentAccessibility Help
Manitoba

Wildrose Alliance shut out

The Wildrose Alliance Party failed to make inroads among Alberta's conservative-minded voters in Monday night's provincial election, and its sole sitting MLA, leader Paul Hinman, lost his seat.
CBC News ·

Alberta's new Wildrose Alliance Party has been shut out of the provincial legislature. The party's best hope, leader Paul Hinman, was defeated by just 39 votes in a back-and-forth race in his home riding of Cardson-Taber-Warner.

The fiscally and socially conservative party finished second in eight rural ridings:

  • Airdrie-Chestermere.
  • Cardson-Taber-Warner.
  • Strathmore-Brooks.
  • Dunvegan-Central Peace.
  • Little Bow.
  • Rocky Mountain House.
  • Whitecourt-Ste. Anne.
  • Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills.

Hinman was first elected to the legislature in a 2005 byelection as leader of the Alberta Alliance party. It merged with the Wildrose Party in January — its founders hoping to capitalize on feelings that the governing Conservative party had moved too far toward the centre.

Hinman raised eyebrows in 2006 when he asked Alliance members to buy Conservative party memberships so they could support Ted Morton's bid for the PC party's leadership. At the time, Hinman said Morton's values were most in line with the Alberta Alliance.

The newly-formed party is said to have a debt of about $200,000, which will be difficult to fund with no representatives in the House.

CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices|About CBC News
Corrections and clarifications|Submit a news tip|