Edmonton - Albertans went to the polls in a historic election Monday that preserved the 41-year-old Progressive Conservative political dynasty after a divisive 28-day campaign.
Public opinion polls on the eve of the election suggested Danielle Smith and the Wildrose Party would win but from the early results it was evident that Premier Alison Redford and the Progressive Conservatives would remain in power.
By shortly after 9 p.m. local time, TV networks were declaring a Tory majority.
Although not final, the Edmonton Journal was reporting late Monday night that Tories were elected in 61 ridings with 44 per cent of the popular vote, Wildrose candidates were elected or leading in 19 ridings on 34.5 per cent of the vote; the NDP had four members and the Liberals three.
"I guess the polls played jokes on us," said Wildrose candidate Rob Anderson in Airdrie, a bedroom community north of Calgary. "The people of Alberta have spoken but maybe the fearmongering worked better than we thought."
The 41-year-run in government for the Tories is one of the longest provincial dynasties in Canadian political history behind the 43 years of the Nova Scotia Liberals (1882-1925) and the 42-years of Conservative rule (1943-1985) in Ontario.
The election has implications well beyond the borders of the resource-rich province given Alberta's growing clout in Canadian politics and the globally contentious issue of oilsands development.
When Redford called the election in March, the Conservatives held 66 seats in the legislature, the Liberals eight, Wildrose four, New Democrats two, Alberta Party one, one independent and there was one seat vacant. Four more seats were added in the fast-growing province before the election.
During the campaign, NDP leader Brian Mason and Liberal leader Raj Sherman largely took a back seat to the two women leading a party into an election for the first time.
"It's tough to describe what we have seen here," said Duane Bratt, a political science professor at Mount Royal University in Calgary. "The interest, the excitement — all of that sort of stuff — is unprecedented in Alberta."
The weather was ideal on election day in much of Alberta with sunshine and temperatures reaching 30 C in several places. The weather was expected help voter turnout that reached a historic low of only 40.6 per cent in the March 2008 election.
Addressing cheering supporters, Smith acknowledged that she was disappointed and had been hoping for a better result. But she took what many will see as a defeat in stride, promising that Wildrose would continue vying to become the province's government.
"Am I discouraged? Not a chance," she said. "Albertans have decided that Wildrose might need some time. Might need some time to prove ourselves, some time to establish ourselves, and I relish the opportunity."
In her victory speech to supporters, Redford said Albertans chose to build upon "the shoulders of our great history" in choosing the Progressive Conservatives to return to government.
At the same time, in an allusion to the fact the campaign was historic and engaged Albertans in a way few such elections had in recent memory, Redford recognized that a record number of voters had turned out to have their voices heard.
"Something very exciting happened in Alberta tonight," Redford said. "Everyone got engaged in the future of this province again."
And she said she had heard the complaints from Albertans who were tired of the status quo, and that she intended to act upon their concerns.
"Today, Alberta, you spoke, and you spoke loudly. And I want you to know that I heard you," she said.
"Albertans want change. They want positive change and they want change that moves Alberta forward."
After voting in her Calgary-Elbow riding, Redford said she was impressed by the long lines at advance polls and again Monday as she cast her ballot before embarking on a whirlwind tour of Calgary, Red Deer, Alta., and Edmonton.
Asked about the nastiness that emerged during the campaign, Redford said "it's probably not the most comfortable thing for families to see those types of comments, but that's OK. We move through it."
At one point Redford apologized to Smith after one of her campaign workers tweeted questioning why Smith doesn't have children.
The Wildrose faced a backlash over issues concerning racial identity and gay rights, when a Calgary candidate said religious minorities couldn't represent the whole community as well as Caucasians, and an Edmonton candidate who had blogged homosexuals would end up in a "lake of fire."
Smith was challenged about her position on oilsands development when she said she doubted the science on climate change.
Smith campaigned on a need for change citing the discontent over government budget deficits for five years in a province with the most vibrant economy in the country. She offered $300 cheques -— dubbed "Dani Dollars" — to Albertans after the province balances the budget adds to the Heritage Savings Fund.
The Tories came to power in 1971.
The province has a history of political dynasties. Before the four-decade Tory reign, the Social Credit Party governed for 36 years, the United Farmers of Alberta formed the government for 14 years up to 1935 following 16 years under the Alberta Liberals.
The Conservatives became a juggernaut. They won 11 consecutive majorities and eight of every 10 seats in the legislature during that time. Tory premiers Peter Lougheed and Ralph Klein are among the most celebrated figures in Canadian political history.
Redford, an international human rights lawyer, won a party leadership race to replace out-going premier Ed Stelmach last fall. She talked about the need for Alberta to have an articulate and respected voice for the oilsands in Canada and internationally.
Peter McCormick, a political scientist at the University of Lethbridge, said regardless of which of the two front runners form the government, Alberta will remain in conservative hands.
"This is just a civil war inside the conservative party. I don't believe the conservatives can be defeated tonight because they're running against themselves."
In winning the election Redford will be pressured to win back disaffected Progressive Conservatives who supported Wildrose while at the same time adopting policies that reward the centrist voters supported the Tories in this election.
Another item to watch will be how Redford and the PCs interact with the federal Conservatives, many of whom were vocally supportive of Wildrose.
The last time an incumbent Alberta government was defeated was in 1971 when the upstart Progressive Conservatives under Lougheed displaced the Alberta Social Credit Party after 36 years in power, and many had seen Wildrose as following the same path.
Mason, ecstatic after his party made important inroads, said his party would focus on public health care, education and the environment.
"I can tell you we're going to have a renewed NDP opposition in that legislature," he said. "We've shown that we will not forget about a clean environment. Nobody else talks about it, but we will stand up for a clean Alberta."
"Democracy is sometimes a messy process, but there is no better way for the will of the people to be expressed," Sherman told supporters in conceding victory to Redford. "Tonight, the people of Alberta have made a decision."
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