Strong and Free : My Journey in Alberta Politics

Table of Contents

• Front Cover 1
• Half Title Page 2
• Full Title Page 4
• Copyright Page 5
• Dedication 6
• Table of Contents 8
• Preface 12
• Acknowledgements 16
• Illustrations 17
• 1 | From Professor to Politician (1981–1997) 28
• INTRODUCTION 28
• HOW I BECAME A CONSERVATIVE (1967–1980) 29
• ALBERTA: THE EARLY YEARS (1981–1997) 35
• 2 | From Waiting to Running (1998–2004) 40
• ALBERTA SENATOR-IN-WAITING ( 1998) 40
• CANADIAN ALLIANCE LEADERSHIP (2000) 48
• FIREWALL LETTER (2001) 51
• ML A FOR FOOTHILLS-ROCKY VIEW (2004) 59
• 3 | Life on the Back Bench (2005–2006) 68
• FIRST CAUCUS MEETING 68
• FIRST DAY IN THE LEGISLATURE 71
• FOOTHILLS-ROCKY VIEW CONSTITUENCY 72
• DE-KLEIN: OVERSPENDING 73
• MAIDEN SPEECH AND THE LEADERSHIP RACE 75
• BILL 208: PROTECTING FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND RELIGION 77
• 4 | PC Leadership Campaign: The Accidental Premier (2006) 90
• KLEIN’S LONG GOODBYE 90
• MORTON CAMPAIGN TEAM 91
• CANDIDATES 92
• ISSUES: THE FIREWALL CANDIDATE 95
• CAMPAIGN AND ENDORSEMENTS 97
• FIRST-ROUND RESULTS 101
• SECOND-ROUND RESULTS 107
• ED STELMACH: THE ACCIDENTAL PREMIER 111
• 5 | Legislating Conservation: Success and Failure (2007–2009) 114
• OH RANCH: HERITAGE RANGELAND (2008) 120
• SUNDAY HUNTING AND PROVINCIAL HUNTING DAY (2008) 123
• LAND USE FRAMEWORK AND ALBERTA LAND STEWARDSHIP ACT (2009) 126
• ALBERTA LAND TRUST GRANT PROGRAM AND THE WALDRON RANCH(2009) 133
• BOW HABITAT STATION AND KIDS CAN CATCH TROUT POND (2009) 135
• HUNTING FOR HABITAT (2008) 139
• RECREATIONAL ACCESS MANAGEMENT PLAN (2009) 143
• UPLAND BIRDS ALBERTA AND PHEASANT RELEASE PROGRAM (2010) 145
• MICREX MINE AND THE LIVINGSTONE RANGE (2010) 150
• POSTSCRIPT 156
• 6 | How I Became Finance Minister (2009) 160
• THE KLEIN LEGACY 160
• STELMACH: BUYING THE 2008 ELECTION 162
• STAMPEDE CAUCUS 2008: SPENDING $4 BILLION THAT WE DID NOT HAVE 167
• DEFICITS AND DEBT: MEMOS TO STELMACH AND SNELGROVE (2008–2009) 168
• BUDGET 2010 AND THE WILDROSE CHALLENGE 173
• LEADERSHIP REVIEW 176
• BECOMING FINANCE MINISTER 177
• 7 | Finance Minister (2010) 180
• BUDGET 2010 180
• THE MINISTER’S CAVE 181
• FIGHTING THE FEDS I: SECURITIES REGULATOR 183
• FIGHTING THE FEDS II: PENSION REFORM 187
• FIGHTING THE PREMIER’S OFFICE: NORTH WEST UPGRADER 192
• POSTSCRIPT 200
• 8 | How I Unbecame Finance Minister (2010) 202
• RECESSION 203
• THE NEW NORMAL 204
• A NEW FISCAL FRAMEWORK 208
• LOSING THE FIGHT 211
• STAY OR LEAVE? 215
• 9 | The Prairie Putsch (2011) 218
• WHEN TO LEAVE 218
• RECRUITING ALLIES 220
• HOW TO LEAVE 226
• JANUARY 25: THE PUTSCH 227
• RAUCOUS CAUCUS 231
• 10 | Redford and Prentice: The End of the PC Dynasty (2011–2015) 234
• 2011 PC LEADERSHIP: TWO-MINUTE TORIES STRIKE AGAIN 234
• MINISTER OF ENERGY 245
• 2012 PROVINCIAL ELECTION 247
• THE REDFORD DEBACLE 251
• PRENTICE TO THE RESCUE … NOT 254
• 2015: THE END OF THE PC DYNASTY 259
• 11 | The Decline and Fall of the PC Empire: A Post-Morton 262
• FLAWED LEADERSHIP SELECTION PROCESS 262
• VOTE SPLITTING ON THE RIGHT 265
• DYNASTY SYNDROME: POWER REPLACES PRINCIPLES 266
• THE RESOURCE CURSE 268
• WESTERN ALIENATION 275
• 12 | The Alberta Agenda: From Fringe to Mainstream 280
• KENNEY’S HOSTILE TAKEOVER OF THE PC PARTY 280
• EQUALIZATION REFERENDUM AND THE FAIR DEAL REPORT (2019) 281
• DANIELLE SMITH AND THE SOVEREIGNTY ACT 283
• THE NEXT CHAPTER 284
• APPENDIX 1 | Power to the Parents: A Vindication of Bill 208 288
• UNIVERSITIES 289
• HUMAN RIGHTS ACTS 293
• EDUCATION CURRICULUM 295
• PARENT POWER: THE DEI BACKLASH 297
• CULTURE WAR COMES TO CANADA 299
• APPENDIX 2 | The Family as the Moral Foundation of Freedom: The Forgotten Dimension of Liberalism 304
• INTRODUCTION 304
• PUBLIC MORALITY: LIBERALISM’S FORGOTTEN DIMENSION 306
• CIVIL SOCIETY AND SOCIAL CAPITAL 307
• THE NEW EGALITARIANS 309
• THE FABRIC OF FREEDOM: RESPONSIBILITY 311
• PRO-FAMILY POLICIES 312
• CONCLUSION 316
• POSTSCRIPT 317
• APPENDIX 3 | After 40 years, the Charter is still one of the worstbargains in Canadian history 318
• POSTSCRIPT (2024) 321
• F.L. (Ted) Morton Bibliography 322
• Books 322
• Constitutional Reform and a Fair Deal for Alberta 322
• Energy and Pipeline Politics 324
• Alberta Politics and Policies 325
• The Supreme Court and the Court Party 325
• Notes 328
• Notes to Chapter 1 328
• Notes to Chapter 2 329
• Notes to Chapter 3 334
• Notes to Chapter 4 335
• Notes to Chapter 5 337
• Notes to Chapter 6 340
• Notes to Chapter 7 342
• Notes to Chapter 8 344
• Notes to Chapter 9 345
• Notes to Chapter 10 345
• Notes to Chapter 11 348
• Notes to Chapter 12 352
• Notes to Appendix 1 354
• Notes to Appendix 2 358
• Notes to Appendix 3 360
• Index 362
• Back Cover 368