DougMain

Last spring Alberta's UCP government announced that parties will be able to run candidates in municipal elections beginning in Calgary and Edmonton. Even though 70 percent of respondents to the government's public survey disagreed with introducing the party system, the government passed legislation leaving people and political pundits questioning and confused. Some pundit comments are below and the public can share their comments and thoughts on focaLOCAL.com

MacEwan University associate professor Brendan Boyd says the party system is where independent thought goes to die which leads to what people call the democratic deficit. Ric McIver, Minister of Municipal Affairs says political parties make candidates' positions on issues more transparent. City councillor Andrew Knack believes freedom of expression and choice will be lost with the change. Councillor and mayoral candidate Tim Cartmell plans to form his own party, which he said will not be partisan. Doug Main who is spokesperson for The Principled Accountable Coalition of Edmonton (PACE) says they are not describing themselves as a right, centre or left-leaning ideology.

Existing provincial and federal parties cannot register in Alberta's civic election under the province's rules which means it is incumbent upon any parties to enlighten and inform citizens just who they are and what they stand for.

When the provincial government passed Bill 20 which includes the introduction of local political parties, it heralded a new look for local elections. Two groups were quick out of the gate and have already stated their intent to run a slate of candidates in the next election.

Principled Accountable Coalition for Edmonton (PACE) has been hosting information sessions to inform citizens of their plans if they’re elected into office. Doug Main, the PACE vice-president of communications, says PACE is looking for candidates who are fiscally proven, business-friendly, growth-oriented, community focused and fact-based.

Jeffrey Hansen-Carlson, president of the other party, Transparent and Active Partnerships Edmonton (TAPYeg) believes parties are an important part of democracy in all levels of government.

As expected there was immediate opposition to political parties at the local level. Nakota Isga councillor Andrew Knack questions how candidates will be able to represent their constituents to the best of their ability while holding allegiance to a prospective party’s goals. McEwan University political scientist Chaldeans Mensah says this will bolster the left-wing to right-wing political spectrum.

It will be interesting to watch if other groups form and if so, under what banner?

If you're unfamiliar with BILL 20 there's a PDF of it below.