Alberta Premier Jim Prentice says he has not promised former Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith a cabinet post, days after she led a historic floor crossing of Wildrose MLAs to the Progressive Conservatives.
Speaking to CTV's Question Period, Prentice said "there have been no promises" to Smith.
"I will have to look at my cabinet. I will reflect on that over the holiday season but at the end of the day, the cabinet is my prerogative."
Once a fierce opponent of Smith's, Prentice now has plenty of nice things to say about the MLA for Highwood, Alta., who led a mass defection of eight other Wildrose MLAs last week to the PCs.
"Danielle Smith is a very talented person. She is extremely able. She's intelligent. She's a very good politician," said Prentice.
According to former Wildrose campaign manager Tom Flanagan, who also taught Smith in university, it's not the first time the MLA has suddenly broken ties with people she was working with.
"Like almost everyone else, I was taken by surprise," said Flanagan of his initial reaction to Smith鈥檚 decision. "Although when I think about it and look over the past, maybe I'm not quite as surprised because there have been a couple of other episodes in the past where she has unexpectedly broken with people that were supporting her and were close to her."
So, can Prentice trust Smith? Absolutely, said the premier.
"I can trust Danielle Smith. I've know her most of my political life. She is a person of courage and determination."
Prentice said he also trusts MLA Rob Anderson, who has crossed the floor of the Alberta legislature multiple times now. Originally a PC, he joined the Wildrose in 2010. But he again went back to the PCs with Smith last week.
The premier painted the floor crossing as a good thing for Alberta, especially as it deals with a loss of "20 per cent of its revenue base" from plummeting global oil prices. He said the move is about "middle-of-the-road conservatives" coming together in what is probably the most difficult circumstances the province has faced "in a generation, if not several generations."
Smith鈥檚 defection to the PCs was criticized by some Alberta political watchers, including the Calgary Herald's editorial board.
"Her (Smith) defection to the Tories is unprincipled, unethical, and combined with her public disavowal of (Kerry) Towle and her comments about whipped votes, it is the ultimate in hypocritical double-talk," wrote the newspaper's editorial board in an editorial last week.
Prentice rejected the idea of asking the former Wildrose MLAs to resign and call by-elections, saying their political views 鈥� those of "small 'c' conservatives" -- are closely aligned to that of his government and Albertans.
Last week's events left the Wildrose with only five MLAs, tying the party with the Liberals and prompting questions about which party is now the official opposition. Despite the growing government and dwindling Opposition, Prentice said he is not concerned about the strength of democracy in Alberta.
"I'm the leader of my party and the premier of the province. There are across the aisle in the legislative assembly three other political parties with leaders. They will do their jobs and democracy will be just fine."
Faced with questions about the effects of dropping oil prices in resource-rich Alberta, Prentice said that his government is looking at ways it can tighten spending to avoid a massive deficit. But he warned that all Albertans will feel the effects of the province's suffering economy.
"Albertans need to be aware that there will be implications for every single person in this province."
