Former Wildrose leader Danielle Smith surprised political watchers across the county when she announced that she and eight of her caucus colleagues would be crossing the floor to join Alberta鈥檚 Progressive Conservatives.
Smith explained her decision on Thursday to Don Martin, host of CTV鈥檚 Power Play.
Her thoughts on Alberta鈥檚 Progressive Conservatives, and floor-crossers, have clearly changed.
On Premier Jim Prentice
Now: After preaching fiscal restraint for the last 15 years, Smith says Alberta is facing some tough economic decisions and believes Prentice is the one to make them.
鈥淚 believe that this premier has the resolve, and I believe he knows how to do it, as well,鈥� Smith told Power Play Thursday.
鈥淗aving met with him I know that he needs allies, both in caucus and outside. And I think that the nine voices that we bring to his caucus are going to be very influential in making sure the decisions are made correctly.鈥�
Then: When Jim Prentice was being mentioned as a possible contender to lead Alberta鈥檚 PCs, Smith dismissed the notion, calling his party 鈥渇undamentally broken.鈥�
She said last May that a change in leadership wouldn鈥檛 be enough to fix a party where a 鈥渟ense of entitlement鈥� runs deep.
鈥淭here has to be some blood on the floor,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淵ou just can鈥檛 take a Jim Prentice head and graft it onto a Frankenstein body.鈥�
On floor-crossing MLAs
Now: Asked about her criticism of Kerry Towle and Ian Donovan, former Wildrose MLAs who defected to the PCs last November, Smith said she doesn鈥檛 know the nature of the discussions the two had with Prentice before they crossed the floor.
When she met with the premier this week, the two agreed upon a 鈥渃ommon set of values鈥� that would unite the two caucuses, including the ability to hold free votes on private members鈥� bills and motions, and on issues of conscience.
They also agreed issues such as balancing the budget, paying off debt, de-centralizing health care and providing municipalities with long-term funding.
鈥淎s I look at this leader, he鈥檚 very, very different than the administrations of Premier Stelmach, and Premier Redford and even Premier Hancock,鈥� Smith told Power Play.
鈥淲hen we鈥檙e so close on what it is we want to accomplish and we鈥檙e facing a global economic crisis, now seems to be the time to come together as conservatives to make sure that we deal with it head on and we do it together.鈥�
Then: Smith eviscerated Towle and Donovan right after they defected.
鈥淭he principles Wildrose stands on remain as important to Albertans as ever before, we believe in balanced budgets and staying out of debt, we believe more money doesn鈥檛 solve every problem Alberta has. We believe in empowering MLAs to stand up for their constituents with free votes, we believe in decentralized healthcare and better outcomes for patients and vulnerable Albertans. And we believe in providing a strong, and principled alternative to an old and tired government,鈥� Smith said in a statement.
鈥淯ntil today, these were the principles my former colleagues espoused as well, they were the principles they were elected to stand on. Now, they will have to answer for their actions, both in their constituencies and in the legislature.鈥�
On her own political future
Now: Smith said several factors led her to reconsider uniting the province鈥檚 conservatives: losing the four byelections, failing to garner support for an anti-discrimination policy motion at her party鈥檚 most recent AGM, and then losing the two MLAs.
Smith says she met with Prentice for the first time last week, after previously rejecting 鈥渙ut of hand鈥� the notion of a merger months ago.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e going to be the official opposition, you have to really, really want to defeat the government. And I don鈥檛 want this premier to fail,鈥� Smith told Power Play.
Fiscal restraint 鈥渋s such an important task for our province to deal with that I want to be there to support him and to help him and to make the case for why some of these decisions need to be made now.鈥�
Then: Back in October, just a couple of weeks before her party lost four byelections to the PCs, Smith hailed her party as an agent of change in the province.
鈥淎lbertans are looking for a whole new generation of leadership. A team of men and women from all walks of life, free of the egos and mistakes of the past,鈥� she said during a speech in Edmonton.
She contrasted her slate of candidates to the Conservatives, who she dismissed 鈥渃areer politicians (and) insiders with party connections.鈥�
鈥淭he Alberta of the past,鈥� she said.
