Ed Stelmach, the Everyman, Bows Out

Unfortunately, excelling at being a human is only one part of the job of premier.

The National Post’s Lorne Gunter writes that, judging by Ed Stelmach’s near-legendary ability to fix his own furnace, the outgoing Alberta premier should have been a “refreshing everyman” in provincial politics. Instead, “Stelmach was never able to rise above his gumboot-and-overall roots. He never developed a vision for his province nor ever created a policy theme for his government.” If Stelmach really is the yokel Gunter describes, he certainly has been an overachieving one: he held the portfolios of agriculture, transportation, infrastructure and intergovernmental affairs after all, presumably while wearing wing tips and slacks.

“An incredibly honourable man,” is how the Calgary Herald editors describe the premier. But “Stelmach seemed out of his depth, coming to power at a time when Alberta's ascendancy was almost unrivalled on the world stage.” The Herald speculates that provincial Finance Minister Ted Morton is the “obvious choice” to replace Stelmach but also floats the idea that Jim Prentice, who resigned as federal environment minister last November, might fancy a shot at the provincial leadership.

“In his haste, Mr. Stelmach failed to set out a clear timetable for his departure,” writes the Globe and Mail editorial board, which is unsurprised at his decision to step down, given his mediocre performance. “In fact, he has not resigned. He has only indicated his intention to resign … Like much else about his government, the announcement itself was a half-measure, an example of the indecisiveness so often attributed to him.”

Stelmach “upset Calgary, he upset the oilpatch and then he upset rural constituents -- and all for different reasons,” says the Edmonton Journal, and that was before he made the “ill-conceived” decision to dissolve regional health centres. Those blunders dragged his popularity down and led to the emergence of the Wildrose Alliance as a credible challenger to the Conservatives. The Journal speculates that he could have called a snap election to nip the Alliance in the bud but “instead he chose to do the honourable thing and make way for a new Conservative leader who can try to revitalize and re-energize the tattered Tories, a la Ralph Klein.”