Alison Redford elected Alberta's next premier

Beginning of Story Content Alison Redford is Alberta's premier-designate after winning the leadership of the province's Progressive Conservative party. "Today, Alberta voted for change," Redford told a cheering crowd at the Edmonton Expo Convention Centre early Sunday morning. "Change that means that teachers will be returning to classrooms. Change that means there will be better access to health care for all Albertans. "But also change that means a disciplined approach to spending priorities and more funds set aside to ensure the future prosperity for our kids."Gary Mar was widely seen as the front runner in the race. CBCThe Calgary Elbow MLA and former Alberta justice minister was a close second to rival Gary Mar throughout the evening as the second ballot votes rolled in from 85 polling stations across the province. But votes from Doug Horner supporters who made Redford their second choice on the ballot put her over the top, beating Mar by just 1,613 votes. Redford received 37,104 votes or 51.1 percent of the votes, compared to 35,491 for Mar. The result was a come-from-behind victory for Redford who placed <a href="http://www.straightenerghduk.com/ghd-2010-new-red-lust-p-5729.html"><strong>precious ghd gift set</strong></a> a distant second to Mar on the Sept. 17 first ballot, winning 19 per cent of support, compared to 41 per cent for Mar. Mar, a former cabinet minister under Ralph Klein who resigned his position as Alberta's envoy in Washington D.C. to run for party leader, conceded the race to Redford in a short speech at the Expo Centre. "Friends, and I say, all of you in this room, I said all along that I would listen and tonight the people of Alberta have made their wishes known and I respect their decision," Mar told.Premier Ed Stelmach is flanked by Redford and his wife Marie on the stage at the Expo Centre early Sunday. CBCRedford will replace Ed Stelmach, who announced in January he would resign as party leader and premier. Stelmach addressed the crowd before the party announced the results. "I know that I leaving this province in very good hands, we have a very good team and a strong group of Progressive Conservative supporters," he said. "And I say 'progressive' conservative supporters, that's very important." "To all of you, a profound thank you from both [wife] Marie and I, and all the very best," he said.'Change' the theme of Redford's campaignRedford is relatively new to the Alberta political scene. She was first elected the MLA for Calgary-Elbow in March 2008 and was immediately appointed justice minister and attorney general. Redford, a married mother of a nine-year-old daughter, is a lawyer by profession and a life-long conservative who was voted the president of the Alberta Young Conservatives as a high school student in Calgary.Redford with her husband Glen Jermyn and daughter Sarah on a trip <a href="http://www.uggsoutletssale.com/classic-cardy-c-240.html"><strong>mens ugg</strong></a> to India in December 2010. Courtesy Redford campaignAfter graduating from law school at the University of Saskatchewan in 1988, Redford worked in the Prime Minister's Office and for Joe Clark while he was the Secretary of State for External Affairs. She later worked in South Africa, Vietnam, Bosnia and served as one of four international observers appointed by the United Nations to observe Afghanistan's first parliamentary elections in 2005. She resigned from cabinet in February after joining the race to replace Ed Stelmach as party leader and premier. During her campaign, she frequently took positions that were contrary to party policy. In a recent interview with CBC News, Redford said that she didn't receive a single endorsement from any of her former cabinet colleagues when she decided to run. Former rivals Ted Morton, Doug Griffiths and Rick Orman, threw their support behind Mar after failing to gain enough support on the first ballot. Over the last two weeks, her campaign — which was headed by Stephen Carter, the same political strategist behind Naheed Nenshi's election as Calgary mayor — continued to insist that Redford was gaining momentum. She suffered a personal setback on Tuesday when her mother, Helen Redford, died suddenly in hospital. However, Redford participated in a televised debate with Mar and Horner the next night, a decision that won her much praise, both for her performance and her resilience in the face of personal adversity. Redford spoke about her mother during her speech Sunday. "I'm <a href="http://www.uggsoutletssale.com/classic-mini-5854-c-241.html"><strong>knit uggs</strong></a> proud of my Mom. She got me involved in politics 30 years ago," Redford said. "She's a big part of the reason I'm here and I'm thinking about her tonight." It isn't known when Redford will be sworn in as premier, though she told reporters it would be sooner rather than later, as she may travel to Washington D.C. later this week for discussions about the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. Redford has said she supports the pipeline which would take crude from the Alberta oilsands to refineries on the Gulf Coast of the United States. Accessibility Links