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Thursday, September 20, 2012 Creston Valley Advance
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A model of decency
My first memory of an Alberta provincial election goes back to 1967, when an upstart Progressive Conservative leader began to make waves in the news. It was no easy feat — the Social Credit party had been ruling since 1936 and the Liberal party had typically formed what I recall to be a pretty weak opposition. It was a Saturday morning and my family was returning from our regular visit to the public library when we passed a man who was, literally, running from door to door, passing out campaign brochures and chatting with anyone who answered a doorbell. I recognized Len Werry’s face from the news. As election day neared, our math teacher, Jake Heibert (I was attending Bowness Composite High School), brought up the election subject — our class was comprised of top students from schools around Northwest Calgary and we were expected to take an interest in these things. I volunteered an opinion that Werry would win our constituency and Heibert scoffed. The incumbent Socred, Charles Johnston, had previously been a member of Parliament. Werry’s door-to-door campaign paid off and he won, becoming one of six Progressive Conservatives to form the official Opposition. The following day, Heibert tossed a dime across the classroom to pay off the bet we had made. I caught it and placed into a spot I had ready. I had cut a photo of Werry out of a campaign poster, looped a string around the candidate’s neck and made a little
pocket to hold my winning coin, so that it looked like he was wearing a pendant. That little victory shrine remained near my desk for the rest of the school year. In ensu-
Peter Lougheed, of course, usually attended those meetings and I was in awe of this very likeable, extremely strong and articulate man. And I remember his admonitions that our party was campaigning on what it would do as a government — even mentioning the words Social Credit was discouraged. On election night, I took the bus to the home of Pat Donnelly, our campaign’s office manager (who would later serve two terms on Calgary’s city counLorne Eckersley cil), to watch the election results with other campaigning years, that same teacher would ers. It seemed surreal — Lougheed’s put together competitions in party accomplished the almost which we would predict the order unthinkable task of displacing a govof how election or leadership canernment that ruled, with very little didates would finish in each race. opposition, for two generations. The I was a regular winner of these night ended with the PCs winning 49 contests. of 75 seats. Werry would be named By the time the 1971 election to Lougheed’s first cabinet. rolled around, I was a political vetLougheed was a tenacious preeran, having worked on the ’68 mier, fighting to ensure Albertans federal election and become the benefited from gas and oil producprovince’s youngest federal contion, but always within the framestituency director, years before I work of a strong federal union. would be old enough to vote. The As I think back to those years in Progressive Conservative continwhich Lougheed was premier, I gent had swelled to 10 after two remember a man of immense civilibyelection wins and a pair of ty, one who had a rare ability to batdefections. Clearly, Peter Lougheed tle opponents without stooping to was becoming a force to be reckpersonal attacks or mud slinging. oned with. He was as passionate about his During that exciting campaign, country as he was his province. He the candidate I was working for was a leader with a vision and he would pick me up at my home (I lived a life that was beyond had just turned 17) at 7 a.m. once a reproach. He cared about the arts as week so I could accompany him to much as he cared about the econostrategy breakfast meetings attend- my and he set a marvelous example ed by all the Calgary PC candias a family man. dates and key campaign personnel. I have never known a better After the meeting the (unsuccessperson. ful) candidate drove me to high Lorne Eckersley is the publisher of school. the Creston Valley Advance.
This is the Life