Wildrose set to elect new leader

If you've lost track, Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition has not had an official leader in four months.

In recent weeks, political watchers have been drawn to budget speculation, signs of an election campaign getting started and nomination shenanigans that occur weekly.

On Saturday, the Wildrose will announce who their new leader is: Drew Barnes, Brian Jean or Linda Osinchuk.

"Albertans should check us out. We've been a force to be reckoned with," says Wildrose president Jeff Callaway. "We forced a lot of changes. There's been three, four PC premiers in the last few years. I think we had a role in holding the government to account."

The campaign itself has been different in a number of ways. The vote has been ongoing since earlier this month, with party members using a PIN to vote over the phone. It started as a preferential ballot but that was changed to be a straight up pick.

Drew Barnes

Cypress-Medicine Hat MLA Drew Barnes has also run afoul of the party's leadership rules. Callaway won't go into specifics, but a statement on the party website says the Barnes campaign team was "sanctioned" and "a corresponding penalty has been levied." It's believed Barnes continued to use robocalls to campaign after the party executive had ordered it to stop.

Nevertheless, Barnes is still in the race. He's the only candidate that has a seat in the Alberta Legislature. He was in that seat when the finance minister unveiled the 2015 Budget.

"Alberta needs a strong conservative option that is not going to raise your taxes like the 59 tax increases we just saw," Barnes said in the Legislature Rotunda Thursday.

Brian Jean

Former Conservative MP Brian Jean suspended his campaign last week following the death of his 24-year-old son. When he first got into the race, he was pressing the point that he believes healthcare needs a total makeover in Alberta.

"Healthcare bothers me a lot because I've watched it firsthand. I've been in Edmonton next to my son for four months."

Michael Jean's funeral was held Thursday in Fort McMurray. Brian Jean is expected to arrive in Calgary Saturday morning.

Linda Osinchuk

The former mayor of Strathcona County is also in the race. Linda Osinchuk raised eyebrows when she kicked off her campaign by declaring her complete support for gay-straight alliances.

Social issues have been an issue for the Wildrose with polls showing many Albertans in urban centres don't agree with the perception, real or not, that the party is too right wing.

"I'm trying to say that we are a party of all," Osinchuk said during a recent interview.

But she's quick to point out she's also wants to shake things up when it comes to financial policies as well.

"I'm bringing up all aspects like a royalty review. That's when people are kind of saying 'Really? You want to start talking that?' I say I'm all about putting everything on the table to find the best solutions."

Leader announced Saturday

Whoever wins the leadership will have little time to celebrate. An election call is expected in Alberta within weeks and the Wildrose Party still has dozens of ridings that need candidates.

Party president Jeff Callaway believes there will be a significant turnout for the leadership vote, going so far as to predict there will be more participants than the roughly 23,000 that voted in the PC vote last year.

The announcement is scheduled for around 5:30 p.m. MT Saturday at a gathering of Wildrose members in a Calgary hotel.