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Wildrose leader shoots for oilpatch support
11:04AM
Click here to email Chris Gardner
11/9/2009

The leader of Alberta's burgeoning Wildrose Alliance party is going after the province's powerful oilpatch for support

In a breakfast speech to about 200 of the industry's key players, Danielle Smith promised that her party would make changes to the province's royalty framework. Royalties have been a lightning rod for discontent in the Calgary business community since Premier Ed Stelmach reworked them two years ago.

Jim Davidson, who heads the Calgary investment firm FirstEnergy, organized the breakfast. He says he wanted to introduce Smith to the ``downtown core'' and he suggests that the sellout crowd is a strong sign that business leaders are willing to listen to alternatives to the Stelmach government.

Stelmach survived his party's leadership review on the weekend with a 77 per cent approval rating, but Smith says he's still out of touch with the average Albertan. (The Canadian Press, ccg)


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