Alberta Liberal leader calls it quits

Alberta Liberal Leader Kevin Taft is stepping down, three months after the party suffered a major defeat in the provincial election.

Taft made the announcement Thursday morning at the Alberta legislature.

"It is with mixed emotions that I make this announcement," Taft said. "At this point, party renewal is essential for the Alberta Liberals. Leadership is part of that renewal."

Taft has been promising a decision on his future by the end of June ever since his party lost seven of its 16 seats in the March 3 provincial election.

Premier Ed Stelmach's Tories was returned to power in a landslide victory, taking 72 of the 83 seats in the legislature.

Speculation that Taft would leave the leader's job was fuelled when he took a two-week trip to Greece last month, missing part of the spring session of the legislature.

While he is departing at a time when the party's fortunes are at a low point, Taft insisted the Liberals are in a better condition than when he took over.

"As a party and caucus we have matured immensely in the past four years. Whether it's in the legislature, on the campaign trail or at the ice cream shop, we are raising crucial issues, such as education, health care, social services, fiscal responsibility and the environment."

Taft said he will stay on as leader until the end of January or until his replacement can be chosen. However, he does plan to stay on as the MLA for Edmonton-Riverview.

Departure saddens Liberals

Liberals in and out of the legislature lamented their leader's decision to step down.

"He's a key part of our caucus. He's a key part of our party," said Dave Taylor, MLA for Calgary-Currie.

"He brings wisdom and passion to everything from politics to policy making to strategic communications the whole bit. We desperately need him and [I'm] glad he'll stay on no matter who the new leader is."

Taylor is widely expected to be a candidate for the leadership, and said Thursday he is "seriously thinking about it."

Rick Miller, the former Liberal MLA for Edmonton-Rutherford who was defeated in the March election, also paid tribute to Taft.

"I really think you can look at the current policies of the government and a lot of those come from policies that the Liberal opposition has been espousing for years."

Alberta NDP Leader Brian Mason joined in the praise for his legislature colleague.

"I think Mr. Taft did a very good job on behalf of this party and on behalf of Albertans."

Taft entered politics in 2001 as the Liberal MLA. He assumed the leadership of the party before the 2004 provincial election.

Before that, he was a well known academic, having come to the public's attention with a book called Shredding the Public Interest, which attacked then Premier Ralph Klein for needlessly cutting funding for services such as education and health care.