It’s time for Grits to team up, Liberal leader Sherman says

James Wood, Calgary Herald03.14.2013

Alberta Liberal Leader Raj Sherman and his partner Sharon MacLean chat with former leader Nick Taylor on Thursday at the Calgary Leader’s Dinner at the Commonwealth Centre in Westwinds. Sherman wants the federal and provincial Grits to begin a new era of co-operation.Ted Rhodes
/ Calgary Herald

Alberta Liberal Leader Raj Sherman said Thursday he wants to see a new era of co-operation between the provincial and federal Liberal parties.

While provincial and federal Grits often tried to keep distance between themselves during the Liberal governments of Pierre Trudeau and Jean Chretien, Sherman said that needs to come to an end.

“The provincial and federal Liberals have been apart for decades. My intention as provincial Liberal leader is to unite the two families, work together,” he said in an interview just before speaking at his Calgary Leader’s Dinner Thursday night.

Sherman said he’s not talking about reuniting the two separate parties into one entity. Instead, he’s stressing co-operation in areas such as organization — Sherman and Calgary’s three Liberal MLAs all campaigned for federal Liberal Harvey Locke in last year’s near upset in the Calgary Centre byelection — and policy.

“The federal Libs don’t have any MPs in town. I said, ‘look, consider us your team on federal issues — on issues we have in common,’” said Sherman, the MLA for Edmonton-Meadowlark.

Sherman’s comments came just a day after Marc Garneau pulled out of the federal Liberal leadership race, saying Justin Trudeau was sure to win the April vote.

Sherman hasn’t endorsed Trudeau, but said he’d be happy with the son of the former prime minister at the head of the national party.

“I like all the people that are running, but Justin Trudeau and I have developed a good friendship for one another,” he said. “If he’s chosen the leader, I plan on working with him and standing side by side with him proudly.”

The Liberals are at a low ebb at both levels at the moment. Provincially, the party took only five seats in last year’s election, while federally the Liberals were reduced to third-party status in 2011 and haven’t held a seat in Alberta since 2006.

Former provincial Liberal leader Nick Taylor, who headed the party from 1974 to 1988 and had to deal with the fallout of the Trudeau government’s National Energy Program, said that having both parties in opposition lessens potential friction and presents co-operation opportunities for Sherman and Justin Trudeau. “They have a chance to work together because they’re both opposing conservatives ... the two of them can pretty well agree on most policies,” he said.

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