EDMONTON - With Premier Ed Stelmach's sudden decision to step down in Alberta, there has been a great deal of speculation as to who will take over the leadership of the province and the Progressive Conservative party. One of the key figures in this discussion has been current Finance Minister Ted Morton, who has been trying to steer the PC party back towards fiscal conservatism for several years.

Morton has now announced his intentions to step down as Finance Minister immediately, in order to seek the leadership of the party. Morton has been one of the few  dedicated fiscal conservatives in Stelmach's camp - in fact, it was widely speculated that Morton would have resigned from his post before supporting another budget that abandoned his conservative core principles. In fact, Morton had planned to step down from his Cabinet post to protest Stelmach's proposed budget. This is one of the behind-the-scenes battles that has led to Stelmach's departure.

It seems, however, that Morton desires to unite the voices on Alberta's right - both the PC party and the Wildrose Alliance. Perhaps Morton is concerned about vote-splitting in the next provincial election, but it is more likely that he would like to heal the divide and steer the PC party in a more ideological conservative direction.

The initial response from the Wildrose Alliance has not been favourable - and after years of poor fiscal leadership under the PC party it will likely take some time and considerable effort before a potential merger is realized. Morton's thinking may even be overly optimistic - his core of supporters from his 2006 leadership bid have most migrated to the Wildrose Alliance. It would make sense that Morton would try to woo them back into the PC fold, but it will be an uphill battle.

After all, the recent polling data has indicated that the PC party and the Wildrose Alliance are in a virtual tie. Of course, Stelmach's departure will likely have an impact on this - but it is certainly too early to tell how this will impact Morton's chances. Furthermore, it remains unclear who else will throw their hat into the ring to run for the PC leadership.