EDMONTON, AB (October 12, 2011): Premier Alison Redford’s first cabinet is a coalition of high spenders, career politicians and big government believers who were selected to implement Redford’s expensive campaign platform, the Wildrose Caucus said today.

“Based on the promises she has made and the people she has now chosen to try and act on them, I think Albertans should get ready for the most expensive government we’ve ever had,” Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith said. “She has made a lot of ambitious promises to a lot of different groups and this cabinet is going to stick Alberta taxpayers with the bill.”

Albertans need not look farther than Redford’s choice for Finance Minister – Ron Liepert. Health spending spiked nearly $2 billion in the two years Liepert was Health Minister, due in large part to his creation of the health Superboard. Education spending increased $1 billion in his only year as Education Minister. He is also responsible for signing the unaffordable teacher contract in 2007 that has caused the $107 million funding shortfall in this year’s budget.

Ted Morton, who as Finance Minister brought in the largest budget deficits in Alberta history, and Doug Griffiths, who as Morton’s parliamentary assistant proposed bringing in a Provincial Sales Tax, have also been appointed to senior roles.

Wildrose Finance Critic Rob Anderson said there are also too many leftovers from the Stelmach era – such as Dave Hancock, Doug Horner, Frank Oberle, Jack Hayden and Ray Danyluk – for  Redford’s cabinet to make any meaningful changes.

“A lot of the folks who sent us down the path of uncontrolled spending growth and massive deficits are back,” Anderson said. “How on Earth are they going to eliminate the deficit and deliver on Premier Redford’s big spending promises at the same time?”

Redford also promised a small cabinet, but her 21-person inner circle is larger than Ed Stelmach’s 19-person cabinet of 2006 and larger than the 1992 cabinet of Ralph Klein, who inherited a 26-person cabinet from Don Getty and reduced it to 17.

“The era of big government is back,” Smith said. “Premier Redford promised change, but I don’t think a bloated cabinet of big spenders constitutes the change Albertans are looking for.”

The Wildrose has committed to trimming the size of cabinet down to 16 ministers and establishing an independent cabinet pay and benefit review process to make sure that salaries aren’t set by the people in power.

The Wildrose stands for free enterprise, less government, increased personal freedom and democracy.