Tory leadership candidate Ted Morton has finally been rewarded for the seven years he served as an Alberta senator-in-waiting.
Three of Alberta's current four senators-elect yesterday endorsed Morton in his bid to be premier.
Senators-elect Betty Unger, Cliff Breitkreuz and Link Byfield say they believe Morton is the best man to advance Senate reform.
Morton served as a senator-in-waiting from 1997 to 2004, but was never appointed to the Upper House.
Unger also commended Mark Norris and Lyle Oberg for supporting Senate reform.
Alberta's fourth senator-elect, Bert Brown, who chairs the Canadian Committee for a Triple-E Senate, is not endorsing any candidates.
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Mark Norris says he wants to steal a page from former Republican President Ronald Reagan and put retired captains of industry to work suggesting improvements to government programs.
Norris says he would pay them $1 a year to recommend improvements to government systems.
"Can you imagine a guy like (former EnCana CEO) Gwyn Morgan set loose on the health-care system to tell us what's working and what isn't?"
The audits would be public, he says.
Norris would also like to see the CEOs of health authorities appointed as assistant deputy ministers to rein in their wages and make them more accountable to government.
The CEO of the Calgary Health Region earns more than $1 million annually, counting benefits.
Tory party members complained that voting for a new leader in the advance poll in Edmonton last night was a painful experience.
Voters, including candidate Dave Hancock, languished in long line-ups at MacEwan College.
The general vote takes place Nov. 25 with a second vote on Dec. 2 if the front-runner doesn't earn 50% of the vote plus one.
