Alberta’s Wildrose Party is spending the weekend gearing up for a potential election.

Events were held in Edmonton and Calgary to prepare candidates and their campaign teams in case Premier Jim Prentice calls a spring election.

Interim party leader Heather Forsyth said the party wanted to let voters know they were “alive and well”.

“We are re-generated. We are excited. People are starting to pay attention to us. We are not going to let people take away what we had as far as our values and principles and it is very exciting to see what is happening out there.”

She also took the opportunity to take a dig at former leader Danielle Smith who crossed the floor to the ruling PC Party in December.

“In life things get tough but you don’t cross over to a 44-year-old tired government just because someone has dangled a carrot and said ‘Will you join us? We will give you a cabinet position?’ That is not strength. That is selling your soul as far as I am concerned.”

Sherwood Park candidate Linda Osinchuck said the Wildrose was still dealing with the aftermath of losing several members to the PC’s.

“The anger and betrayal that occurred after that is still lingering.

“What was devastating I think to many people is that they were not consulted.”

Wildrose leadership contender Brian Jean said whenever an election is called the Wildrose Party will provide Albertans with a “clear alternative”.

“We will put forward a platform that is very strong that is very focused on Albertans priorities. And we will make sure that platform bluntly answers the question that Albertans have, which is to be better managers, be fiscally prudent, and make sure that we don’t raise taxes.”

Jean told reporters that health care was one of his pet issues.

“It is shocking what I have seen in the hospitals. I don’t mean with the people. I think the people really genuinely care and want to do better but they can’t do better. They can’t do better because it is a bureaucratic mess. It is not managed properly.

“It is just one of those other examples of PC mismanagement.

“We pay more per capita than anybody else in Canada for taxes and we get bottom of the rung in services.”

About 100 party members attended the meeting.

With files from Nicole Weisberg