Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Klein inherited a government facing a large deficit and substantial debt. His government cut program spending dramatically, reduced the public service, privatized some services and balanced the provincial budget ahead of its original target. Alberta ultimately became Canada's first debt-free province.
Those accomplishments came with genuine costs. Health care, education and other programs absorbed deep cuts, and critics argue Alberta's eventual fiscal strength also owed enormously to rising oil and gas revenues. Some analysts contend Klein underinvested in infrastructure and failed to diversify Alberta's economy sufficiently during the energy boom.
But Klein's political calling card was unusually simple:
He told voters what he intended to do, did it, absorbed the political pain, and then ran on the result.
He won four consecutive majority governments.
Klein cultivated the image of “Ralph.” Working-class roots, reporter, mayor, extraordinarily good retail politician. He could be rough, politically incorrect and occasionally self-destructive. His drinking produced serious controversies, but contemporaries also described him as approachable, funny, loyal and unusually comfortable around ordinary voters. Jean Chrétien remembered him as a populist who was close to people and didn't need to act important.
Klein's credibility came from appearing to be an ordinary guy willing to make extraordinary decisions.
Klein tended to define success with outcomes ordinary voters could immediately understand:
Cutting taxes and driving the economy to prosperity.
0:00 Remembering the colorful King Ralph
0:31 Dining with the Premier
1:03 The controversial path to prosperity
1:32 Catch the full conversation
Klein inherited a government facing a large deficit and substantial debt. His government cut program spending dramatically, reduced the public service, privatized some services and balanced the provincial budget ahead of its original target. Alberta ultimately became Canada's first debt-free province.
Those accomplishments came with genuine costs. Health care, education and other programs absorbed deep cuts, and critics argue Alberta's eventual fiscal strength also owed enormously to rising oil and gas revenues. Some analysts contend Klein underinvested in infrastructure and failed to diversify Alberta's economy sufficiently during the energy boom.
But Klein's political calling card was unusually simple:
He told voters what he intended to do, did it, absorbed the political pain, and then ran on the result.
He won four consecutive majority governments.
Klein cultivated the image of “Ralph.” Working-class roots, reporter, mayor, extraordinarily good retail politician. He could be rough, politically incorrect and occasionally self-destructive. His drinking produced serious controversies, but contemporaries also described him as approachable, funny, loyal and unusually comfortable around ordinary voters. Jean Chrétien remembered him as a populist who was close to people and didn't need to act important.
Klein's credibility came from appearing to be an ordinary guy willing to make extraordinary decisions.
Klein tended to define success with outcomes ordinary voters could immediately understand:
Cutting taxes and driving the economy to prosperity.
0:00 Remembering the colorful King Ralph
0:31 Dining with the Premier
1:03 The controversial path to prosperity
1:32 Catch the full conversation
