Strange what six months and the electoral loss of a "safe" PC seat in Calgary makes.

Not two-weeks after losing the "safe" seat held by former-Premier Ralph Klein, new-Premier Ed Stelmach has added three new associate ministers to his cabinet - one from Edmonton and two from Calgary.

This move not only breaks a campaign promise, but contradicts statements Premier Stelmach has made since becoming premier.

Here's a quick refresher:

During the Alberta PC Party leadership race, Mr. Stelmach stated on his campaign website: "I believe that a smaller Cabinet executive that focused on the priorities of building a stronger Alberta, managing growth, and improving the quality of life is more effective in meeting the immediate challenges facing the province."

Following-up on that campaign promise, on December 15, 2006 Premier Stelmach announced his first cabinet. It was cut down to 19 members (18 ministers plus Stelmach) from Ralph Klein's last cabinet of 25.

In the news release, Premier Stelmach claimed he had listened to Albertans demands to reduce the size of the previously bloated cabinet, stating: "the people of this province told me they wanted more effective government, not more of it."

At the time, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) applauded the move, suggesting Premier Stelmach had just passed his first test of leadership. The CTF even went as far as to suggest a streamlined, efficient and effective cabinet was a hopeful precursor to a more streamlined, efficient and effective government.

In 1992, when Premier Ralph Klein took over the reigns of the Alberta government from a waning and directionless Premier Don Getty, Klein immediately cut the size of his first cabinet from Getty's 27 members to 17.

Premier Klein set the tone by cutting his cabinet, followed it up by eliminating the gold-plated MLA pension plan, and introduced laws to balance the budget, pay-off the debt and end money-losing corporate welfare schemes.

But as Klein's cabinet grew from 17 to 25, so did their spending and the size of the Alberta government.

Premier Stelmach's commitment to a smaller cabinet was welcome news at the time, but the joy was apparently short lived, as Premier Stelmach clearly felt more hands around the cabinet table, each asking for more money, was somehow necessary.

Beyond this, the cabinet increase sent mixed messages to Albertans.

When announcing the recent cabinet addition Premier Stelmach suggested it was in "response to what I've been hearing from Albertans over the last number of months." But wait! Just months ago he claimed the reduction in cabinet was in response to what he'd heard from Albertans.

Which is it, Mr. Premier

Further, if Premier Stelmach actually meant what he wrote on his campaign website, "I believe a smaller Cabinet- is more effective," then logically wouldn't he then believe a larger cabinet would be less effective

By Premier Stelmach's own beliefs, Albertans are not going to get a more effective cabinet by adding a new associate minister of tourism or a new associate minister of urban development or a new associate minister of capital planning.

The bottom line is if the Premier believed his current cabinet wasn't doing the job, that's fine, but then he should have thrown out the dead-weight. If on the other hand, he believed he needed more voices around the cabinet table from urban areas, that's fine, but then he should have removed some rural ones.

Simply increasing the size of his cabinet was the wrong move and taxpayers should hope it's not a sign of things to come.