So far, the Progressive Conservative leadership race makes you wonder if anything new will ever happen around here.

Jim Prentice’s core policies, especially on finance, environment and energy, are pretty much Alison Redford’s policies.

His “new” stuff — cracking down on entitlement, etc. — is only what Albertans have deserved all along.

If restoring a 43-year-old government’s lost integrity is the best the PCs can offer, they’re cooked, no matter who wins this race.

Ric McIver, trolling for votes in the party’s deep end, says Archbishop Desmond Tutu is the latest in a string of “celebrities” who blast the industry without knowing what they’re talking about.

Calling Tutu a celebrity is like saying Mozart was a songwriter. The South African anti-apartheid icon — more like a demigod to millions, actually — is one of the most revered humans on the planet.

Tutu’s comment about the oilsands being world-threatening “filth” made Neil Young look like an industry lackey, to be sure.

Even the Fort Chipewyan First Nations chief, who was co-hosting Tutu, seemed uneasy with the archbishop’s cry to shut down the ’sands.

So, really, what was the percentage in an Alberta peanut like McIver taking on a world personality like Tutu? All that does is revive the old bozo image.

The question for these candidates isn’t what political angle they’ll take on the latest attack, but what they’ll do about the fundamental problems — the shattered reputation of the oilsands, and resulting failure to get new pipeline approvals.

The answer appears to be — not much.

Prentice wisely took a milder line on Tutu’s remarks, but his environmental promises have the same look as Redford’s; lots of windy talk about excellence, but not much action.

Prentice makes it absolutely clear what he won’t do, though.

He’ll take no action that doesn’t “harmonize” with measures from Ottawa or the United States. He’ll do nothing that hurts the industry’s competitive position.

Here it is in a nutshell, from the notes for a speech Prentice gave in Medicine Hat last week: “My government will support rigorous and beneficial environmental standards while ensuring the continued responsible expansion of the oilsands and our oil and gas industry.

“We won’t damage the competitiveness of our oil and gas industry by unilaterally imposing costs, carbon charges and regulations.

“Instead, we will work with the federal government and with the U.S. to build a greater advantage by harmonizing our environmental standards.”

That’s exactly what Redford and her ministers said. It amounts to a dreamland promise that Alberta can continue to develop unchecked with no special cost whatever.

But the oilsands industry is a special case. It always has been. For many years, projects were developed with special royalty and tax policies for them alone.

Now that their future might demand a special cost, though, the PC candidates are silent. Nobody wants to disturb Alberta’s sacred cows — the industry and growth.

One premier tried it. Ed Stelmach brought in the $15-per-tonne charge on extra greenhouse gas output by big emitters.

Although that took some courage, many economic experts always felt the levy was too low to be an incentive for change.

But Redford refused to raise the charge, using Ottawa’s foot-dragging and the unique nature of the levy as her excuse. Now the candidates for her job go right along with that.

Prentice’s fiscal line is also completely familiar. He wouldn’t borrow for government operations, but will incur debt for capital works. His savings policy is a bit more aggressive than Redford’s, but that’s the only distinction.

There have been a couple of interesting ideas. Thomas Lukaszuk, lifting one from Wildrose, wants an independent budget officer to oversee spending. Prentice shows more concern for property rights than any PC before him.

For the most part, though, the early race to be premier boils down to this: They’d do the same stuff, but without airplanes.

And Archbishop Tutu’s a celebrity.

Don Braid’s column appears regularly in the Herald

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Tory leadership candidates attempted to regain ground from the opposition on key policy issues and reconnect with the party grassroots Monday in the race to become Alberta’s next premier.

Former Calgary alderman Ric McIver delivered his leadership nomination papers to the Progressive Conservative party, while former federal cabinet minister Jim Prentice and Edmonton MLA Thomas Lukaszuk both offered up positions distancing them from recent Tory policies.

In a speech in Medicine Hat, Prentice said successive PC governments have “been less than careful about the protection of our property rights in this province.”

Taking aim at concerns that arose under former premier Ed Stelmach, Prentice promised that if he becomes premier, he would introduce a bill affirming the rights of property owners in cases where their land is taken for public purposes.

“That will make it abundantly clear that people have not been deprived of their property rights,” Prentice, a lawyer who specialized in property rights issues before becoming the MP for Calgary Centre-North, said in an interview.

“People are entitled both to be heard and to be fairly compensated.”

Prentice also said the new Alberta Energy Regulator — created under former premier Alison Redford — is not yet meeting the needs of either the energy industry or landowners.

The former federal environment minister said he would ensure farmers and ranchers directly and adversely affected by adjoining energy operations will have legal standing at hearings.

Keith Wilson, an Edmonton lawyer who has battled the Tory government over land rights issues for years, said he was “surprised and encouraged” by Prentice’s detailed promise to deal with the intervener issue, but believes a law affirming property rights doesn’t go far enough.

Redford resigned in March amid growing controversies over her travel bills and spending of taxpayers money, triggering the PC leadership contest.

Lukaszuk — who resigned as jobs minister last week to run for leader — called for additional oversight of the premier’s office by creating a separate legislative officer in charge of reviewing all government finances, mirroring an oversight position in Ottawa.

“Having a form of scrutiny over the expenditures and the budgetary processes, particularly some of the offices such as the premier’s office, would give Albertans a peace of mind. This is a bit of a sad situation, because actually historically … we never needed to put any measures in place,” said Lukaszuk.

Just days before Redford’s resignation, the government defeated a Wildrose private member’s bill that would have created an independent budget officer.

But Lukaszuk — who has hit Medicine Hat, Lethbridge and Calgary since Sunday — said he would also empower backbench MLAs and opposition members by beefing up all-party legislative committees to take on roles such as vetting all new legislation.

He intends to file his candidacy before the party’s May 30 deadline, while Prentice is already the first official candidate in the contest, which culminates in a September vote of party members.

McIver, who will become the second candidate in the race once he’s registered with Elections Alberta, said his recent travels gave him a chance to hear varying concerns on a regional basis — including 24-hour health care in Cold Lake, land use in Medicine Hat and the fate of the Michener Centre in Red Deer.

He said his platform will be developed in a similar fashion.

“You’re going to see me go out, talk to Albertans, listen to them, find out what’s important and then you’re going to see me unveil policies on the key issues,” said the former infrastructure minister.

“If I do my job well, they’ll decide I’m the right person to lead.”

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