EDMONTON - Alberta Progressive Conservative leadership candidate Jim Prentice launched his campaign Wednesday in Edmonton, vowing to clean up government, restore fiscal conservatism and establish the province as an international energy and environmental leader.

Widely seen by some as the race front-runner even before announcing his bid, Prentice, 57, delivered a speech that broadly outlined his plan to reinvigorate the party and restore Albertans’ faith in government following a tumultuous period, under former premier Alison Redford.

“I am running because I believe Alberta has before it, right now, an opportunity to achieve great things. It’s going to take discipline and it’s going to take focus, but we will do this,” Prentice told a packed room at the CKUA building in downtown Edmonton, his wife, Karen, in the audience.

His campaign said Prentice has secured the support of at least 45 PC MLAs and at least 16 were on hand for the launch. Prentice delivered a second speech Wednesday afternoon in Calgary, where he lives.

Prentice, a lawyer and former federal Conservative cabinet minister, laid out his five priorities, first promising to commit to “sound, conservative principles,” if he becomes PC party leader and the province’s next premier.

“This is Alberta. We will not run deficits to finance the basic operations of government. We will not have a sales tax and we will save for the future,” Prentice said to loud applause. He also vowed to shrink the size of cabinet and introduce a “refocused and renewed” capital infrastructure plan.

“In the Alberta that I lead, our children will not be housed in makeshift schools,” he said.

After the speech, he said he would address the province’s approach to debt and its new three-part budget presentation — both of which have been lightning rods for criticism — promising to soon provide more specifics.

Putting a focus on public servitude and distancing himself from the scandals of the Redford era, Prentice said he will restore the public trust in government by “putting an end to entitlement.” He vowed to end the practice of handing political staff “sweetheart government contracts,” hiring lobbyists as consultants for government and signing sole-sourced contracts.

Former Edmonton city councillor Kim Krushell, who was in the audience for the launch, said Prentice has the skills for the job but is an outsider who hasn’t been mired in the recent politics of the party.

“The guy is somebody who comes from a federal perspective, which I personally think puts him in a position where he doesn’t wear the Redford government issues,” she said. “I think he brings a different perspective and I think he is good for Alberta, and I’m happy to see him step up as a leader.”

Prentice also promised to sell Alberta’s natural resources on the world market, but, in an apparent attempt to woo back far-right voters whose support has shifted to the surging Wildrose, said he would balance that with the rights of private property owners. While selling the province as an energy powerhouse, Prentice said another of his priorities is to establish Alberta as an environmental leader.