EDMONTON - Premier Dave Hancock issued a mea culpa to Progressive Conservative party supporters Thursday, saying he is “truly sorry” for damaging Albertans’ confidence in the party and taking their support for granted.

In an apparent attempt to shed the baggage of the Redford era, Hancock said that while the party and government have had a “difficult time” recently, they realize “mistakes were made.”

About 1,300 party supporters gathered for the $500-per-plate fundraising dinner at Edmonton’s Shaw Conference Centre, where Hancock delivered an apologetic first speech to party faithful as acting party leader and Alberta premier.

“We took Albertans’ and your support for granted and acted in a way that’s contrary to our values. And I’m truly sorry that we allowed government to become a distraction from the vital work we’re doing on issues that matter to Albertans,” Hancock said to loud applause. “I’m sorry we damaged Albertans’ confidence in our party. And I apologize for losing touch with our grassroots, for not listening to you the way we should have.

“This behaviour is just not acceptable.”

Alison Redford abruptly resigned as premier March 23 after she came under fire for a string of expense scandals and caucus complaints over her leadership style. She was not seen at the fundraiser Thursday and a video produced by the party and shown before Hancock’s speech avoided mentioning her.

Speaking to reporters after the speech, Hancock said he didn’t know why she wasn’t included.

“She certainly made a contribution … and I have no idea why the party wouldn’t have had her in the video. I would have had her in the video because every leader that we’ve had has played a role in their time and has achieved some good things for this province, and every leader we’ve had has made mistakes and I’m sure I will.”

The Edmonton dinner comes as the party continues to slump in the polls — the latest pegs support at 21 per cent, while the Wildrose opposition’s popularity hovers around 50 per cent.

The Tories have struggled with fundraising in recent years and are attempting to build up the party’s war chest after depleting it during a particularly expensive 2012 election race. Last year, both the PCs and Wildrose took in about $3 million in donations, but the Tories finished the year with $946,000 in debt, while the Wildrose reported $430,000 in net assets.

In his speech, Hancock promised government would learn from its past mistakes by addressing expenses, travel and severances, all of which came under scrutiny under Redford’s leadership following her $45,000 trip to Nelson Mandela’s funeral in South Africa.

“We will do a better job of reporting on how we use taxpayers’ dollars and ensuring Albertans see and understand the value of these changes,” he said. “My promise to you is that we’ll work harder than ever to earn back Albertans’ trust we lost.”

He highlighted the government’s achievements going back to the Lougheed era and insisted it would continue with its mandate “despite the ongoing personal attacks and smears we’ve endured.”

He made a distinction between the party’s behaviour and its character.