Jim Dinning: As provincial treasurer in the 1990s, Dinning made the tough cuts during the early years of the Klein government as Alberta was on its way to slaying the debt. He was the presumed front-runner for the Tory leadership in 2006 after Klein left politics with plenty of PC caucus support, but lost the race to Ed Stelmach. Stuart Gradon / Calgary Herald

Doug Griffiths: First elected MLA at age 29 in 2002 for Battle River-Wainwright, he ran for the PC leadership in 2011. Griffiths earned a reputation for a shoot from-the-hip style, leading to a thorny relationship with Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi and controversy with municipalities angry over a regional planning bill. As municipal affairs minister, he helped guide southern Alberta through the 2013 spring floods, but was shuffled out of the post three months ago, landing in Service Alberta. Stuart Gradon / Calgary Herald

Doug Horner: A four-term MLA for Spruce Grove-St. Albert, and current finance minister, Horner delivered Alberta's first balanced budget in seven years earlier this month, announcing a consolidated surplus of $1.1 billion. Horner, who finished third in the 2011 Tory leadership race, has held a long list of high-profile cabinet posts. Larry Wong / EDMONTON JOURNAL

Ken Hughes: A longtime Redford friend and Calgary-West MLA, Hughes held the powerful energy minister post before he became municipal affairs minister in December 2013. The Harvard-educated former federal MP founded an insurance brokerage firm and also held the inaugural board chairman post when the Alberta Health Services provincial superboard was created in 2008. Colleen De Neve / Calgary Herald

Jeff Johnson: As education minister, Johnson has been shepherding in controversial plans to overhaul Alberta's curriculum. First elected in 2008, the Athabasca-Redwater MLA has stayed calm and on point for government amid the increasingly divisive debate over the policies. John Lucas / Edmonton Journal

Donna Kennedy-Glans: Once considered a star Tory candidate, Kennedy-Glans made waves this week when the Calgary MLA announced she was resigning her new post as associate minister for electricity and renewable energy - and her membership in the PC caucus - to sit as an independent. A lawyer and oilpatch executive before taking the plunge into politics, the rookie MLA, who represents Calgary-Varsity, said her decision stemmed from the culture of entitlement engulfing the PC party as a whole. Lorraine Hjalte / Calgary Herald

Thomas Lukaszuk: Not one to shy away from ruffling feathers, Lukaszuk has been a go-to cabinet member, though he's also been accused of botching relationships with post-secondary institutions and unions. The Edmonton Castle Downs MLA was stripped of his deputy premier position in the December 2013 cabinet shuffle and given the new jobs, skills, training and labour post. Leah Hennel Leah Hennel / Calgary Herald

Stephen Mandel: Fresh from three terms as Edmonton's mayor, Mandel made his mark as a strong leader willing to fight the province over post-secondary education cuts and securing funding for a new arena. He was also considered a consensus-builder during his time at city hall. Amid speculation over his interest in a provincial Tory seat, Mandel told the Edmonton Journal in January he wouldn't run "under the current leadership." Bruce Edwards / Edmonton Journal

Gary Mar: Former MLA and cabinet minister, Mar was a front-runner in the 2011 leadership race - a battle he subsequently lost to come-from-behind candidate Redford. The former health minister later landed a plum post as Alberta's Asia envoy. Gavin Young / Calgary Herald

Ric McIver: They called him "Dr. No" during his three terms on Calgary city council for his fiscal hawk ways. After losing the 2010 mayoral race to Naheed Nenshi, McIver re-emerged in 2012 to be elected to the provincial legislature, where he helped the province ink a key deal with the Tsuu T'ina Nation to the build the southwest leg of the ring road. The Calgary-Hays MLA is currently infrastructure minister. Archive / Calgary Herald

Diana McQueen: The two-term MLA for Drayton Valley-Devon has held important cabinet posts including environment and her current job as energy minister, where she was moved during a cabinet shuffle in December 2013. She previously served as a school board chair and as mayor of Drayton Valley. Gavin Young Gavin Young / Calgary Herald

Jim Prentice: A lawyer and former Harper cabinet minister, Prentice's list of high-profile federal ministry posts included Indian Affairs, Industry and Environment before the popular Calgary MP stepped down in 2010 to enter the private sector. A senior executive for CIBC, Prentice has kept his finger on the pulse of public policy and the politics of pipelines. He is now working with Enbridge Inc. to help boost aboriginal support for the Northern Gateway pipeline. FRED CHARTRAND / THE CANADIAN PRESS