 During his final three years, he was the leader of the Alberta Liberal Party, and leader of the official opposition in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.He was credited with bringing a more conciliatory approach in the legislature, different from his predecessor Nancy MacBeth, however his soft-spoken nature did not help the party rise in polls.He left provincial politics to run for the federal Liberals in the riding of Lethbridge in 2004, but lost in a landslide to incumbent Rick Casson.