The "liberal" brand may not be the only liability that the New Liberal people are looking at shouldering.I've heard it now from enough independent sources that I'm inclined to believe it: The Alberta Liberal Party is in serious financial trouble.Evidently the party is seriously in debt, and donations are nowhere near the level they would need to be in order to sustain it. In the last couple of months three permanent staff have been let go. That would not be totally unexpected following any losing election, but I'm hearing that the current financial crisis will require further drastic measures in the near future. The article above questions whether the party can make payroll. People I've talked to wonder if it can make rent.This is going to be a major factor in what happens in Alberta's political landscape in the next little while. In the extreme, will the ALP declare bankruptcy and close its doors? Can it? And if not, who should be obliged to pay its debts?As far as I know, the ALP can't shut itself down without a resolution to that effect at an AGM, and that would probably have to pass with the support of 75% of the people there. It seems impossibly far-fetched to suggest that 3/4 of the people at an AGM are going to be of the opinion that the organization should dissolve.The New Liberal proponents have said that if the Liberal party were to shut its doors or even change its name, they would start up a new Liberal party the next day. I believe in their sincerity. But they may not have the option.The Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act states in section 7(3):(3) The Chief Electoral Officer shall not register a political party if, in the Chief Electoral Officer’s opinion,(a.1) the proposed name was the name of a registered political party whose registration was cancelled or whose name was changed since the last general election,That would seem to suggest that the only Liberal party they can have is the one they've got. The one with potentially no staff, no offices, no donations to speak of, and a tiny membership. Really, almost exactly the same thing as starting a new party from scratch. Except that a new party doesn't have debt payments to make.That's not a good reason to walk away from the ALP and create something new. But it's another one.