With just over one week to go before Albertans vote, the Wildrose Party is under scrutiny by opposition members after their opposition commented on a bond MLA hopefuls were required to pay into, in order to seek nomination.

"I could be shocked and appalled," NDP Leader Brian Mason said. "I actually think they have to shut these guys up somehow."

Mason was responding to reports that all nominees for the Wildrose Party paid $1000 as part of their nomination package – into a ‘good conduct bond' – refundable to the successful nominee when they won the candidacy, and refunded to unsuccessful nominees after the election is over.

"It really was a bond we had in place to ensure that they followed the rules and that they didn't do anything that would be contrary to good treatment of the other candidates," Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith said.

The money would only be refunded to the unsuccessful nominees if they behaved during the election campaign.

"What we don't want to see is people losing and then being sore losers," Smith said. "We want to give them incentive to make sure they're behaving appropriately towards the winner during the course of an election campaign.

"If they don't, that's their choice as well, but they forfeit $1000 if they decide to be sore losers about it."

Political scientist Chaldeans Mensah told CTV News the move to have such a program creates a target for scrutiny of the party's internal workings.

"If you want to be the agent of change, in terms of democratic governance, transparency, accountability, then these types of internal practices come under scrutiny," Mensah said.

Progressive Conservative Leader Alison Redford took aim at the bond Friday.

"A $1000 bond to make sure they don't embarrass the party, and if they don't embarrass the party, they will get it back after the election," Redford said. "That is not transparency that is not accountability to your constituents."

The Wildrose Party responded to Redford's comment, saying the PC Party is attempting to deflect attention away from what Smith called a "badly run campaign".

A political expert said all of the parties have their own internal nomination processes; however the NDP, Liberals and PCs say their nomination packages don't include a good conduct bond.

With files from Kevin Armstrong