Progressive Conservative leader Jason Kenney took aim at the New Democratic Party and Alberta’s teachers this week, claiming that both groups are planning to hijack the July 22 vote to fold his party and the Wildrose Party into a new United Conservative Party. Kenney’s claims are unsubstantiated and are likely a distraction from the unity crisis happening in his own party.
“After having served the party for approximately fifteen years in various capacities, I am not in support of the direction the party is currently taking under the new leader,” wrote Sumita Anand in an email May 24, 2017 email announcing her resignation as west Calgary regional director on the Progressive Conservative Party board of directors.
“At the board level there is no opportunity for positive participation and there seems to be a staged place for only those board members who agree with the leader on all suggestions even if they are far from being either socially progressive or inclusive,” wrote Anand, who was president of the Calgary-Foothills PC association from 2014 to 2016.
Anand is one of a handful of high profile Conservatives to resign from the PC Party board since Kenney became leader on March 18, 2017.
Among the individuals who have left the PC Party board since the change in leadership include president Katherine O’Neill, northern finance committee chair Stephen Mandel, budget director Kim Krushell, southern Alberta vice-president Jordan Lien, south Calgary regional director Connor Turner, St. Albert regional director Lorna Wolodko, north Edmonton regional director Stephanie Shostak, central north east regional director Bud James and vice president organization Denise Brunner. Janice Harrington resigned as vice president outreach to become the party’s interim executive director.
Kenney’s public statements on Gay-Straight Alliances and his party’s recent political maneuvering around Edmonton’s Pride Parade suggest he is willing to appeal to the loud vocal minority of social conservatives at the expense of moderate conservatives already in his party.
Shostak announced on her Facebook page that she had joined the Alberta Party, and Brunner has emerged as the Edmonton regional organizer for the Alberta Party. Brunner recently sent an email to Alberta Party members announcing a series of annual general meetings to be held in the Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview, Edmonton-Castle Downs, Edmonton-Decore, and Edmonton-Manning constituencies.
The Alberta Party’s recruitment of former PC Party executive director Troy Wason, and his extensive list of contacts across the province, will surely help the party, but it needs organization on the ground and money in the bank. The Alberta Party raised only $14,070.49 in the first four months of 2017, which was only three percent of total amount that was fundraised by the governing New Democratic Party in the same period.
The Alberta Party is not the only recipient of political refugees from the PC Party. Former PC Party member Kerry Cundal recently ran for the Liberal Party leadership and some PCs unhappy with the direction of the party have even joined Rachel Notley‘s NDP.
The most high-profile Tory to join the NDP recently has been Calgary-North West MLA Sandra Jansen, who crossed the floor in November 2016 after dropping out of the PC leadership race. More recently, Thomas Ockley, a former PC caucus and party staffer who served as Richard Starke’s scrutineer in the 2017 PC leadership race, is now listed on the Alberta government website as being employed as a researcher for the NDP caucus at the Legislature.
Support for the new party is not unanimous in the Wildrose Party either. Leader Brian Jean faced pushback from party president Jeff Calloway this week. Sharon Maclise, the party’s president in Edmonton-Glenora, described abandoning the Wildrose Party to create a new party as an “idiotic idea” in a letter to the editor in one of Edmonton’s Postmedia newspapers last month.
Unlike Kenney, who only needs the support of 50 percent plus one to fold the PC Party, Jean requires a steep 75 percent approval from the Wildrose Party membership.
While Kenney’s hostile takeover of the PC Party earlier this year may lead to the creation of a United Conservative Party (at least on paper), conservatives in Alberta now appear less united than they have in years.
Here is the full email from Sumita Anand:
Dear President and fellow board members,
Regretfully, I submit my resignation from the board of Directors.
After having served the party for approximately fifteen years in various capacities, I am not in support of the direction the party is currently taking under the new leader.
During my tenure as a volunteer with the party, I have always observed and recognized the leader as being the pillar on which the progressive and conservative values stood firm and grounded, leading the party’s initiatives to form government without any selfish objectives. Those principals seem to have been lost under the current leadership.
At the board level there is no opportunity for positive participation and there seems to be a staged place for only those board members who agree with the leader on all suggestions even if they are far from being either socially progressive or inclusive.
A party leader’s actions are a reflection of the direction for not only its members but for Albertans at large. Currently the party reflects being resourceful but not compassionate, responsible, open or practical. I would like to contribute my capabilities to a party that is humble yet remarkable and according to me, those values are not aligned with the direction this party is taking.
While working with the party, I have found great friends and take back with me very fond memories. I appreciate the opportunity given to me through the years for contributing to community at large.
I wish the current board success through its endeavors.
Sincerely
Sumita Anand
Board member
Dated: 24th May 2017
7 replies on “Alberta Conservatives now appear less united than they have in years”
Kenney has spent way too much time mingling with the American right. He is out of step with regular conservatives on a lot of issues, gay rights and abortion are just two of them. He’s too extreme.
Interesting piece. Like any group of people who do politics, conservatives in Alberta have certainly had our struggles over the years.
However, there are many of us who are focused on the bigger vision: that a mainstream, inclusive, grass roots driven party focused on providing solid government to Albertans is possible. That the differences between the two legacy parties are insufficient to justify continued division among us. That total cohesion of policy agreement is not only unnecessary and impossible, but would be unhealthy to strive for. I look forward to the day when the federal model is implemented here. At the federal level, no major party houses as broad of an array of voices and sub-groups as the CPC. For evidence, ask any member of the major streams if they feel like they win all the time. (hint – none of them think that). But what holds us together is an acceptance that we can achieve more together and that what binds us together is more important than what pulls us apart.
Good read. I wonder if anyone YQL Vote knows of attended the Kenney Unite the Right meeting in Lethbridge on June 13?
I know one person who attended any said his questions to Kenney didn’t go over well with some people in attendance and was told to “sit down”. To his credit, he said that Kenney was polite and answered his questions indirectly (not really answering the questions, but instead pushed a “free speech” mantra).
The rush for Rosies to join the PCAA and get their candidate the leadership had the smell of a hostile takeover, and now the unification vote does, too. Why allow, even encourage, people to join both parties and vote twice? All that proves is who can deliver the larger numbers, while pushing out volunteers and donors who feel overrun – kind of like what happened with the WRP floor-crossing, until democracy reasserted itself in that party. I don’t understand why they didn’t acknowledge the differences, see if there’s enough room in a sufficiently big tent, and let each group decide for themselves. Harder work, but it would provide a solid foundation.
None of these people ever were conservative – they only joined the PC party because it was the only game in town. Good riddance, you people ruined the PC party. Have fun in the wilderness!
Truth, I Sure, if saying all that makes you feel better, go for it.
Yes, there were plenty of opportunists in the PC party in the past but Uniting the Right is about getting back to power sooner so I don’t think the PC’s leaving are the opportunists. Maybe the ones staying are.
I am sure some Wildrosers have already figured out some of what they might be getting is not that good.