Alberta Premier Jason Kenney quelled a caucus uprising in September by agreeing to a leadership review in April; that vote will take place at an earlier-than-expected annual meeting, meaning members must be present to cast a ballot.JASON FRANSON/The Canadian Press
The United Conservative Party is facing a showdown over the timing and format of its forthcoming leadership review, a fight that will test the organization’s founding principle that grassroots members control the levers of power.
A group of UCP constituency association (CA) presidents from across Alberta announced on Monday that at least 22 local boards all passed the same motion, demanding a leadership review to be held prior to March 1. It also calls for an independent accounting and auditing firm to oversee the vote, a nod to allegations of cheating in the 2017 leadership race.
The dissatisfied local executives argued in a letter to UCP president Ryan Becker that because at least one quarter of associations passed the motion, they cleared the threshold necessary for the party to respond to their demands. The motion calls for a special general meeting, where members could vote in the leadership review remotely. Alberta Premier Jason Kenney quelled a caucus uprising in September by agreeing to a leadership review in April; that vote will take place at an earlier-than-expected annual meeting, meaning members must be present to cast a ballot.
“We are asking – even demanding – that it be one member, one vote. Not just people who can appear at the meeting,” Samantha Steinke, the constituency association president for Central Peace-Notley, told reporters.
The UCP’s 2021 annual meeting kicks off Friday, and Mr. Kenney loyalists have proposed modifying the party’s bylaws so that one third, rather than one quarter, of constituency associations must pass identical motions if they wish to trigger a special meeting.
One quarter of constituency associations “shouldn’t be able to overthrow a Leader. The bar is set too low and opens the Party up to troublemaking by a small minority of CA Boards,” the resolution’s sponsor explained in its submission.
Jack Redekop, the UCP riding president for Calgary-Fish Creek, said that while some associations want to oust Mr. Kenney, that is not the driving force behind the motion. Rather, April would be bad timing, Mr. Redekop said, because farmers will be seeding, ranchers will be calving and the government may be in the middle of the legislative calendar. Voting in person, the group noted, adds costs for those who need accommodations.
“These aren’t rabble-rousing, volatile, confrontational individuals for the most part,” he said. “They are average Albertans, strongly conservative.”
Derrick Casey, from Grande Prairie’s constituency association, noted some members who are discontent with Mr. Kenney’s leadership consider the review urgent.
Mr. Becker, in a statement provided by the UCP, confirmed receipt of the letter requesting a special meeting. “The Board will review and discuss it,” the statement said.
Mr. Kenney has faced criticism from competing factions within his party. Some caucus members believe he overstepped in his handling of the pandemic, while others argue he did not do enough to control COVID-19.
Peter Guthrie, the Member of the Legislature representing Airdrie-Cochrane, alleged Mr. Kenney and the UCP’s provincial board have abandoned their fidelity to the grassroots and are using unethical tactics to keep the Premier in power.
“Public opinion continues to wane and we may be at a point where this party cannot be salvaged,” Mr. Guthrie told his caucus colleagues Monday.
Mr. Guthrie alleged “the party has taken over CAs in Edmonton” and one of those is behind the resolution calling for the special meeting threshold to climb to 33 per cent from 25 per cent. He also argued members found out on Friday that new business will be prohibited at the annual meeting this weekend.
“I don’t know about the rest you but that’s not the ‘Grassroots Guarantee’ that I ran on,” Mr. Guthrie said, according to the text of his speech obtained by The Globe and Mail. Some action taken by the UCP and Mr. Kenney may not be illegal, the MLA argued, but they are not ethical.
“We cannot continue to have these missteps and have you deflect blame if we are to rebuild going into the next election,” Mr. Guthrie told the Premier.
“‘Humility’ and ‘trust’ cannot be mere words.”
The Premier, in a news conference announcing a child-care funding deal with the federal government, said it is up to the UCP board to deal with the motion from the constituency associations, and that he embraces accountability.
“It’s no secret here in Alberta, we’ve had a very divisive and polarized debate on how best to respond to COVID. This is a province with a lot of freedom-loving people,” he said.
Mr. Kenney added that he understands why people are frustrated with public-health measures, but it is ultimately the Premier and his government who must take “responsible” actions.
“We have done that and I do believe that the vast majority of folks in my party are united around our common values and goals, particularly what we were elected to do, which was to create jobs, grow the economy, get pipelines built and stand up for a fair deal for the province.”
With a report from James Keller
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