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United Conservative Party

The United Conservative Party of Alberta (UCP) is a conservative political party in the province of Alberta, Canada. It was established in July 2017 as a merger between the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta and the Wildrose Party. When established, the UCP immediately formed the Official Opposition in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. The UCP won a majority mandate in the 2019 Alberta general election to form the government of Alberta.[4] UCP leader Jason Kenney became premier on April 30, 2019, when he and his first cabinet were appointed and sworn in by the lieutenant governor of Alberta, Lois Mitchell.

United Conservative Party
Active provincial party
AbbreviationUCP
LeaderDanielle Smith
PresidentCynthia Moore
Executive DirectorDustin van Vugt
FoundedJuly 31, 2017
Merger of
Headquarters4317 23B Street NE
Calgary, Alberta
T2E 7V9
Membership (2022) 123,915[1]
Ideology
Political positionCentre-right to right-wing
Seats in Legislature
48 / 87
Website
unitedconservative.ca

A leadership election was triggered after Kenney announced his intention to resign in 2022.[5] It was won by Danielle Smith.

Overview Edit

In July 2017, the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta and the Wildrose Party merged to form the United Conservative Party under the leadership of Jason Kenney, a former cabinet member in the Stephen Harper government. Kenney had won the 2017 Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta leadership election on a platform of uniting the two parties.[6] The UCP maintained a large lead in opinion polls, from its formation in 2017, during the two years prior to the 2019 provincial election, and at the beginning of 2020. The UCP won the 2019 election with a large majority.

Under the Premiership of Jason Kenney, their first cabinet of the 30th Alberta Legislature was sworn in by lieutenant governor of Alberta, Lois Mitchell on April 30, 2019.[7]

To maintain their registration and assets, both the PCs and Wildrose ran one paper candidate each in Edmonton-Strathcona (an NDP safe seat held at that time by NDP leader Rachel Notley). On February 7, 2020, after the UCP government passed legislation allowing parties to legally merge, Elections Alberta formally approved the merger of the PCs and Wildrose into the UCP, allowing the UCP to merge the legacy parties' assets and formally wind up their affairs.[8]

Background Edit

When the Alberta New Democratic Party's (NDP) won the 2015 Alberta general election, it ended an uninterrupted period in which the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta had won provincial elections since 1971, under Premiers Peter Lougheed, Don Getty, Ralph Klein, Ed Stelmach, Alison Redford, Dave Hancock and Jim Prentice. No other government had served for that long at the provincial or federal level in Canadian history.[9][10][11] Until the 1990s, when Preston Manning's anti-establishment right-wing populist Reform Party won 52 seats in the 1993 Canadian federal election and became the Official Opposition in the 1997 Federal Election, there were no significant challenges from the political right to the PCs. Other right-wing parties were established in Alberta, including the Alberta First Party in 1999, the Alberta Independence Party in 2001, the Alberta Alliance Party in 2002, the Wildrose Party of Alberta in 2007, and the Wildrose Alliance Party of Alberta in 2008—the Wildrose Party.[9]

Following Manning, the Canadian Conservative movement was led by a series of westerners; Stockwell Day from British Columbia, Stephen Harper from Alberta, and Andrew Scheer in Saskatchewan.[12] When Harper was defeated in the 2015 general election by Justin Trudeau, who succeeded him as prime minister, the new leader of the Conservative Party was Andrew Scheer.[9]

By 2016, with the NDP in power at the provincial level in Alberta, and the federal conservative movement weakened under Scheer, the PCs and Wildrose began to discuss a merger to strengthen the right.[9]

The Wildrose Party had formed in 2008 as a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada with the merger of the Alberta Alliance Party and the unregistered Wildrose Party of Alberta.[13][14] Its members largely consisted of dissatisfied former Progressive Conservative supporters. Three of the first five Wildrose MLAs were defectors originally elected as Progressive Conservatives.[15][16]: 244 

Danielle Smith, who served as leader of the Wildrose Party from October 2009 until December 2014, made an unsuccessful attempt to merge the Wildrose and the PC party by resigning from the Wildrose and crossing the floor to join the governing Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta caucus under then Premier Jim Prentice, along with eight other Wildrose MLAs.[17] The remaining Wildrose Party refused to consider the request by Smith to dissolve their party. Then Wildrose President David Yager said at the time "This is not a merger in any way. It is capitulation."[18] When the NDP won in 2015 an Edmonton Sun article blamed the mass Wildrose defections for the loss.[10] In the wake of the historical loss, uniting the Wildrose and PC parties became a major issue. In July 2016, federal MP and former minister Jason Kenney announced that he would seek the PC leadership on a platform of seeking a merger with the Wildrose.

At the Wildrose AGM held in Red Deer on October 28, 2016, Brian Jean, then Wildrose Leader of the Opposition, cautioned the caucus against merging just before the 2017 elections; he said the PC party, was "confused about its values" and rife with "instability."[19]

On December 15, 2016, a rift occurred in the Wildrose party when MLA Derek Fildebrandt openly supported a merger with the PCs. Fildebrandt, who was the first Wildrose MLA to break with Jean, said that Albertans wanted "a single conservative option to face against the NDP in the next election."[20][21]

When the two parties did merge, following an overwhelming vote in favour of the merger, some Wildrosers declined to join the UCP. A group of the former Wildrose constituency association presidents met in July to discuss forming a new party.[22]

Kenney was elected PC leader on March 18, 2017 on a platform of uniting the two parties—"Uniting the Right". Negotiations between Jean and Kenney were successful; the merger agreement was released on May 18, 2017. The results of the July 22, 2017 internal votes on the merger agreement held by both parties[23][24] supported the merger with 95% of Wildrose and PC members voting in favour.[22][25][26]

The second-place PC leadership candidate and MLA for Vermilion-Lloydminster, Richard Starke, announced on July 24 that he would not join the UCP, and will sit in the legislature as an Independent PC MLA.[27] At least 10 directors of the PC Party resigned after Kenney became leader, with some former Tories working to build a centrist alternative to both the United Conservatives and the NDP before the next provincial election.[22]

A joint meeting of the PC and Wildrose caucuses was held on July 24, 2017, to elect Nathan Cooper, Wildrose MLA for Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills, as interim leader—and hence Leader of the Opposition--[28] over Prasad Panda, Wildrose MLA for Calgary-Foothills, and Richard Gotfried, PC MLA for Calgary-Fish Creek.[29] As well, members of both caucuses approached the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta and ask to be recognized as the United Conservative caucus.[25]

Kenney and Jean selected six individuals each to sit on the interim executive board of the new party. Ed Ammar was elected as first chair of the party on July 24, 2017. Cooper also appointed two MLAs to the board as non-voting members. The new party was registered with Elections Alberta as of July 31, 2017.[29]

Although it was generally understood that the PC and Wildrose merged to form the UCP, Alberta electoral law at the time did not permit parties to formally merge or transfer assets between each other. Thus, the PC and Wildrose legally continued to exist, while the UCP was legally reckoned as a newly created party. As a result, on July 24, 2017–the day the new UCP formally came into existence–Cooper and the UCP's interim leadership team formally assumed the leaderships of both the PC and Wildrose parties as well. Also on that date, all members in good standing of the PCs and Wildrose became members of the UCP, with all but a few members withdrawing their memberships in the merging parties. The PCs and Wildrose withdrew from any meaningful public presence, thus de facto dissolving them although they continued to exist on paper.

Calgary-South East MLA Rick Fraser, a former PC member, left the caucus on September 21, 2017, to sit as an Independent due to his dissatisfaction with the party's leadership contest and the emphasis put by candidates on spending cuts and austerity.[30]

2017 leadership election Edit

The leadership election held on October 28, 2017 resulted in former PC leader Jason Kenney defeating former Wildrose leader Brian Jean and Doug Schweitzer, a former aide to Jim Prentice, to become UCP leader. Kenney won more than 60% of the vote on the first ballot.[31] Kenney successfully contested a by-election in Calgary-Lougheed on December 14, 2017, after incumbent MLA Dave Rodney resigned in order to give Kenney an opportunity to enter the Alberta legislature.[32]

2019 provincial election Edit

The UCP won the 2019 provincial election with a large majority, mainly on the strength of a near-sweep of Calgary (where it won all but three seats) and rural Alberta (where it won all but one seat).

Under the Premiership of Jason Kenney, their first cabinet of the 30th Alberta Legislature was sworn in by lieutenant governor of Alberta, Lois Mitchell, on April 30, 2019.[7]

2023 provincial election Edit

The UCP under Premier Danielle Smith was re-elected to government in the 2023 Alberta general election with a reduced majority.[33][34] They lost their one seat in Edmonton to the NDP.[35][36][37] The election campaign had been close and one of the fiercest in Alberta's history.[38]

Fundraising Edit

The UCP raised $6.6 million in funds in 2018,[39] At the end of 2019, after the successful election, the party had $41.1 million in liabilities and a $2.3 million deficit.[40] During the COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta, the UCP faced funding challenges.[41] The party raised $5 million by the end of 2020.[42] In November 2021, caucus members raised concerns about Kenney's leadership, which is up for review in April 2022—Kenney's poll numbers dropped dramatically and fundraising lagged behind the NDP.[43]

Platform and position Edit

The UCP has been described by media outlets as centre-right[44][45][46][47][48][49][50][excessive citations] to right-wing.[44][51]

The party held its founding convention to set its official policies on May 5, 2018.[52][53]

The UCP adopted an aggressive pro-fossil fuel stance supported by the establishment of what was commonly referred to as the "War Room" backed by a budget of $30 million using a private corporation structure that is not subject to FOIP.[54] The pro-fossil fuel stance is also supported by a strong opposition to green energy transition which they view as an "ideological scheme".[55] The Canadian Energy Centre was launched in December 2019 with an annual budget of CA$30 million.[56][57]

The UCP attempted to restructure the Alberta Healthcare system by passing Bill 21,[58] and then using this bill to support tearing up the Master Agreement with the Alberta Medical Association and imposing major fee structure changes.[59][60]

The UCP under Danielle Smith government passed its Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act on December 8, 2022.

Controversies Edit

2017 leadership race RCMP investigation Edit

On March 16, 2019, it came to light that during the UCP leadership election campaign Jason Kenney's leadership campaign collaborated with fellow candidate Jeff Callaway's campaign to undermine the leadership campaign of former Wildrose party leader Brian Jean.[61] A document prepared by Callaway's communication's manager describes how Kenney's campaign provided communications support as well as planned regular strategic direction throughout Callaway's campaign.[61] The Alberta Elections Commissioner levied more than $200,000 in fines relating to the kamikaze campaign[62] prior to the Elections Commissioner's termination by the UCP government and conclusion of open investigations.[63]

The 2017 UCP leadership race remains under investigation by the RCMP for alleged use of identity fraud in the voting process.[64] The UCP supports replacing the RCMP with a provincial police force.[65]

Gay–Straight Alliance clubs Edit

Kenney proposed to allow schools to notify parents when their children joined Gay–Straight Alliance clubs.[66] The Notley government drafted and passed Bill 24, which forbade teachers from outing children who were members of the GSAs. The matter once again caused controversy after the UCP Policy Convention in May 2018, when members of the party voted to adopt the policy whereby schools inform parents when their children have joined a GSA.[67] UCP MLAs Ric McIver, Jason Nixon, and Leela Aheer all opposed the policy, and despite urging members to vote against adopting the policy, it was passed with 57% of the vote.

Factions Edit

Some MLA’s, including Drew Barnes, Donna Kennedy-Glans, and Angela Pitt called for greater autonomy for Alberta.[2][3] Angela Pitt and sixteen other MLAs denounced Kenney's COVID-19 restrictions in April 2021.[68] Pitt and others joined the "End the Lockdowns" national caucus of elected officials.[69]

Drew Barnes, who was MLA for Cypress-Medicine Hat and Todd Loewen, formerly UCP MLA for Grande Prairie-Smoky, were expelled from the UCP caucus in May 2021 for "repeatedly speaking out against government decisions."[70] Kenney evicted Leela Aheer, MLA for Chestermere-Rocky View from cabinet in July 2021 after she criticizing the premier for his response to the pandemic during the fourth wave.[71]

At the September 28, 2021 Free Alberta Strategy initiative conference, three MLAs Angela Pitt, Jason Stephan and Nathan Cooper, who is UCP Speaker of the House and head of the UCP caucus, said they no longer had confidence in Kenney as Premier,[72] in response to their growing dissatisfaction the UCP's response to COVID-19. In spite of their criticism, neither Pitt nor Leela Aheer were expelled from caucus.[73]

Leaders Edit

List of Leaders
No. Leader Term
Interim Nathan Cooper July 24, 2017 – October 28, 2017
1 Jason Kenney October 28, 2017 – October 6, 2022
2 Danielle Smith October 6, 2022 – present
List of Deputy Leaders
No. Deputy Leader Term
1 Mike Ellis July 25, 2017 – October 30, 2017
2 Leela Aheer October 30, 2017 – 2021[74]

Electoral results Edit

Election Leader Votes % Seats +/– Position Government
2019 Jason Kenney 1,040,004 54.88%
63 / 87
  63   1st Majority
2023 Danielle Smith 928,896 52.63%
49 / 87
  14   1st Majority

Notes Edit

References Edit

  1. ^ Markusoff, Jason (25 August 2022). "Why choosing Alberta's next premier largely lies in the hands of folks in Rimbey, Strathmore and Three Hills". CBC. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  2. ^ a b Dryden, Joel (Jun 18, 2020). "2 'fair deal' panel members at loggerheads after report's release". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  3. ^ a b Franklin, Michael (June 10, 2020). "UCP MLA Angela Pitt mulls idea of autonomous Alberta with social media post". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  4. ^ "Right-wingers win Canada's Alberta province". BBC News. 17 April 2019.
  5. ^ French, Janet (May 19, 2022). "Jason Kenney to remain as premier, party leader until new UCP leader is chosen". CBC News. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  6. ^ Bellefontaine, Michelle (March 18, 2017). "Wildrose 'not our enemies,' Kenney says in PC leadership pitch". CBC News. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
  7. ^ a b Leavitt, Kieran; Maimann, Kevin (April 30, 2019). "Jason Kenney sworn in as 18th premier of Alberta, names his UCP cabinet". The Toronto Star. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  8. ^ Franklin, Michael (2020-02-07). "Wildrose and Alberta PCs are no more after Elections Alberta approves merger". Calgary. Retrieved 2020-03-22.
  9. ^ a b c d Block, Niko; Marshall, Tabitha (2019). "United Conservative Party". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  10. ^ a b Gunter, Lorne. "NDP lineup full of radicals". Calgary Sun.
  11. ^ "List of MLAs". PC Alberta. Retrieved April 18, 2013.
  12. ^ Sorenson, Eric (August 22, 2021). "Analysis: End of Andrew Scheer era means shift eastward for Conservative power". Global News. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  13. ^ (PDF). Wildrose Party. 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-01-15.
  14. ^ "Wildrose drops 'Alliance' from name". CBC News. 26 June 2011. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
  15. ^ Kleiss, Karen (April 9, 2012). "Alberta election pits PC's 'red' versus Wildrose's 'blue' conservatives, experts say". National Post. Retrieved 2015-05-23.
  16. ^ Bratt, Duane (2012). Canada, the Provinces, and the Global Nuclear Revival: Advocacy Coalitions in Action. McGill-Queen's Press(MQUP). ISBN 978-0-7735-4068-2.
  17. ^ "9 Wildrose MLAs, including Danielle Smith, cross to Alberta Tories". CBC News. December 17, 2014.
  18. ^ Henton, Darcy. "Mass defection expected as Wildrose MLAs to join PCs". Calgary Herald.
  19. ^ Bellefontaine, Michelle (October 28, 2016). "Wildrose leader rejects PC merger in speech to party faithful". CBC. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  20. ^ "Wildrose divided: Fildebrandt breaks with leader, calls for merger with PCs". Calgary: CBC. December 15, 2016. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  21. ^ Wood, James; Braid, Don (December 15, 2016). "Wildrose rift: Party appears split over merger with PCs". Calgary Herald. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  22. ^ a b c "Wildrose votes yes to unity with 95% of the vote". Calgary Herald. July 22, 2017. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  23. ^ "Conservative unity vote: A timeline". Edmonton Journal. July 22, 2017. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  24. ^ "Alberta's Wildrose, PCs agree to create new United Conservative Party". CBC News. May 18, 2017. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  25. ^ a b Bellefontaine, Michelle (July 22, 2017). "Wildrose and PC members approve unite-the-right deal with 95% voting 'yes'". CBC News. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
  26. ^ "Wildrose-PC members to vote on new united party July 22". Edmonton Journal. May 18, 2017. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  27. ^ "Richard Starke, former PC leadership candidate, won't join new United Conservative Party". CBC News. Retrieved 2017-07-24.
  28. ^ "Nathan Cooper chosen as interim leader of United Conservative Party". CBC News. July 24, 2017.
  29. ^ a b Graney, Emma (July 22, 2017). "United Conservative Party: The next steps". Retrieved July 23, 2017.
  30. ^ James Wood (2017-09-21). "Rick Fraser, southeast Calgary MLA, leaves United Conservative caucus". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  31. ^ James Wood (2016-09-08). "Donna Kennedy-Glans joins PC leadership race". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  32. ^ "Calgary MLA steps down to allow Jason Kenney to run for legislature seat". CBC News. 2017-10-29. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  33. ^ "Alberta election: Danielle Smith's UCP to form next government after tight race | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 2023-05-30.
  34. ^ "What Danielle Smith's Alberta election win means for the rest of Canada | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
  35. ^ "UCP wins Alberta election but no Edmonton seats. What now? - Edmonton | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
  36. ^ Williams, Nia; Bracken, Amber; Shakil, Ismail (May 30, 2023). "Alberta premier Smith takes aim at Trudeau after winning provincial election". Reuters. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  37. ^ Austen, Ian (May 30, 2023). "Alberta Election Sees Conservatives Keep Power After Hard-Right Turn". The New York Times. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  38. ^ Taylor-Vaisey, Nick (May 28, 2023). "In Alberta, a bruising campaign invites political chaos". POLITICO. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  39. ^ Graney, Emma (January 23, 2019). "UCP smashes 2018 fundraising totals, but all major parties break donation rules". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  40. ^ "Despite millions in donations, UCP ends year with $2.3M deficit". CBC. April 16, 2020. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  41. ^ Bellefontaine, Michelle (April 16, 2020). "Despite millions in donations, UCP ends year with $2.3M deficit". CBC News. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  42. ^ Nimmock, Kevin (November 1, 2021). "Alberta's NDP far ahead of UCP in annual fundraising". CTV News. Calgary. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  43. ^ Bennett, Dean (November 18, 2021). "Fundraising questions raised as Kenney, UCP delegates prepare for annual meeting". CBC News. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  44. ^ a b "Jason Kenney rides UCP wave to majority government in Alberta". CBC. CBC.
  45. ^ "Alberta Election 2019 Interactive Results: 'Today we begin to fight back' says Kenney, as UCP forms majority government". April 16, 2019.
  46. ^ Marshall, Tabitha (April 12, 2019). "Jason Kenney". The Canadian Encyclopedia. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved November 4, 2019. he wanted to unite the province's centre-right parties [...] In July, the PCs merged with the Wildrose Party
  47. ^ Dunham, Jackie (April 17, 2019). "What Jason Kenney's UCP victory in Alberta could mean for the rest of Canada". CTV. CTV. Retrieved November 4, 2019. The UCP win marks a return to centre-right politics for Alberta after Notley disrupted 44 years of Progressive Conservative rule with her win in 2015.
  48. ^ Neustaeter, Brooklyn (April 16, 2019). "Jason Kenney's UCP wins majority government in Alberta". CTV. CTV. Retrieved November 4, 2019. Jason Kenney's United Conservative Party has won a majority in Alberta's provincial election, unseating Rachel Notley and ushering in a return to the centre-right for the province.
  49. ^ "Jason Kenney's United Conservative Party wins majority government". GlobalNews. GlobalNews. April 17, 2019.
  50. ^ Sevunts, Levon (April 17, 2019). "Alberta elects United Conservative Party government". CBC. CBC. Retrieved November 4, 2019. Alberta woke up to a new centre-right government today
  51. ^ "Canada: Jason Kenney and United Conservatives win Alberta election". The Guardian. The Guardian. 17 April 2019.
  52. ^ Wood, James (2017-10-29). "Jason Kenney takes charge of UCP, seeks seat in legislature by Christmas". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  53. ^ "Alberta's new United Conservative Party is a go. What happens next?". CBC News. Retrieved 2017-07-26.
  54. ^ "War room officially opens; Canadian Energy Centre ready to target 'lies' and 'misinformation'". calgaryherald.com. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
  55. ^ News, Emma McIntosh |; April 24th 2020, Politics | (2020-04-24). "Alberta premier calls energy transition an 'ideological scheme'". National Observer. Retrieved 2020-05-08. {{cite web}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  56. ^ Heydari, Anis (June 7, 2019). "Jason Kenney touts $ 2.84 M 'war room' but provides few details". CBC News. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  57. ^ Villani, Mark (11 December 2019). "Alberta government officially launches 'Energy War Room' in Calgary". CTV News Calgary. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  58. ^ "Bill 21 - 2019" (PDF).
  59. ^ "Braid: UCP cancels doctor pay contract, imposes radical change". calgaryherald.com. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
  60. ^ "Corbella: UCP's shameful treatment of Alberta doctors leads to lawsuit". calgaryherald.com. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
  61. ^ a b "Kenney, Callaway campaigns collaborated to attack Brian Jean during UCP leadership race, leaked documents show". CBC. March 16, 2019.
  62. ^ "Election commissioner issues more fines in 'kamikaze' UCP leadership campaign". edmontonjournal.com. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
  63. ^ "Braid: In brazen move, UCP fires the commissioner investigating its leadership scandal". calgaryherald.com. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
  64. ^ Staff, CTVNews ca (2019-04-10). "Allegations of voter fraud levelled against Jason Kenney in UCP leadership race". CTVNews. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
  65. ^ "UCP provincial police push causing 'stress and strain' on Alberta RCMP: Commanding Officer". 2 November 2021.
  66. ^ "UCP opposes GSA bill banning parental notification". CBC News. November 7, 2017. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  67. ^ "UCP members ignore MLA pleas to vote against gay-straight alliance motion". May 6, 2018.
  68. ^ Ross, Tom (April 28, 2021). "Alberta MLA maintains opposition to some COVID-19 health measures". CityNews. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  69. ^ "2 of Premier Kenney's caucus members join coalition fighting COVID-19 restrictions". CTV News. The Canadian Press. February 10, 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  70. ^ Vernon, Tom (October 11, 2021). "Former UCP MLA Drew Barnes explores forming a new rural Alberta political party". Global News. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  71. ^ Bennett, Dean (September 15, 2021). "UCP backbencher Leela Aheer urges Kenney to admit he botched COVID-19 response, take action". Global News via Canadian Press. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  72. ^ White, Ryan (2021-09-28). "UCP MLA Angela Pitt says she no longer has confidence in Premier Kenney". CTV Calgary. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
  73. ^ White, Ryan (September 28, 2021). "UCP MLA Angela Pitt says she no longer has confidence in Premier Kenney". CTV News. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  74. ^ Heintz, Lauryn (July 16, 2021). "Leela Aheer out as minister after Kenney shuffles cabinet". Airdrie Today. Retrieved 24 October 2022.

External links Edit

  • Unity Agreement in Principle -founding document
Preceded by Governing party of Alberta
2019–present
Succeeded by

united, conservative, party, historical, political, party, chile, chile, alberta, conservative, political, party, province, alberta, canada, established, july, 2017, merger, between, progressive, conservative, association, alberta, wildrose, party, when, estab. For the historical political party in Chile see United Conservative Party Chile The United Conservative Party of Alberta UCP is a conservative political party in the province of Alberta Canada It was established in July 2017 as a merger between the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta and the Wildrose Party When established the UCP immediately formed the Official Opposition in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta The UCP won a majority mandate in the 2019 Alberta general election to form the government of Alberta 4 UCP leader Jason Kenney became premier on April 30 2019 when he and his first cabinet were appointed and sworn in by the lieutenant governor of Alberta Lois Mitchell United Conservative PartyActive provincial partyAbbreviationUCPLeaderDanielle SmithPresidentCynthia MooreExecutive DirectorDustin van VugtFoundedJuly 31 2017Merger ofProgressive Conservative Association of Alberta Wildrose Political AssociationHeadquarters4317 23B Street NECalgary AlbertaT2E 7V9Membership 2022 123 915 1 IdeologyConservatism Canadian Fiscal conservatismEconomic liberalismFactions Social conservatismRight wing populismAlberta autonomism 2 3 Political positionCentre right to right wingSeats in Legislature48 87Websiteunitedconservative wbr caPolitics of AlbertaPolitical partiesElectionsA leadership election was triggered after Kenney announced his intention to resign in 2022 5 It was won by Danielle Smith Contents 1 Overview 2 Background 3 2017 leadership election 4 2019 provincial election 5 2023 provincial election 6 Fundraising 7 Platform and position 8 Controversies 8 1 2017 leadership race RCMP investigation 8 2 Gay Straight Alliance clubs 8 3 Factions 9 Leaders 10 Electoral results 11 Notes 12 References 13 External linksOverview EditIn July 2017 the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta and the Wildrose Party merged to form the United Conservative Party under the leadership of Jason Kenney a former cabinet member in the Stephen Harper government Kenney had won the 2017 Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta leadership election on a platform of uniting the two parties 6 The UCP maintained a large lead in opinion polls from its formation in 2017 during the two years prior to the 2019 provincial election and at the beginning of 2020 The UCP won the 2019 election with a large majority Under the Premiership of Jason Kenney their first cabinet of the 30th Alberta Legislature was sworn in by lieutenant governor of Alberta Lois Mitchell on April 30 2019 7 To maintain their registration and assets both the PCs and Wildrose ran one paper candidate each in Edmonton Strathcona an NDP safe seat held at that time by NDP leader Rachel Notley On February 7 2020 after the UCP government passed legislation allowing parties to legally merge Elections Alberta formally approved the merger of the PCs and Wildrose into the UCP allowing the UCP to merge the legacy parties assets and formally wind up their affairs 8 Background EditWhen the Alberta New Democratic Party s NDP won the 2015 Alberta general election it ended an uninterrupted period in which the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta had won provincial elections since 1971 under Premiers Peter Lougheed Don Getty Ralph Klein Ed Stelmach Alison Redford Dave Hancock and Jim Prentice No other government had served for that long at the provincial or federal level in Canadian history 9 10 11 Until the 1990s when Preston Manning s anti establishment right wing populist Reform Party won 52 seats in the 1993 Canadian federal election and became the Official Opposition in the 1997 Federal Election there were no significant challenges from the political right to the PCs Other right wing parties were established in Alberta including the Alberta First Party in 1999 the Alberta Independence Party in 2001 the Alberta Alliance Party in 2002 the Wildrose Party of Alberta in 2007 and the Wildrose Alliance Party of Alberta in 2008 the Wildrose Party 9 Following Manning the Canadian Conservative movement was led by a series of westerners Stockwell Day from British Columbia Stephen Harper from Alberta and Andrew Scheer in Saskatchewan 12 When Harper was defeated in the 2015 general election by Justin Trudeau who succeeded him as prime minister the new leader of the Conservative Party was Andrew Scheer 9 By 2016 with the NDP in power at the provincial level in Alberta and the federal conservative movement weakened under Scheer the PCs and Wildrose began to discuss a merger to strengthen the right 9 The Wildrose Party had formed in 2008 as a provincial political party in Alberta Canada with the merger of the Alberta Alliance Party and the unregistered Wildrose Party of Alberta 13 14 Its members largely consisted of dissatisfied former Progressive Conservative supporters Three of the first five Wildrose MLAs were defectors originally elected as Progressive Conservatives 15 16 244 Danielle Smith who served as leader of the Wildrose Party from October 2009 until December 2014 made an unsuccessful attempt to merge the Wildrose and the PC party by resigning from the Wildrose and crossing the floor to join the governing Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta caucus under then Premier Jim Prentice along with eight other Wildrose MLAs 17 The remaining Wildrose Party refused to consider the request by Smith to dissolve their party Then Wildrose President David Yager said at the time This is not a merger in any way It is capitulation 18 When the NDP won in 2015 an Edmonton Sun article blamed the mass Wildrose defections for the loss 10 In the wake of the historical loss uniting the Wildrose and PC parties became a major issue In July 2016 federal MP and former minister Jason Kenney announced that he would seek the PC leadership on a platform of seeking a merger with the Wildrose At the Wildrose AGM held in Red Deer on October 28 2016 Brian Jean then Wildrose Leader of the Opposition cautioned the caucus against merging just before the 2017 elections he said the PC party was confused about its values and rife with instability 19 On December 15 2016 a rift occurred in the Wildrose party when MLA Derek Fildebrandt openly supported a merger with the PCs Fildebrandt who was the first Wildrose MLA to break with Jean said that Albertans wanted a single conservative option to face against the NDP in the next election 20 21 When the two parties did merge following an overwhelming vote in favour of the merger some Wildrosers declined to join the UCP A group of the former Wildrose constituency association presidents met in July to discuss forming a new party 22 Kenney was elected PC leader on March 18 2017 on a platform of uniting the two parties Uniting the Right Negotiations between Jean and Kenney were successful the merger agreement was released on May 18 2017 The results of the July 22 2017 internal votes on the merger agreement held by both parties 23 24 supported the merger with 95 of Wildrose and PC members voting in favour 22 25 26 The second place PC leadership candidate and MLA for Vermilion Lloydminster Richard Starke announced on July 24 that he would not join the UCP and will sit in the legislature as an Independent PC MLA 27 At least 10 directors of the PC Party resigned after Kenney became leader with some former Tories working to build a centrist alternative to both the United Conservatives and the NDP before the next provincial election 22 A joint meeting of the PC and Wildrose caucuses was held on July 24 2017 to elect Nathan Cooper Wildrose MLA for Olds Didsbury Three Hills as interim leader and hence Leader of the Opposition 28 over Prasad Panda Wildrose MLA for Calgary Foothills and Richard Gotfried PC MLA for Calgary Fish Creek 29 As well members of both caucuses approached the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta and ask to be recognized as the United Conservative caucus 25 Kenney and Jean selected six individuals each to sit on the interim executive board of the new party Ed Ammar was elected as first chair of the party on July 24 2017 Cooper also appointed two MLAs to the board as non voting members The new party was registered with Elections Alberta as of July 31 2017 29 Although it was generally understood that the PC and Wildrose merged to form the UCP Alberta electoral law at the time did not permit parties to formally merge or transfer assets between each other Thus the PC and Wildrose legally continued to exist while the UCP was legally reckoned as a newly created party As a result on July 24 2017 the day the new UCP formally came into existence Cooper and the UCP s interim leadership team formally assumed the leaderships of both the PC and Wildrose parties as well Also on that date all members in good standing of the PCs and Wildrose became members of the UCP with all but a few members withdrawing their memberships in the merging parties The PCs and Wildrose withdrew from any meaningful public presence thus de facto dissolving them although they continued to exist on paper Calgary South East MLA Rick Fraser a former PC member left the caucus on September 21 2017 to sit as an Independent due to his dissatisfaction with the party s leadership contest and the emphasis put by candidates on spending cuts and austerity 30 2017 leadership election EditThe leadership election held on October 28 2017 resulted in former PC leader Jason Kenney defeating former Wildrose leader Brian Jean and Doug Schweitzer a former aide to Jim Prentice to become UCP leader Kenney won more than 60 of the vote on the first ballot 31 Kenney successfully contested a by election in Calgary Lougheed on December 14 2017 after incumbent MLA Dave Rodney resigned in order to give Kenney an opportunity to enter the Alberta legislature 32 2019 provincial election EditThe UCP won the 2019 provincial election with a large majority mainly on the strength of a near sweep of Calgary where it won all but three seats and rural Alberta where it won all but one seat Under the Premiership of Jason Kenney their first cabinet of the 30th Alberta Legislature was sworn in by lieutenant governor of Alberta Lois Mitchell on April 30 2019 7 2023 provincial election EditThe UCP under Premier Danielle Smith was re elected to government in the 2023 Alberta general election with a reduced majority 33 34 They lost their one seat in Edmonton to the NDP 35 36 37 The election campaign had been close and one of the fiercest in Alberta s history 38 Fundraising EditThe UCP raised 6 6 million in funds in 2018 39 At the end of 2019 after the successful election the party had 41 1 million in liabilities and a 2 3 million deficit 40 During the COVID 19 pandemic in Alberta the UCP faced funding challenges 41 The party raised 5 million by the end of 2020 42 In November 2021 caucus members raised concerns about Kenney s leadership which is up for review in April 2022 Kenney s poll numbers dropped dramatically and fundraising lagged behind the NDP 43 Platform and position EditThe UCP has been described by media outlets as centre right 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 excessive citations to right wing 44 51 The party held its founding convention to set its official policies on May 5 2018 52 53 The UCP adopted an aggressive pro fossil fuel stance supported by the establishment of what was commonly referred to as the War Room backed by a budget of 30 million using a private corporation structure that is not subject to FOIP 54 The pro fossil fuel stance is also supported by a strong opposition to green energy transition which they view as an ideological scheme 55 The Canadian Energy Centre was launched in December 2019 with an annual budget of CA 30 million 56 57 The UCP attempted to restructure the Alberta Healthcare system by passing Bill 21 58 and then using this bill to support tearing up the Master Agreement with the Alberta Medical Association and imposing major fee structure changes 59 60 The UCP under Danielle Smith government passed its Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act on December 8 2022 Controversies Edit2017 leadership race RCMP investigation Edit On March 16 2019 it came to light that during the UCP leadership election campaign Jason Kenney s leadership campaign collaborated with fellow candidate Jeff Callaway s campaign to undermine the leadership campaign of former Wildrose party leader Brian Jean 61 A document prepared by Callaway s communication s manager describes how Kenney s campaign provided communications support as well as planned regular strategic direction throughout Callaway s campaign 61 The Alberta Elections Commissioner levied more than 200 000 in fines relating to the kamikaze campaign 62 prior to the Elections Commissioner s termination by the UCP government and conclusion of open investigations 63 The 2017 UCP leadership race remains under investigation by the RCMP for alleged use of identity fraud in the voting process 64 The UCP supports replacing the RCMP with a provincial police force 65 Gay Straight Alliance clubs Edit Kenney proposed to allow schools to notify parents when their children joined Gay Straight Alliance clubs 66 The Notley government drafted and passed Bill 24 which forbade teachers from outing children who were members of the GSAs The matter once again caused controversy after the UCP Policy Convention in May 2018 when members of the party voted to adopt the policy whereby schools inform parents when their children have joined a GSA 67 UCP MLAs Ric McIver Jason Nixon and Leela Aheer all opposed the policy and despite urging members to vote against adopting the policy it was passed with 57 of the vote Factions Edit Some MLA s including Drew Barnes Donna Kennedy Glans and Angela Pitt called for greater autonomy for Alberta 2 3 Angela Pitt and sixteen other MLAs denounced Kenney s COVID 19 restrictions in April 2021 68 Pitt and others joined the End the Lockdowns national caucus of elected officials 69 Drew Barnes who was MLA for Cypress Medicine Hat and Todd Loewen formerly UCP MLA for Grande Prairie Smoky were expelled from the UCP caucus in May 2021 for repeatedly speaking out against government decisions 70 Kenney evicted Leela Aheer MLA for Chestermere Rocky View from cabinet in July 2021 after she criticizing the premier for his response to the pandemic during the fourth wave 71 At the September 28 2021 Free Alberta Strategy initiative conference three MLAs Angela Pitt Jason Stephan and Nathan Cooper who is UCP Speaker of the House and head of the UCP caucus said they no longer had confidence in Kenney as Premier 72 in response to their growing dissatisfaction the UCP s response to COVID 19 In spite of their criticism neither Pitt nor Leela Aheer were expelled from caucus 73 Leaders EditSee also 2017 United Conservative Party leadership election and 2022 United Conservative Party leadership election List of Leaders No Leader TermInterim Nathan Cooper July 24 2017 October 28 20171 Jason Kenney October 28 2017 October 6 20222 Danielle Smith October 6 2022 presentList of Deputy Leaders No Deputy Leader Term1 Mike Ellis July 25 2017 October 30 20172 Leela Aheer October 30 2017 2021 74 Electoral results EditElection Leader Votes Seats Position Government2019 Jason Kenney 1 040 004 54 88 63 87 nbsp 63 nbsp 1st Majority2023 Danielle Smith 928 896 52 63 49 87 nbsp 14 nbsp 1st MajorityNotes EditReferences Edit Markusoff Jason 25 August 2022 Why choosing Alberta s next premier largely lies in the hands of folks in Rimbey Strathmore and Three Hills CBC Retrieved 3 October 2022 a b Dryden Joel Jun 18 2020 2 fair deal panel members at loggerheads after report s release Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved 24 June 2020 a b Franklin Michael June 10 2020 UCP MLA Angela Pitt mulls idea of autonomous Alberta with social media post Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved 24 June 2020 Right wingers win Canada s Alberta province BBC News 17 April 2019 French Janet May 19 2022 Jason Kenney to remain as premier party leader until new UCP leader is chosen CBC News Retrieved June 24 2022 Bellefontaine Michelle March 18 2017 Wildrose not our enemies Kenney says in PC leadership pitch CBC News Retrieved March 17 2017 a b Leavitt Kieran Maimann Kevin April 30 2019 Jason Kenney sworn in as 18th premier of Alberta names his UCP cabinet The Toronto Star ISSN 0319 0781 Retrieved November 19 2021 Franklin Michael 2020 02 07 Wildrose and Alberta PCs are no more after Elections Alberta approves merger Calgary Retrieved 2020 03 22 a b c d Block Niko Marshall Tabitha 2019 United Conservative Party The Canadian Encyclopedia Retrieved November 18 2021 a b Gunter Lorne NDP lineup full of radicals Calgary Sun List of MLAs PC Alberta Retrieved April 18 2013 Sorenson Eric August 22 2021 Analysis End of Andrew Scheer era means shift eastward for Conservative power Global News Retrieved November 18 2021 Wildrose Party Constitution PDF Wildrose Party 2014 Archived from the original PDF on 2015 01 15 Wildrose drops Alliance from name CBC News 26 June 2011 Retrieved 24 July 2011 Kleiss Karen April 9 2012 Alberta election pits PC s red versus Wildrose s blue conservatives experts say National Post Retrieved 2015 05 23 Bratt Duane 2012 Canada the Provinces and the Global Nuclear Revival Advocacy Coalitions in Action McGill Queen s Press MQUP ISBN 978 0 7735 4068 2 9 Wildrose MLAs including Danielle Smith cross to Alberta Tories CBC News December 17 2014 Henton Darcy Mass defection expected as Wildrose MLAs to join PCs Calgary Herald Bellefontaine Michelle October 28 2016 Wildrose leader rejects PC merger in speech to party faithful CBC Retrieved November 18 2021 Wildrose divided Fildebrandt breaks with leader calls for merger with PCs Calgary CBC December 15 2016 Retrieved November 18 2021 Wood James Braid Don December 15 2016 Wildrose rift Party appears split over merger with PCs Calgary Herald Retrieved November 18 2021 a b c Wildrose votes yes to unity with 95 of the vote Calgary Herald July 22 2017 Retrieved July 22 2017 Conservative unity vote A timeline Edmonton Journal July 22 2017 Retrieved July 22 2017 Alberta s Wildrose PCs agree to create new United Conservative Party CBC News May 18 2017 Retrieved May 19 2017 a b Bellefontaine Michelle July 22 2017 Wildrose and PC members approve unite the right deal with 95 voting yes CBC News Retrieved July 23 2017 Wildrose PC members to vote on new united party July 22 Edmonton Journal May 18 2017 Retrieved May 19 2017 Richard Starke former PC leadership candidate won t join new United Conservative Party CBC News Retrieved 2017 07 24 Nathan Cooper chosen as interim leader of United Conservative Party CBC News July 24 2017 a b Graney Emma July 22 2017 United Conservative Party The next steps Retrieved July 23 2017 James Wood 2017 09 21 Rick Fraser southeast Calgary MLA leaves United Conservative caucus Calgary Herald Retrieved 2018 02 08 James Wood 2016 09 08 Donna Kennedy Glans joins PC leadership race Calgary Herald Retrieved 2018 02 08 Calgary MLA steps down to allow Jason Kenney to run for legislature seat CBC News 2017 10 29 Retrieved 2018 02 08 Alberta election Danielle Smith s UCP to form next government after tight race Globalnews ca Global News Retrieved 2023 05 30 What Danielle Smith s Alberta election win means for the rest of Canada Globalnews ca Global News Retrieved 2023 05 31 UCP wins Alberta election but no Edmonton seats What now Edmonton Globalnews ca Global News Retrieved 2023 05 31 Williams Nia Bracken Amber Shakil Ismail May 30 2023 Alberta premier Smith takes aim at Trudeau after winning provincial election Reuters Retrieved September 6 2023 Austen Ian May 30 2023 Alberta Election Sees Conservatives Keep Power After Hard Right Turn The New York Times Retrieved September 6 2023 Taylor Vaisey Nick May 28 2023 In Alberta a bruising campaign invites political chaos POLITICO Retrieved September 6 2023 Graney Emma January 23 2019 UCP smashes 2018 fundraising totals but all major parties break donation rules Edmonton Journal Retrieved May 9 2020 Despite millions in donations UCP ends year with 2 3M deficit CBC April 16 2020 Retrieved May 8 2020 Bellefontaine Michelle April 16 2020 Despite millions in donations UCP ends year with 2 3M deficit CBC News Retrieved November 18 2021 Nimmock Kevin November 1 2021 Alberta s NDP far ahead of UCP in annual fundraising CTV News Calgary Retrieved November 18 2021 Bennett Dean November 18 2021 Fundraising questions raised as Kenney UCP delegates prepare for annual meeting CBC News Retrieved November 18 2021 a b Jason Kenney rides UCP wave to majority government in Alberta CBC CBC Alberta Election 2019 Interactive Results Today we begin to fight back says Kenney as UCP forms majority government April 16 2019 Marshall Tabitha April 12 2019 Jason Kenney The Canadian Encyclopedia The Canadian Encyclopedia Retrieved November 4 2019 he wanted to unite the province s centre right parties In July the PCs merged with the Wildrose Party Dunham Jackie April 17 2019 What Jason Kenney s UCP victory in Alberta could mean for the rest of Canada CTV CTV Retrieved November 4 2019 The UCP win marks a return to centre right politics for Alberta after Notley disrupted 44 years of Progressive Conservative rule with her win in 2015 Neustaeter Brooklyn April 16 2019 Jason Kenney s UCP wins majority government in Alberta CTV CTV Retrieved November 4 2019 Jason Kenney s United Conservative Party has won a majority in Alberta s provincial election unseating Rachel Notley and ushering in a return to the centre right for the province Jason Kenney s United Conservative Party wins majority government GlobalNews GlobalNews April 17 2019 Sevunts Levon April 17 2019 Alberta elects United Conservative Party government CBC CBC Retrieved November 4 2019 Alberta woke up to a new centre right government today Canada Jason Kenney and United Conservatives win Alberta election The Guardian The Guardian 17 April 2019 Wood James 2017 10 29 Jason Kenney takes charge of UCP seeks seat in legislature by Christmas Calgary Herald Retrieved 2018 02 08 Alberta s new United Conservative Party is a go What happens next CBC News Retrieved 2017 07 26 War room officially opens Canadian Energy Centre ready to target lies and misinformation calgaryherald com Retrieved 2020 05 08 News Emma McIntosh April 24th 2020 Politics 2020 04 24 Alberta premier calls energy transition an ideological scheme National Observer Retrieved 2020 05 08 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a last1 has generic name help Heydari Anis June 7 2019 Jason Kenney touts 2 84 M war room but provides few details CBC News Retrieved October 27 2019 Villani Mark 11 December 2019 Alberta government officially launches Energy War Room in Calgary CTV News Calgary Retrieved 23 February 2020 Bill 21 2019 PDF Braid UCP cancels doctor pay contract imposes radical change calgaryherald com Retrieved 2020 05 08 Corbella UCP s shameful treatment of Alberta doctors leads to lawsuit calgaryherald com Retrieved 2020 05 08 a b Kenney Callaway campaigns collaborated to attack Brian Jean during UCP leadership race leaked documents show CBC March 16 2019 Election commissioner issues more fines in kamikaze UCP leadership campaign edmontonjournal com Retrieved 2020 05 08 Braid In brazen move UCP fires the commissioner investigating its leadership scandal calgaryherald com Retrieved 2020 05 08 Staff CTVNews ca 2019 04 10 Allegations of voter fraud levelled against Jason Kenney in UCP leadership race CTVNews Retrieved 2020 05 08 UCP provincial police push causing stress and strain on Alberta RCMP Commanding Officer 2 November 2021 UCP opposes GSA bill banning parental notification CBC News November 7 2017 Retrieved February 26 2018 UCP members ignore MLA pleas to vote against gay straight alliance motion May 6 2018 Ross Tom April 28 2021 Alberta MLA maintains opposition to some COVID 19 health measures CityNews Retrieved 1 October 2021 2 of Premier Kenney s caucus members join coalition fighting COVID 19 restrictions CTV News The Canadian Press February 10 2021 Retrieved 1 October 2021 Vernon Tom October 11 2021 Former UCP MLA Drew Barnes explores forming a new rural Alberta political party Global News Retrieved November 18 2021 Bennett Dean September 15 2021 UCP backbencher Leela Aheer urges Kenney to admit he botched COVID 19 response take action Global News via Canadian Press Retrieved November 18 2021 White Ryan 2021 09 28 UCP MLA Angela Pitt says she no longer has confidence in Premier Kenney CTV Calgary Retrieved 2021 11 19 White Ryan September 28 2021 UCP MLA Angela Pitt says she no longer has confidence in Premier Kenney CTV News Retrieved 1 October 2021 Heintz Lauryn July 16 2021 Leela Aheer out as minister after Kenney shuffles cabinet Airdrie Today Retrieved 24 October 2022 External links EditUnity Agreement in Principle founding documentPreceded byAlberta New Democratic Party Governing party of Alberta2019 present Succeeded by Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title United Conservative Party amp oldid 1174056445, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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