UCP: Reviving Ralph Klein

It was a beautiful evening in downtown Calgary on Wednesday; the chinook had settled in and the wind was muted among the turn of the century buildings of 8th Avenue.  The UCP was holding a "Ralph Revival" at the St. Louis Hotel, a favourite watering hole of former Premier Ralph Klein.  Included in the $150 ticket price was a black t-shirt with a tuxedo print and the UCP logo, two drink tickets and Chicken on the Way.  A number of volunteers acted as registrars, coat check minders and wait staff.

I was fashionably late, arriving at 5:20 pm because I work and couldn't manage to leave early for the 4:30 pm start.  The room was bustling, mostly with men between the ages of 45 and 65 and the conversation seemed lively.  Since its renovation, the tavern is a blank slate and that night it had stand-up bar tables four or five deep along the middle of the room.  The room was warm, its occupants jovial and the air hummed with optimistic chatter. I looked around for some familiar faces and went to say hello.

"Don't you ever get tired of hanging out with the UCP crowd?"  I was asked.  Partially in jest, there is a genuine curiosity to that question and I laughed.  Answering honestly, I replied "Not at all; you say the most interesting things".  I was introduced to the table and welcomed into the conversation.  Within moments, a gentleman to my right asked a gentleman to my left "what do you think about the Alberta Party not running a candidate in the by-election?" 

The gentleman who responded was a former Alberta resident who now lives and operates an oil and gas company in Manitoba.  He was "forced out", he said, by the Stelmach royalty review.  "I think the Alberta Party is the smartest opposition party in the legislature" said one, "but they need to show up." "What do you think about the government's candidate?" Asked another.  "This could be a real shot for David Khan if he can beat the NDP candidate" offered someone else.  No one suggested there was a chance Kenney wouldn't win.

After a few minutes, I picked up my chicken in a box and found a less crowded table.  I befriended a friendly 40-something woman and she told me she used to work for a Reform MP in Ottawa.  She said she felt like it was time to see what was going on here and if she wanted to be involved.  She dragged her husband along, she said, because he wasn't really into politics but she spent time at sporting events so this was his way of giving back.  He was a dentist so I asked him what he thought of the proposed fee guidelines.  As they had just been released that evening, he hadn't had time to go over them but he said that because of the sterilization requirements in Alberta "there isn't an office in the rest of Canada that would meet Alberta standards."  He said it costs more to do business here to keep up with those regulations.  Personally, I think the fee guides are to pull costs closer together so people don't have to shop around for dental work but we were interrupted by Richard Gotfried's call to attention as the speeches were about to begin.

The first person invited to the podium was Leela Aheer's son who sang "O Canada"; that young man has an incredibly clear, strong voice which needed no technological amplification and it was joined by a number of individuals in the crowd.  Next we heard from an avid volunteer who became interested in politics when he was 14.  Ron Stevens, former PC MLA for Calgary Glenmore from 1997 to 2012, had caught the young man applying some graffiti to the side of a local building.  Stevens, as the story was told, did not chase the youth away or call the police. Instead, the MLA engaged the youth and invited him door knocking.  He happily explained that it was enough to turn his energy towards politics, where he remains a volunteer 6 or so years later.  It was this kindness and introduction to a new direction that made him want to be involved in a youth engagement strategy with the UCP.  He then explained that proceeds from the live and silent auction items would help fund their work.

Kenney spoke next and delivered a brief speech in a pace that rivaled the auctioneer who succeeded him.  Beginning with the "surplus of common sense of Ralph Klein" (perhaps for adopting changes Kenney advocated for as Alberta Director of the Canadian Taxpayer Federation), he nodded to the Klein government's decision "to do the right thing".  That "thing" was unexplained.  Klein is oft-admired for paying off Alberta's debt but I have yet to hear his fans remind Albertans how he paid off the debt; see: lowest personal return for tax investment in Canada.  I can't help but question why it is that Albertans are so lucky to have the lowest taxes, highest personal wealth and more money spent on them per capita by a doting, if misguided, government.  I highly doubt the "right thing" Kenney referred to involves actually paying for government services.

The crowd thinned out very quickly as 8:00 pm approached.  A few were heading to a nearby drinking establishment and I declined to join.  When I had my coat and t-shirt in hand, I stopped to say goodbye to a woman I'd met on a few occasions previously.  When asked if I had met Kenney, I shook my head and told her I wasn't really interested in doing so.  She told me she was giving the UCP six months before making her decision; she wanted to see if the party really did support women.  "He gave both Leela and Angela high-level appointments, which is smart, but it might just be good politics" she told me.  "I'll know in six months if I'm going to stay" she said.  Her declaration made me realize once again that we shouldn't discount UCP supporters so quickly; there are a number of smart and talented people in politics and they support different parties for different reasons.  As I walked back to my car I considered that the UCP may have hit their high note in 2017; the level of support for Trumpian politics in this province may well be at a ceiling rather than a floor.

Disclaimer: As of November 17, 2017, author is on the board of directors for the Alberta Party and also the executive as VP Membership. Former: member of Youth Justice Committee, Age-Friendly Steering Committee, Environmental Committee, Westerner Days Committee, and Miss Blackfalds 1991.

So You're Not Running a Candidate in Calgary-Lougheed

After a stellar showing at their AGM over the weekend, the Alberta Party officially announced Tuesday it would not be running a candidate in the Calgary-Lougheed by-election this Christmas season. A statement from the Party said they would instead abide by parliamentary tradition and allow three opposition leaders without a seat in the legislature, and the government, to duke it out while they prepared for a leadership race.  While one UCP supporter claimed announcing the outcome of the by-election was a "foregone conclusion" was defeatist, does anyone really believe Jason Kenney picked Calgary-Lougheed because he might have to work for it?   While this author took a stab at predicting who would step down for Kenney earlier this year, I missed the obvious benefit of removing the longest serving Calgary MLA, Dave Rodney; my bad.

Photo Credit: Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press

Referred to as a "stronghold", incumbents have the best chance of re-election, especially those who have been re-elected three times.  Naturally, if not an incumbent, the incumbent's party leader.   The NDP had to run a candidate because they are the government and it's quite likely they held back from announcing the date of the by-election until they found someone who could be everything that Kenney wasn't (and also take away some bragging rights from the AB Libs).

When fighting a social conservative college drop out who "served" his country by grandstanding on decades old belief systems, there's few better to enter the ring than a happily married gay doctor.  Dr. Phillip van der Merwe takes the edge on a single gay lawyer by having already made a lifetime commitment to another in the eyes of the law and of course God, who witnesses all marital unions.  Oh, and the Alberta Green Party leader is running as well.

The Alberta Party can happily leave this definite hot mess alone.  Kenney only has good old faith in traditional marriage, anti-carbon tax, anti-socialism, anti-compassion and a pie-in-the-sky promise that economic miracles will abound if he forms government in 2019.  The NDP will run on policy, GSAs and the fact that the economy is getting better even without Jason Kenney's magic conservative wand.  David Khan will run on his anti-PAC advocacy and hope that Trudeau shows up to knock on a door or two.  I imagine Kenney is hoping for the same since it seems he'd rather be facing off with Trudeau anyway.

While some are trying to set the narrative that the Alberta Party was either too weak or lonesome to run a candidate, UCP supporters on social media are obsessing about the Alberta Party and not the by-election.  It would appear the Alberta Party doesn't have to enter a by-election to take headlines or energy away from the UCP and it's highly probable that annoys them more than anything else.

Disclaimer: As of November 17, 2017, author is on the board of directors for the Alberta Party and also the executive as VP Membership. Former: member of Youth Justice Committee, Age-Friendly Steering Committee, Environmental Committee, Westerner Days Committee, and Miss Blackfalds 1992.

UCP: From or Into the Ashes?

It's been quite the week and a half since UCP members overwhelmingly chose Jason Kenney as their Leader.  Despite publishing the results before the official announcement, people without cell phones or internet were still quite excited to find out who won.  "We don't care in this party what God you worship or who you love.." Kenney declared to a crowd of both ecstatic and disappointed observers.  That little shocker aside, we've heard it all before.

Walking around the room, I spoke with a number of people.  Of all my conversations, the most difficult was with Leela Aheer who suggested I join her board.  I've spoken with her at a few events this year and  I like Leela, I really do; I just don't understand why she is a UCP member.

Granted, she whole-heartedly supported the more likable Brian Jean but after almost two weeks, she is still there.  Perhaps her promotion to Deputy Leader the morning after gave her hope she may wield some influence.  Dave Rodney, MLA for Calgary-Lougheed stepped down the day after the announcement to allow Jason "I'm in no rush to get into the legislature" Kenney to run for a seat in the legislature.

A number of people migrated to the Wildrose when they were fed up with the PC party.  Alberta has historically been a conservative province and they don't appreciate government waste.  There was a large group of recently-Wildrose-now-UCP members supporting Brian Jean who were part of that migration: fiscal conservatives who were also either socially liberal or socially libertarian. In either case, they don't identify with Jason Kenney's social conservatism.

Kenney did other political parties in Alberta a favour by running for the PC leadership and he did them an even bigger favour by uniting with the Wildrose.  Through the subsequent leadership race conservatives were offered three options:  Doug Schweitzer who campaigned to the young and centre-right, Kenney to the staunch social conservatives and Brian Jean held up the centre to middle right.  Although they tried not to fracture the newly-formed party, the vast difference between the leadership candidates ensured the culmination of that race would benefit someone other than the UCP.

Most polls proclaimed if the election were held yesterday, the UCP would win.  Polls also said that UCP would have more support under Brian Jean than Jason Kenney but that was then.  This week, Jason Kenney decided not to take Rob Breakenridge's advice and opposed Bill 24, a bill that legislates children's privacy in being a member of a Gay-Straight Alliance club at their school (Breakenridge has written four articles in 2017 regarding Kenney and social conservatism).

In a vote on the second reading of Bill 24, legislation that allows for the creation of Gay Straight Alliances, only 8 UCP MLAs attended to vote on record; and they all voted against the Bill.  Derek Fildebrandt, the independent but highly partisan MLA for Strathmore-Brooks also voted against the Bill.

Leela Aheer, MLA for Chestermere - Rockyview gave an impassioned speech acknowledging the need for GSAs prior to the vote but did not return to vote; neither did MLA for Grande Prairie - Smoky Todd Loewen nor Prasad Panda MLA for Calgary-Foothills, who were also present prior to the 15 minute division.  Adding salt to the already open wound, Mike Ellis, UCP MLA for Calgary-West presented an amendment to remove section 9 from Bill 24 the next morning.  In his statement, Ellis accused the government of providing sexual education without parental consent through GSAs.

Seeing people defend their membership in a party that now has a leader they fundamentally disagree with has been enlightening.  They disagree with the leadership directive but they are defending their choice to stay or, worse, remaining silent.  There is no reason to stay loyal to a party that has existed for all of four months except one: those aforementioned polls.  If the MLAs cannot or will not stand up for what they believe in then it would seem they aren't worth the votes that put them there.  If they wish to stand for the  principles they claim to have, there is no time like the present to remove themselves from the heat of Kenney's socially conservative agenda.  The Lake of Fire 2.0 will not be as kind to the party the second time around.