Local lawyer runs for PC leader
Calgary lawyer Byron Nelson has thrown his hat in the ring for the Progressive Conservative leadership.
At an announcement Tuesday morning, Nelson, 45, said he wanted to return Alberta to being a “land of opportunity,” and rejected the idea of uniting the PCs with the Wildrose if he wins.
“It will be my intention to run in the 2019 provincial election as the leader of the Progressive Conservative party,” he said.
“The day after this campaign is concluded, we have to focus, campaign and plan for the next election and beyond, not spend two years debating and arguing — and that’s what a unite-the-right process looks like.”
The position differentiates Nelson from Jason Kenney, who resigned as a Conservative MP last week.
Kenney is running on a platform of merging the PC and Wildrose into a new “Conservative Party of Alberta,” with a multi-stage process that would include negotiations between parties and ratification votes by members.
Former PC cabinet minister Donna KennedyGlans, who will formally announce her leadership bid on Wednesday, has also come out against the idea of uniting the parties.
In a statement, Kenney welcomed Nelson into the race but said he “respectfully disagreed” on uniting conservatives.
“I look forward to a civil, yet vibrant debate,” said Kenney.
Nelson also set himself apart from Kenney on the issue of the carbon tax that is being implemented by the NDP government on Jan. 1.
Kenney has vowed to scrap the tax, but Nelson said he would keep it and make it revenue-neutral, with tax cuts to neutralize the effect on businesses.
“I am in favour of a carbon tax so long as it is entirely revenue-neutral to the payer, and I mean penny-for-penny revenue-neutral,” said Nelson, who made his announcement at a south Calgary garden centre that will be hit by the tax.
Nelson ran as the Tory candidate in Calgary-Bow in the 2015 provincial election but lost to the NDP’s Deborah Drever.
Speaking to reporters, Nelson acknowledged he does not have high namerecognition but downplayed the significance.
“We have a lot of work to do,” he said.
“I’ve got a lot of time ... I’ve been a (party) member for 25 years, primarily a volunteer for 25 years, so I’ve met a lot of people.”
The PC campaign officially gets underway Saturday. Tories will select a new leader at a delegated convention next March.
PC president Katherine O’Neill also confirmed Tuesday that party executive director Troy Wason is stepping down on Oct. 15 for personal and health reasons.
Other potential candidates in the mix for the leadership race are MLAs Sandra Jansen and Richard Starke, Edmonton city councillor Michael Oshry, former PC cabinet minister Stephen Khan and Edmonton lawyer Harman Kandola.