Tories facing another attempt to dump Kenney

Former rival’s fundraiser gets second hearing with PC brass

Jason Kenney could once again face disqualification from the Progressive Conservative leadership race as a party vice-president has called an emergency meeting of the PC board to hear a complaint against the former MP and his campaign.

On Sunday, the party’s leadership election committee unanimously dismissed a complaint filed by Calgary lawyer Jeff Rath seeking to have Kenney punted from the leadership race for damaging the PC brand.

But Darcy Schumann, the party’s vice-president for Calgary, said in an interview that although the committee was within its jurisdiction in ruling that Kenney had not violated the rules of the leadership campaign, it is up to the board to determine whether there has been damage to the PC brand and breaches of the constitution.

While party president Katherine O’Neill, a member of the leadership election committee, refused to have a meeting of the board to hear the complaint, Schumann used a provision of the party constitution to call a meeting to be held on Feb. 24.

“For me, it’s a matter of governance ... an issue as important as this should be heard by the board and the member should be given his due course,” said Schumann.

Schumann would not comment on whether he believes there are grounds for Kenney to be disqualified but acknowledged that could be the end result.

“That was always under my consideration. That’s why it was difficult to do. I want the members to pick the next leader. I’m all about that. But my first duty to the party is to uphold the constitution and make sure members are fairly treated.”

The meeting will see Rath present his concerns and the Kenney campaign allowed to immediately respond to the allegations.

The PC leadership campaign, which will culminate in a delegated convention next month, has been dominated by Kenney’s platform calling for the party to unite with the Wildrose in a new party.

Vermilion-Lloydminster MLA Richard Starke and Calgary lawyer Byron Nelson are opposed to Kenney’s plan and want to rebuild under the PC brand.

In a statement, Kenney said he was “disappointed” by what he called a “last-ditch effort to quash the leadership election.”

“I do not expect all PC members to agree with our effort to reunite Alberta conservatives,” he said.

“But I do expect all members to respect the basic principle of democracy: that the voters get to decide. Disqualifying my candidacy would violate this principle by disenfranchising the thousands of PC members who have voted to support our campaign.”

Rath has alleged numerous infractions by Kenney of the party’s constitution and code of ethics based on what he says is Kenney’s repudiation of progressive conservative values and attempt to ” deregister and destroy the PC party.”

He said Wednesday that, out of respect for the party’s process, he would limit his remarks.

“The fact that an emergency meeting has been called to deal with my complaint demonstrates that the complaint is far from frivolous,” said Rath, a former campaign fundraiser for Starke, who has disavowed the complaint.

“The matter deserves further serious consideration.”

In a letter sent to O’Neill, the leadership campaigns and some board members, Rath said that since he made the complaint his law office has been “inundated with abusive telephone calls and emails.”

Janice Harrington, a member of both the party board and the leadership election committee, said the committee opposed the board revisiting the complaint but Schumann is acting within his rights.

“The LEC feels very confident that the ruling that they made was within their jurisdiction but it’s the board’s right — they’re the bosses,” said Harrington.

“We’ll be there and we’ll explain our rationale ... it’s a bit frustrating

Disqualifying my candidacy would violate this principle by disenfranchising the thousands of PC members who have voted to support our campaign.

from our perspective.”

There are more than 40 members of the PC board, who will only be able to attend the meeting in person and not by phone.

Sue Timanson, an Edmonton regional director on the PC party board, said Schumann’s move to call the meeting was encouraged by a number of board members.

But she said there are no predetermined outcomes to the meeting.

“This isn’t about a second attempt to disqualify a candidate. This isn’t about a candidate. This is about good governance by the board of directors.”