PC party president O’Neill resigns post
Decision to step down has nothing to do with Kenney’s leadership win, she says
The Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta will be launching a leadership race of a different kind after president Katherine O’Neill resigned Friday.
It was a bittersweet decision for O’Neill, who called the role one of the great honours of her life.
O’Neill steps down less than a month after members elected new leader Jason Kenney, who ran on a platform of joining with the Wildrose party to create a united conservative force in Alberta politics.
Speaking Friday, O’Neill was adamant Kenney’s victory didn’t play into her resignation.
To O’Neill, failing to listen to grassroots members and Albertans in general played a large role in the PC’s 2015 election loss.
As the party tried to pick itself up from that disastrous defeat, she said, it learned hard lessons about ignoring members’ wishes. So when members handed the reins to Kenney in a clear majority on March 18, O’Neill accepted the decision.
Even though she has stepped down, O’Neill wouldn’t weigh in with her personal views on a merger.
“I’m not going to go there,” she said.
“It’s about a collective. It’s about people coming together. It’s not about what Katherine O’Neill thinks, it’s about what our membership wants to do as a political party.”
O’Neill’s resignation fell on the second anniversary of the 2015 election campaign launch.
Those two years have been a roller- coaster for the Alberta Progressive Conservatives, from being decimated in the election after 44 years in power, to two near-bankruptcies and the most recent leadership vote that will essentially spell the end of the party.
That leadership race was rough on O’Neill.
Promises of the Kenney campaign often caused friction among members, particularly those who considered themselves more in the political centre and rejected the former MP’s socially conservative views.
Heated exchanges and complaints weren’t uncommon, culminating in a $5,000 fine for the Kenney campaign over a hospitality suite, and an investigation into complaints of harassment at the party’s policy convention in Red Deer.
As president, O’Neill often bore the brunt of anger, and on Friday admitted that was tough on her family.
“I was attacked on all sides … but I was very committed to this very open, fair and transparent race,” she said.
“I knew things I was doing weren’t going to be popular, but at the end of the day, we were going to get a result, and people were going to be satisfied it was fair.”
The appointment of interim executive director Janice Harrington this week cemented O’Neill’s decision to leave. The party is starting a new chapter, O’Neill said.
With united conservative talks moving along, she thinks it’s the perfect time for someone else to take the reins.
O’Neill will continue to be a cardcarrying member of the party, but didn’t commit to running again.
Still, she’s keeping a close eye on the party’s future direction.
“We’ve got so many great people ... at the table building this new party, and I really hope all Albertans are paying attention.”
O’Neill said she has worked closely with Kenney since he was elected and is confident the party is heading in the direction members voted for at the leadership convention.
In a statement on his Facebook page, Kenney thanked O’Neill for her work and said he has had a positive working relationship with her as the party goes through its transition period.
He said the party is in a better financial position, with much larger membership and stronger constituency offices, because of O’Neill.
O’Neill was voted in as president of the party in May 2016.
In a letter to the board, she thanked her husband, kids and volunteers for their support.