Neutral Cooper to guide united right in early going
Popular Wildrose MLA selected to serve as interim leader of amalgamated party
Former Progressive Conservative and Wildrose MLAs started putting aside old rivalries Monday, holding their first joint caucus meeting and selecting Nathan Cooper as interim leader of the new United Conservative Party.
“We have been working well together over the last number of months and certainly the last session,” Cooper said following the meeting at the Federal Building.
“There are so many great people who are part of both organizations and so the relationships are strong. I really look forward to the future of not only this caucus, but our party and what’s in store for the conservative movement in the province of Alberta.”
Cooper, MLA for Olds-DidsburyThree Hills, had been serving as the Wildrose house leader for the past two years. He has not publicly declared support for Brian Jean, Jason Kenney or anyone else mulling a run for leadership of the new party, making him a palatable choice for all sides.
“I think he’s going to do a fantastic job,” said Derek Fildebrandt, a Wildrose MLA who has yet to decide if he will run for leader. “I think he had broad support across the two legacy caucuses.”
It was not disclosed who else in caucus sought the position.
Cooper will serve as interim leader until the UCP’s full-time leader is chosen in October. He said his mission is “to be a team builder, to work to build our caucus, our constituency associations, and to reach out to all conservatives all across our province and let them know there is a home for them in the United Conservative Party.”
All 22 Wildrose MLAs and seven of the eight PC MLAs participated in Monday’s session, giving the new party a caucus of 29 people. The lone holdout was PC member Richard Starke, who announced he would not be joining his colleagues.
Jean attended the meeting for a short time — sitting beside former interim PC leader Ric McIver — before departing to announce his leadership candidacy.
Both Cooper and Fildebrandt described the tenor of the meeting as “fantastic.”
While tensions will likely persist for awhile, no serious problems are expected, Fildebrandt said.
“Some people probably held their nose on both sides and weren’t enthusiastic about working together, but I think in very short order we are going to see people working seamlessly as a single party,” he said.
He said he signed his papers to become a UCP MLA alongside PC member Mike Ellis. The two held a joint beer night in Calgary back in December 2015 to begin talks about conservative unity.
“It was very long road,” Fildebrandt said. “I am extremely glad to see everybody working in the same direction.”
The caucus meeting followed weekend votes that saw members of both parties endorse a merger under the UCP banner.
Kenney declined an interview Monday, but sent out a Twitter post congratulating Cooper.