Fildebrandt says he’s creating a new right-wing party
Outspoken independent conservative MLA Derek Fildebrandt has started a new party in reaction to what he sees as a single, “vanilla” choice for Alberta conservatives.
And he’s “pretty pumped” about it.
Called the Freedom Conservative Party of Alberta, it will comprise of what the StrathmoreBrooks MLA labels “unapologetic conservatives, libertarians and Alberta patriots.”
Fildebrandt left the United Conservative Party caucus last year and was told in February he’s not welcome back, but says this isn’t about revenge. Rather, it’s a reaction to what he sees as the UCP trampling on the rights of its grassroots membership.
“If it was just about myself or my constituency, I would run as an independent, but it’s not,” he told Postmedia.
“It has become apparent over the last few months that MLAs in the UCP are not allowed to speak their minds and vote on behalf of their constituents.
“They’re excessively bound by a party whip that wants them to be nothing more than talking point voting machines.”
Fildebrandt was once one of the most enthusiastic boosters of a united conservative force, but he doesn’t like what the party has become.
Still, he said he has no intention of splitting the vote and contributing to another NDP victory.
“The defeat of the NDP in 2019 is still the most important, overriding goal, so we have consciously decided we will field candidates in constituencies where the NDP cannot conceivably win,” he said.
That means targeting traditional conservative ridings in small town and rural Alberta.
UCP FEELS ‘ENTITLEMENT TO POWER’: FILDEBRANDT
The Freedom Conservative Party has been registered with Elections Alberta and Fildebrandt says an interim board is ready to go.
He wouldn’t name names Wednesday, but will unveil the details Friday in Calgary.
Fildebrandt said he wants conservatives to have a choice — not feel as though they “have a gun to their head” and must vote UCP.
“Right now, unless people want to simply vote for a vanilla Tory party, there’s not many options for conservatives,” he said.
Between Fildebrandt’s own banishment from the UCP, bitter nom- ination races in the Airdrie area and Chestermere-Strathmore, and MLA Prab Gill’s resignation from the UCP caucus over ballotstuffing allegations, Fildebrandt says “in far too many ways, (the UCP) looks like the old Tories 2.0.”
“Right now, there is an entitlement to power that has set in among many,” he said.
“They’ll do what they’re doing and we’ll do what we’re doing, but I’m not interested in holding my nose to vote for recreating an establishment Tory party.”
NEW PARTY TO FOCUS ON AN AUTONOMOUS ALBERTA
Fildebrandt said his new party will focus on getting government out of wallets, bedrooms, schools and churches, and wrestling back control of Alberta’s place in Confederation.
“We reject the status quo ... and we are hell-bent on repatriating all powers under the Constitution that Alberta has,” he said, listing issues like CPP, EI, immigration, equalization and administration of the firearms act.
“We demand equality for Alberta among the provinces, and the end of our treatment as a colony simply to be milked.”