New party promises ‘a stronger Alberta with less Ottawa’
Independent MLA Derek Fildebrandt officially launched a new Freedom Conservative Party on Friday, insisting it’s not a separatist party but rather one intended for “Alberta patriots.”
Fildebrandt — who is the party ’s interim leader — defined an Alberta patriot as “someone who has a strong sense of Alberta’s identity and who believes in a strong and equal place for Alberta in Confederation.”
He said it’s meant to be a broad term that encompasses “those who just want a stronger Alberta but primarily those who want a stronger Alberta with less Ottawa.”
Specifically, the new party plans to take direct control over employment insurance, the Canada Pension Plan, tax collection, the firearms act and immigration, with the ultimate goal of keeping more money and decision-making away from the federal government.
“I was born a Canadian and want to die a Canadian, but I think it’s very fair to say that a lot of people are losing faith in Confederation,” Fildebrandt said. “Alberta is not treated justly and never will be under the current constitutional arrangement. We are hell-bent on making that arrangement fair, just and even.”
Fildebrandt previously was banned from running for the United Conservative Party after a series of scandals and convictions, including a hit-and-run and cheating on expenses.
“It’s pretty obvious this is a fellow that’s upset that he was barred from running for the United Conservative caucus,” said UCP Leader Jason Kenney in response to Fildebrandt launching the new party. “It’s probably very personal but we won’t be destroyed or deterred by that.”
While Kenney has been vocal about his disinterest in the party, calling it “Derek’s latest political stunt,” Fildebrandt said he was fully expecting personal attacks.
NDP deputy premier Sarah Hoffman said she expects Fildebrandt will find an audience among at least some conservatives disgruntled with Kenney.
She said the UCP leader clearly ditched the “grassroots guarantee” he had run on when he made clear after the party ’s spring convention he would have final say over the party’s platform.
But Hoffman said she saw little difference between Kenney and Fildebrandt, who has derided the UCP as “vanilla.”
“To say that (Kenney) is too vanilla, I don’t know what flavour they’re going for or what flavour would make Derek happier,” she said Friday.
The Freedom Conservative Party is promising to take a grassroots approach, Fildebrandt said, adding a constitution will be written before the leadership race.
The party’s No. 1 priority is “the complete obliteration of the NDP,” Fildebrandt said. In order to make this happen, he said, the party will run only in constituencies that are certain to be anti-NDP.
“Where the NDP have no chance of winning we will ensure that Albertans have a choice, not an ultimatum,” he said, pointing primarily to rural parts of the province. “We want the end of the NDP and would be willing to co-operate with the Tories to have the most conservative government possible.”
The exact number of candidates that will run hasn’t been decided yet and will be based on data from the last election, said Fildebrandt.
The founding convention for the party is expected to take place in October, which is when candidates will be nominated.