Rempel Garner decides against leadership run
Longtime Calgary MP Michelle Rempel Garner has announced she will not run in the UCP leadership race after weeks of speculation that she would join the race to replace Premier Jason Kenney.
Rempel Garner announced her decision in a lengthy blog post where she said she ultimately decided against a run due to internal divisions within Alberta's governing party.
“Many of the conversations I've had while exploring this opportunity confirm public reports that a clear division exists,” said Rempel Garner. “That is, those who don't want the former leadership team to retain any hold on power and those who are part of the former leadership team and want to entirely maintain the status quo. Neither of these positions are tenable. The public has no sympathy for it, either.”
Comparing the UCP to the federal Conservative party, which has lost three elections and replaced two leaders in the past seven years, Rempel Garner said there have been squabbles in both parties that have made headlines, as well as public meltdowns, near physical fights, coups and smear jobs.
Earlier this week, Rempel Garner had sought an exemption to join the leadership race after it was reported her UCP membership had elapsed and she did not meet the requirement of being a party member for six months prior to a July deadline to put her name forward.
Several people who spoke on condition of anonymity told Postmedia this week that during a phone call to discuss the exemption, several sitting MLAS voiced concerns, with several sources musing that those in opposition had already publicly declared support for another candidate.
Lisa Young, a political scientist at the University of Calgary, said everything leading up to the blog post had suggested Rempel Garner was genuinely considering a bid.
She said it appears some of the opposition Rempel Garner faced while seeking an exemption appears to have confirmed to the Calgary-nose Hill MP that divisions remain strong.
“She really does suggest that the UCP is, from her point of view, ungovernable, and that somebody, particularly someone from the outside coming in as leader is going to be set up to fail,” said Young.
At least one sitting member of the party appeared to agree with Rempel Garner's assessment of the party. Richard Gotfried, MLA for Calgary-fish Creek, tweeted saying she was “bang on.”
Rempel Garner did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday afternoon.
In her post, she said deciding not to run was the hardest decision she has ever had to make.
NDP Leader Rachel Notley said Rempel Garner's statement showed Albertans that the UCP can't be trusted to stay focused on issues Albertans are facing.
“Affordability, health care, fixing our education system, these are the things that they should be focused on and her statement includes incredibly revealing descriptions of how that is not what Albertans can count on from the UCP,” said Notley.