United effort loses MLA
RICHARD STARKE LEAVES CAUCUS; NATHAN COOPER INTERIM LEADER OF UNITED CONSERVATIVE PARTY
Caucus members from Alberta’s two conservative parties got together for the first time Monday, but one Progressive Conservative bowed out before the joint meeting even took place.
Richard Starke, legislature member for Vermilion-Lloydminster, said he has not been happy with policy direction under PC Leader Jason Kenney and has no faith that will change under the new United Conservative Party.
Members of the Opposition Wildrose party and the Progressive Conservatives voted in a landslide on the weekend to join forces ahead of the next election set for 2019. The new party must still be registered with Elections Alberta. “The tone and the direction and the statements of the (PC) party are not consistent with what I believe to progressive conservatism,” Starke said.
“It’s demonstrating a hardness in its attitude towards a number of issues, and a level of partisanship that I don’t think is constructive, and I don’t think is helpful for the people of Alberta.”
He cited Kenney’s comments earlier this year on gay-straight alliances in schools. Gay straight alliances are student-organized support networks to help LGBTQ students feel welcome.
Kenney had said that schools should inform parents if their children join an alliance as long as it doesn’t put the child at risk. Critics said that would effectively out a child and could put them at harm of family estrangement or worse.
“As far as I’m concerned (the GSA legislation) is there to protect vulnerable students and to be ambiguous as to whether schools would be informing parents is a fundamental problem,” said Starke.
He said he was also concerned that Kenney did not attend Pride events last month.
Starke, a two-term member of the legislature, ran and lost against Kenney for the PC party leadership on a platform of social progressivism.
On Monday afternoon, 22 members of the Wildrose and the seven remaining Tories held a joint meeting near the legislature and selected Wildrose house leader Nathan Cooper as interim leader until a permanent one is selected Oct. 28.
Other positions and critic portfolios are to be set in the days to come, Cooper said.
Asked about Starke’s decision, Cooper noted that policies are not set, but will be hashed out and voted on by the membership.
“I hope he will think about that in the days to come.”
Wildrose leader Brian Jean, Kenney and conservative strategist Doug Schweitzer have already indicated they will run in the leadership race.