Some Wildrose candidates soon to be selected

Fildebrandt says united conservative party needed first

Some Wildrose Party members in southern Alberta will pick their next electoral candidate at the end of this month, but one high-profile MLA in the region says the process is pointless until the future of the party is decided.

Strathmore-Brooks MLA Derek Fildebrandt is an outspoken supporter of his Wildrose Party joining forces in some fashion with Progressive Conservatives as a single entity to challenge the New Democrats in 2019.

“My intention is not to have a Wildrose contest in the next election,” he told the News last week during a tour of Medicine Hat. “My constituents have told me they want a united conservative party in the next election, so I don’t see a point to having the Wildrose nomination open in Strathmore-Brooks right now.“

The party opened a nomination process on Jan. 30 in the riding of ChestermereRocky View, reportedly at the request of that local party association.

A meeting and vote on Feb. 25 will determine the party’s 2019 candidate in the riding that is currently represented by Wildrose MLA Leela Aheer.

That takes place against the backdrop of maneuvering in both parties to conversely join together or maintain individual parties.

Political observers have said putting new candidates in place might give the party greater leverage over the PCs if the unification process progresses.

Cypress Medicine Hat MLA Drew Barnes, the Wildrose energy critic and a former leadership candidate, said he sees a move to reaffirm candidates as counterproductive.

He said that his long-held position is that nominations should open one year ahead of a planned election date in March 2019. Also, the Electoral Boundaries commission is currently working to decide if ridings may change.

“If Wildrose members and constituents want to have one party, and we also have Electoral Boundaries Commission at work, let’s get those two issues out of the way first,” said Barnes.

According to the party’s constitution even sitting MLAs have to re-win nominations to be eligible to seek re-election under the party banner.

Maureen Prince, the recently elected president of the Wildrose’s constituency association in Medicine Hat riding, said some contests may be taking place throughout the province. However, there is no schedule to decide a candidate to contest the city riding.

Fildebrandt said that his stance to hold off a local race earned near-unanimous support at constituency meeting earlier this month in Strathmore.

“(My constituents) don’t want PCs and Wildrose fighting each other and splitting the vote in the next election,” he said.

Another such meeting will be held on Feb. 15 in Brooks, and Fildebrandt said he expects a similar show of support.

There is no timeline among other parties who may contest local seats.

Local PCs vote this week

“(My constituents) don’t want PCs and Wildrose fighting each other and splitting the vote in the next election.”

Parties traditionally hold off the process to get local candidates in place until leadership contests are decided. The PCs have been without a permanent leader since the May 2015 election.

The current PC race concludes in March. Considering the delegate voting to this point, pro-consolidation candidate Jason Kenney is considered the favourite.

Progressive Conservative members of two local ridings will vote for delegates in the coming week. CypressMedicine Hat delegates decided at a vote held Mon., Feb. 13 and Medicine Hat delegates decided on Wed., Feb. 15.

– Derek Fildebrandt, Strathmore-Brooks MLA