National Post (National Edition)
Jean denies he’ll lead splinter conservatives
Alberta rumour sets off political stir
EDMONTON • The rumour mill rattled Alberta Thursday morning after a newspaper column said that Brian Jean, the man who once led half of Alberta’s right wing through an election that resulted in the downfall of a four-decade dynasty, would be returning to provincial politics at the helm of the upstart Freedom Conservatives.
Calgary city Coun. Joe Magliocca told the Calgary Sun that Jean is planning to take over the leadership of the small group of rogue conservatives led by Derek Fildebrandt, the former Alberta director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. Fildebrandt left the United Conservative Party caucus last year after a handful of scandals and, after pleading guilty to illegally shooting a deer on private land, was forbidden from rejoining caucus. And, so, he started up his own party.
Jean appeared to dismiss the claim hours after it was published. “I too have heard crazy rumours about something coming Friday but NONE of it involves me,” Jean wrote on Twitter.
Still, the rumour was enough to draw the attention — and condemnation — of some prominent western Canadian conservatives.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe warned of divisions within the right.
“Our province was the example of what dividing the free enterprise movement will do: electing NDP governments, over and over again,” he wrote on Twitter. (The tweet was retweeted by former Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall.)
Moe was joined by former prime minister Stephen Harper, who tweeted “Conservatives win when we are united.”
“(Conservative leader) Jason Kenney received an overwhelming mandate from Alberta’s conservatives to lead us into the next election,” Harper said. “Laureen and I will be strongly supporting Jason and we are confident that all true Alberta conservatives will help him defeat this NDP government.”
Jean left provincial politics after losing the leadership race to Kenney.
Kenney united the fractured right, bringing together the remnants of Jean’s Wildrose Party and the Progressive Conservative Party.
Albertans will go to the polls sometime before the end of May, and the campaign could kick off as soon as Monday, when Premier Rachel Notley’s NDP government will deliver a Throne Speech. She has yet to set the date for the election.
With the United Conservative Party leading in the polls, here’s what you need to know about Jean and how his return could risk upsetting the balance of power.
WHO IS BRIAN JEAN?
Jean, 56, lives in Fort Mcmurray, the heart of Alberta’s oilsands. A lawyer, he entered federal politics as an Alberta MP in 2004 when the Tories were the opposition, facing Paul Martin’s Liberals. He stayed on with Harper’s Conservatives until 2014.
In December 2014, a series of defections to the Progressive Conservatives left the Wildrose Party adrift. Jean won the Wildrose leadership in March 2015. A little more than a week later, his son died, and shortly after Progressive Conservative Premier Jim Prentice called an election for May 5, 2015.
Prentice’s party was practically wiped out in an NDP sweep. Jean’s party retained its official opposition status, though, winning 21 seats, and he’s credited with holding the party together.
But then, Kenney returned, and the Wildrose and PCS merged into the United Conservatives.
After losing the UCP leadership to Kenney last spring, Jean resigned, in part, to focus on rebuilding his home, which was destroyed in the Fort McMurray fires. He’s remained engaged in public debate through newspaper op-eds, media interviews and Facebook posts.
WHY MIGHT HIS RETURN MATTER?
The fear is that there could be vote-splitting on the right, leaving enough room for the NDP to claim another term governing Alberta. There’s some precedent here: Wall, the former premier of Saskatchewan, knows a thing or two about vote splitting.
Reached at his office in Calgary, he said that multiple right-wing parties on Saskatchewan’s “free enterprise” political wing led to years of NDP governments.
“I have a high regard for Brian Jean,” said Wall, lauding Jean’s tenure as Wildrose leader. “If this is true I just think this is the wrong way to go about what’s best for Alberta, starting another, or leading another party that will split the vote, the freeenterprise vote, in Alberta.”
WHY MIGHT HE DO IT?
There has been a fractious back-and-forth between Kenney and Jean over allegations of irregular voting in the leadership race.
In January, Jean prompted rumours of his return with a Facebook post declaring Albertans wanted a “mad as hell” party. Then, on Saturday, Jean again lambasted Kenney and the UCP: “Let’s show some political leadership instead of selling Albertans fiscal fairy tales,” he wrote in the Edmonton Journal.
On Thursday, Kenney responded to the rumour. “It’s been clear for some time that Brian has had a hard time coming to terms with the decision made by grassroots conservatives in our leadership election,” he said.