Just how ‘united’ is Alberta’s UCP?

Amillion years ago, Alberta used to have a Progressive Conservative Party. The old joke about that much-depleted political brand was that “progressive” and “conservative” were opposites; that the phrase literally meant “Forward Backward Party.” Ironically, in the world of 2019, one in which everybody and his dog is “socially liberal and fiscally conservative,” the idea of a Progressive Conservative party might make more sense than ever. But let’s face it. The Alberta PCS were never much good at being either P or C at the same time. As often as not they might have been described as “socially awkward and fiscally deranged.”

Now a United Conservative Party has arisen to replace the toppled PCS. No contradiction there. But on the eve of a general election, Albertans can’t help wondering whether the “United” part might be a little bit shaky.

The Jason Kenney-led unification of the dead PCS and the crippled Wildrose Party turns out to have left more resentment in its wake than might have been expected. In 2017, after quitting his seat in Parliament, Kenney ran for the leadership of the PCS on a unity platform and won. Wildrose leader Brian Jean was amenable to a merger and a showdown. Both parties held internal referendums on whether to unify. Unification won on both sides, with vote shares normally only seen in People’s Republics. The nature of the deal was pretty clear to everybody who was concerned with ending Alberta’s flirtation with the NDP: we pick one right-wing leader and rally behind him, whichever guy it ends up being.

Jean had the advantage of leading an intact and well-funded party, but the Wildrose movement had been damaged by ex-leader Danielle Smith’s premature, pre-emptive 2014 attempt to unite the right by simply crossing the floor of the Assembly. Kenney gained the support of some prominent former Wildrosers and most of Alberta’s federal Conservative braintrust. (The unity movement had the important secondary goal of reconnecting Alberta’s provincial conservatives with the federal Conservative party, which had been obligated to keep a polite distance from news and events in its heartland as long as loyalties here were divided.)

Kenney was the favourite to win the unity contest all along, and there was ostensibly not much to distinguish the two men ideologically. But now some are crying foul about that UCP showdown, which Kenney won just as handily as Richard Nixon won the 1972 U.S. presidential election. A third candidate named Jeff Callaway, a former Wildrose president, had been in the race initially before endorsing Kenney and dropping out. Callaway has a modest following as someone toward the social-conservative and Alberta-über-alles end of the spectrum here.

Evidence has emerged that Callaway was recruited as a “kamikaze” candidate to engage in low-blow attacks on Jean, possibly employing some of the dark money that was gathered to fund the unity push. Alberta’s election commissioner has fined one Callaway supporter for making illegal donations to the campaign, having used someone else’s money to do so, and another Callaway donor was punished for obstructing an investigation. Meanwhile, a UCP candidate in Calgary was dumped from the ballot last week for failing to be “forthright” with the party during its own investigation into Callaway donations. (I would have said he was ejected “at the 11th hour,” but metaphorically it is more like two minutes to midnight.)

Kenney has denied any involvement with kamikaze tactics, and proof that he knew of them is likely to remain elusive, whether he is innocent or guilty. Still, some UCP figures who were involved with the unity drive are now convinced that the contest may not have been fought by strict Marquess of Queensberry rules. And the Alberta UCP now has Brian Jean, who is abstaining from electoral politics for the moment, as its own loose equivalent of the Ontario PCS’ Patrick Brown — a bypassed, resentful figure, but one with loyal admirers, lurking in the wings offstage.

Clearly Jean is not above some light sabotage of the “United” Conser vatives. Earlier this week he took to the pages of the Edmonton Journal with a column announcing that “Recent policy announcements from Jason Kenney have me concerned.” The UCP’S fiscal plan for the imminent election, Jean argues, takes unrealistic NDP projections of nearterm economic growth in Alberta and inflates them even further, promising a 25.7 per cent climb in GDP over five years.

Moreover, Jean adds, Kenney’s plan for addressing Alberta’s large deficit has ruled out pay cuts for public-sector employees and reductions in health-care spending. “Unless something unexpected happens, Kenney will win a landslide election,” Jean concludes, although he doesn’t mention how he personally intends to vote. “Let’s show some political leadership instead of selling Albertans fiscal fairy tales.” These concerns are presented as friendly outside advice from a humble civilian. But if you were entering an election as opposition leader, and your friend handed the government a sound bite like “fiscal fairy tales,” I imagine you wouldn’t stay friends too much longer.

KENNEY WAS THE FAVOURITE TO WIN THE UNITY CONTEST ALL ALONG. — COSH

Jason Kenney