Intervention by Harper in PC race draws mixed response
‘Let people sort this out for themselves,’ Wildrose MLA says
The Wildrose president says the party has no official position on whether its members should join the Progressive Conservative party to take part in the Tory leadership race.
Former prime minister Stephen Harper continued his unusual intervention in provincial politics this week, with a letter to supporters of leadership candidate Jason Kenney that included an appeal to Wildrose members to join the PCs to cast a vote for Kenney.
Wildrose president Jeff Callaway said in an interview Wednesday he would neither encourage nor discourage party members from taking on Tory memberships.
But he did say he would stress to Wildrose members thinking of joining the PCs that “our party has always been the conservative option working to unify conservatives across this province.”
“That choice is up to you, but don’t be a stranger to us,” Callaway said.
“Because there’s lots of water to go under the bridge before the PC election, however it may turn out.”
Kenney, a former Conservative MP, is running for the PC leadership on a platform of uniting the Tories and Wildrose into a new “Conservative Party of Alberta.” His rivals in the race, Calgary lawyer Byron Nelson, former St. Albert MLA Stephen Khan and Vermilion-Lloydminster MLA Richard Starke are opposed to the merger idea and want to rebuild the party under the PC brand.
Neither Wildrose nor the PCs bar their members from holding memberships in other parties at the same time. In Harper’s letter, he points out that Wildrose members can stay with the party while also supporting Kenney.
On Harper’s intervention in the campaign, Callaway said he respects the former prime minister and his right to get involved.
“He’s now a private citizen. He can comment and support whom he pleases,” he said.
But Wildrose MLA Don MacIntyre thinks it would be better for Harper to keep out of provincial politics.
“I would have preferred that Mr. Harper retire and stay out of it, and not try to influence this whole thing one way or the other,” he said Wednesday.
“Let people sort this out for themselves.”
MacIntyre said he believes Wildrose members would be better off not getting involved in the PC race, leaving it up to Tories to figure out the direction of their party.
Wildrose Leader Brian Jean — who, like Kenney, served as an MP under Harper — was not made available for an interview Wednesday.
Harper has already played a significant role in Kenney’s campaign since his last Stampede BBQ as an MP in the summer, when he endorsed his former lieutenant from the stage.
At the PC convention earlier this month, Harper gave a closed-door speech to young Kenney supporters who had been bused in by the campaign to vote in PC Youth Association executive elections.
Harper’s efforts have also raised some eyebrows on the PC side, with leadership candidate Starke noting sardonically that it’s an “interesting departure” from his stance as PM, when he told his MPs to stay out of Alberta’s conservative civil war.
I would have preferred that Mr. Harper retire and stay out of it, and not try to influence this whole thing one way or the other.
Mount Royal University political scientist Duane Bratt said there’s little precedent for a former prime minister to be involved in this kind of provincial party politics.
“But we haven’t seen a split in parties like this in other provinces,” he said.
“He’s not in office anymore, so why shouldn’t he throw whatever weight he has around something he believes in?”
Bratt said Harper’s continuing popularity with Alberta’s small-c conservatives makes his appeal to Wildrose members key to Kenney’s plan.
“He has to win the leadership and he has to also convince Wildrosers to join with this new party,” he said.
“So doing this now, bringing Wildrosers into the party to help elect Kenney, will help him further down the road.”