Hallman banned by his party for a year
Longtime PC member backing Kenney says he was ‘gobsmacked’
Alan Hallman, a senior member of Alberta’s Progressive Conservative party and an adviser to Jason Kenney’s leadership campaign, has been suspended from the party for breaching its leadership code of conduct.
Hallman, who said he was notified about the suspension by email Saturday evening just after 11 p.m., said he was “gobsmacked” by the decision.
“This is the party I’ve belonged to since the early ’80s and the severity of it is just unbelievable,” Hallman said. “It’s beyond the pale.”
In documents provided to Postmedia, the party said the decision was made due to “comments made on social media directed toward two PCAA members last month.”
Hallman is suspended from the party, is not allowed at PC events and is not allowed to access PC data for one year, effective Jan. 13.
Katherine O’Neill, the party president and chair of the leadership election committee, said the decision to suspend Hallman was unanimous by members of the PCAA board.
Hallman said he demands to be immediately reinstated, calling the decision a “violation of his rights,” a “kangaroo court” and “Third World tactics.”
O’Neill said the Tories are sticking by a zero-tolerance policy on “behaviour that the party deemed unacceptable,” after allegations of harassment against leadership candidates surfaced at a party convention last November.
“And zero tolerance means zero tolerance, so we just want to show our membership that they were following the rules and that no one is above any rules,” O’Neill said.
Kenney, speaking at a leadership debate in Edmonton on Sunday, confirmed Hallman will no longer be associated with his leadership campaign, adding he has also been the target of harassment from within party ranks.
“All I can say is, if every member of the party who has said far more vicious things about me were held to the same standard, there would be a lot of people losing their memberships,” Kenney said.
Hallman said he deleted his Twitter account and has “had enough of the cesspool.”
“When I saw what’s coming and the nastiness on Twitter, hiding behind all the anonymous accounts, I just don’t have time for it. I’m busy,” Hallman said.
Hallman was not allowed to attend the PC leadership debate on Sunday night, but he did watch the action on television in the company of interim PC Leader Rick McIver, a member of the PCAA board.
Despite his suspension from the party and removal from the Kenney campaign, Hallman said he is a lifelong conservative and will remain a supporter of Kenney’s bid for the PC leadership.
“I’m committed to Jason Kenney winning the leadership and putting the conservative family back together,” Hallman said. “That’s what I’m committed to, that’s what I’m working toward.”