Federal convention cancelled.
Flood-ravaged Calgary may host rescheduled meetings in the fall
CALGARY — The Conservative Party of Canada is hoping to reschedule its national convention for this fall and remains committed to holding it in Calgary, Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said Sunday.
The party announced on Saturday it is postponing its three-day national convention — which was to be held this week in Calgary — because of the devastating flooding that has struck the city.
On Sunday, Kenney told CBC News he had spoken with Conservative party president John Walsh and the party was hoping to hold the convention “this year, hopefully in the autumn as soon as possible.”
“We’ll find a date,” said Kenney, the MP for Calgary-Southeast, adding that although it “may be a challenge” to find time and space for a fall convention in Calgary, it’s important the party holds the event there “as a sign of confidence in this city.”
“We want to send a message that Calgary’s back, open for business for tourists, for conferences, and one of those major conferences will certainly be the Conservative Party of Canada,” he said.
It was not known how soon a new date will be set.
Thousands of Conservative delegates were scheduled to arrive in Calgary mid-week for the three-day biennial convention that was to feature a keynote speech by Stephen Harper Thursday night.
That speech, which the prime minister has been crafting for weeks, was designed to turn the page on months of bad news for the governing Tories, and be part of a political plan to hit the refresh button on his government’s image.
Now, Harper’s chance to use a single speech to reassure the Conservative faithful will have to wait until after an anticipated cabinet shuffle in the coming weeks and a Throne Speech in the fall.
In a separate interview with CTV’s Question Period, Kenney said the time for politics will come after helping with flood recovery efforts.
“We’ll have a chance to rally as a party, but right now we’re all focused — especially those of us here in Alberta — on helping our neighbours get through this really difficult time.”
The postponement announcement was made Saturday by the party sooner than was expected.
A day earlier, it had told Conservative delegates that they would be advised on Monday whether the flooding would affect the biennial convention.
But the magnitude of the disaster and the tragic consequences for residents who have been forced from their homes in Calgary and other southern Alberta towns left the Conservatives with a clear choice.
The event was to draw more than 2,000 Conservative delegates to a convention centre and many hotels in the downtown core — but that section of the city was hit hard by the flood.
“Our main concern is for the safety and security of everyone affected,” Calgary Centre MP Michelle Rempel said in a news release issued by the party.