UCP condemns hate group after members attend party event
Party members denounce group’s ‘despicable views’
The United Conservative Party is distancing itself from UCP’s pub night at Brown’s Social House.
A social media post Sunday shows members of the Soldiers of Odin posing for photos with Edmonton-West Henday UCP nomination candidate Nicole Williams, as well as fellow nomination candidates Leila Houle and Lance Coulter.
“I know now, and I do not share the despicable views of this group,” Williams wrote. “Had I known their values I would have requested that they leave as their hate is not welcome in our party.”
UCP Edmonton-West Henday Constituency Association president Terry Howlett issued a statement Sunday saying the group was “brought to the pub by an ‘organizer’ of the fringe Alberta Independence Party.” The UCP posted on Twitter that members of the Alberta Independence Party “deliberately crashed” the event in an effort to “cause mischief.”
“To be clear: Soldiers of Odin and their hateful views are not welcome in our organization,” Howlett wrote.
Houle also released a statement Sunday on Facebook saying she is “beyond upset.”
“As an Indigenous woman, I condemn — in the strongest possible way — the SOO, and the violent, racist activity they have been attached to in Edmonton and across Canada,” Houle wrote.
Jason Kenney was not at Friday ’s event, UCP executive director Janice Harrington confirmed Sunday. Kenney also took to Twitter Sunday saying he was “disturbed” to learn the pub night event was “crashed by supporters of the fringe ‘Alberta Independence Party,’ including members of hate groups.”
The Soldiers of Odin groups were created in Finland, where they are considered a far-right, anti-immigrant organization. Members of the group in Edmonton have denied they hold racist views, describing the group as a “neighbourhood watch-based activity.”