Local PC president happy with Kenney win

A delegation of 15 local representatives was in Calgary on Saturday (March 19) to cast their ballots for the Alberta Progressive Conservative leadership race.

Jason Kenney came out on top, taking an overwhelming 1,113 of the 1,476 ballots cast over his other two opponents, Richard Starke (323 votes) and Byron Nelson (40 votes).

"It's a resounding victory," said Rob Smith, president of the Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills Progressive Conservative Constituency Association, and part of the Kenney slate. "Seventy-five per cent is certainly a strong indication as to what the delegation felt."

As anticipated, Kenney announced that he would be meeting with Wildrose Leader Brian Jean Monday (March 20), to start discussing the possibility of a merger between the two parties in an effort to "Unite the Right," something Smith is open to.

"I think that if the value proposition does not compromise my progressive conservative values," he said, "I will absolutely support it."

Kenney wants to move quickly, and announced the impending creation of a committee to begin negotiations between the two parties immediately.

Smith said he thinks the kickoff discussion will focus on what it means to be a Wildrose versus what it means to be a Progressive Conservative.

"Maybe what we will find," he said, "are that there are not any differences in value. And if that's the case then I say full speed ahead."

Smith speculates that the greatest challenge for a potential merger is not fiscal issues, but social ones, saying there are personalities within the Wildrose Party that seem less progressive.

"I want a high degree of assurance that this is not a party that is going to try to move our province backward in terms of what has been a progressive perspective on social issues."

While Smith says a number of people within Wildrose have assured him that it's a thing of the past, he's concerned that the party and some supporters have a track record of being extremist on a number of social issues, citing a recent event at the University of Calgary where a Wildrose student group was caught up in a scandal related to feminism and gender equity.

"Some Wildrose sympathizers seem to have a pretty extremist perspective on a topic I think shouldn't be something that we are even having a discussion about in 2017," said Smith.

Instead, Smith says, the focus should be on growing the economy, and creating jobs and opportunities for growth.

In a press conference Sunday afternoon (March 19), Kenney suggested that he would like to see local constituency groups representing both parties start to sit down together. Smith says it's now incumbent upon the PC organizations to lead the charge.

"I think it's our obligation to try to reach out to Wildrose," he said, "and see if they are interested in having that discussion."

Nathan Cooper, MLA (Wildrose) for Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills, says his constituents are certainly interested in a single party that can defeat the NDP.

"It's something that we heard loud and clear at the town halls as we travelled around the constituency," said Cooper. "They don't want an anything-goes-to-win power party, but a principled, conservative party."

Like Smith, he says those principles centre not on social issues but on fiscal accountability, more personal responsibility, and smaller, open and transparent government.

"If the new entity is built around those rock solid conservative principles," said Cooper, "I think that there's more that unites us than divides us."

Cooper says ultimately, the decision on whether a merger between the two parties will be successful is up to voters.

"I think at the end of the day it's important that members and constituents have the final say as to what should happen," said Cooper.

Meanwhile Smith says that as discussions between the two conservative parties progress, and a sense emerges of what unification will look like, he ultimately hopes the merger will be successful.

"Because I think it's what people want. I think it's what Albertans want."