Attracting an overflow throng of some 2,600 members, media and observers to its first annual meeting in Red Deer on the weekend, the United Conservative Party made a piece of Alberta political history.
It’s the biggest, by far, partisan conclave ever in Alberta, and had the euphoria of the Peter Lougheed-led Progressive Conservative annual meetings at the Palliser in Calgary and Hotel Macdonald in Edmonton during the founding of the conservative dynasty.
At Red Deer, an iconic cast including Rona Ambrose, Brad Wall, Brian Jean, Heather Forsythe, and Andrew Sheer rallied the multitude and set the stage for UCP Leader Jason Kenney to give one of the best speeches of his career.
If there was any lingering doubt that he has the “royal jelly” to be the premier, Kenney dispelled it by delineating a fearless, common sense approach to the budget and constitutional crises that Alberta faces and the NDP has not been able to resolve.
But before measuring the curtains in the premier’s office, Jason Kenney must win the votes of a majority of Albertans.
Kenney faced his first major test at the helm of the party on social policies at the interface of religion, parental responsibility, sexuality and education.
Over the objection of the UCP caucus, 57 per cent of the members voted to "reinstate parental opt-in consent for any subjects of a religious or sexual nature."
Translated that means parents would be informed by the school if their child joined a gay-straight alliance.
Kenney responded that on policy, “I hold the pen.” He will decide the party’s election platform and its legislative agenda if it wins.
The danger to UCP election prospects is not that these wedge issues will unveil a “fire and brimstone” party.
The threat is a civil war within the UCP.
Will these explosive issues divide the social right from the economic right?
Bratt says that the next provincial election “is the UPC’s to lose."
If they are going to lose it, it will be on the issue of trust.
It’s clear that the majority would rather have Kenney handling the money, the pipelines and Prime Minister Trudeau.
But will they trust the UCP and Kenney to deal with social issues like abortion and laws related to sexual identity such as gay-strait alliances in schools.
What about education and health spending where social and fiscal policies collide?
Kenney said, "We're building a big-tent coalition here.
“You don't build it by telling some people that they are not welcome.”
Who wants to cross the welcome mat will be decided before the end of the year.
Frank Dabbs is a veteran journalist and author.
