Alberta Progressive Conservative Leadership Election - March 18, 2017

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

What are you going to do Njall? Join the Alberta Party?

[Njall]

In time, yes, unless something unforeseen happens. The general consensus amongst those of us who are fairly highly involved (for example, I sit on the Executive of the PC Youth of Alberta, which gives me access and sometimes voting privileges at the PC Board of Directors) is that we will likely not find a political home in a unified party under Kenney, but in the meantime we don't want to cede control of the PC party that we've all worked to foster and build to his minions. The ominous metaphor that some have used is that we need to stay at the helm of the ship as long as it is afloat, and we need to ensure that lifeboats are ready to take our friends to new political homes when the time comes.

The PC Party's Executive Director resigned yesterday, and has indicated that after a few weeks off, he'll begin his new involvement in the Alberta Party - he's had discussions already about that with Greg Clark. He hopes to pave the way for other disaffected PCs. I also know of at least two Constituency Association Presidents (Edmonton-Centre and West Yellowhead) who have already purchased Alberta Party memberships. Former Edmonton-Castle Downs MLA and Deputy Premier Thomas Lukaszuk has already left the party, as he tweeted a picture of his membership card in the garbage on his way from the convention.

On a related note, I've been hearing murmurs of a "unite-the-centre" meeting in Red Deer that will be occurring soon, and is apparently being planned by former Edmonton Mayor and PC MLA Stephen Mandel, but many details of this are still foggy.

[MAINEiac4434]

Personally I'm glad that (most) centrists in the PC Party aren't taking this lying down. Kenney is a snake and I wouldn't trust him as far as you could throw him.

[136or142]

In time, yes, unless something unforeseen happens. The general consensus amongst those of us who are fairly highly involved (for example, I sit on the Executive of the PC Youth of Alberta, which gives me access and sometimes voting privileges at the PC Board of Directors) is that we will likely not find a political home in a unified party under Kenney, but in the meantime we don't want to cede control of the PC party that we've all worked to foster and build to his minions. The ominous metaphor that some have used is that we need to stay at the helm of the ship as long as it is afloat, and we need to ensure that lifeboats are ready to take our friends to new political homes when the time comes.

The PC Party's Executive Director resigned yesterday, and has indicated that after a few weeks off, he'll begin his new involvement in the Alberta Party - he's had discussions already about that with Greg Clark. He hopes to pave the way for other disaffected PCs. I also know of at least two Constituency Association Presidents (Edmonton-Centre and West Yellowhead) who have already purchased Alberta Party memberships. Former Edmonton-Castle Downs MLA and Deputy Premier Thomas Lukaszuk has already left the party, as he tweeted a picture of his membership card in the garbage on his way from the convention.

On a related note, I've been hearing murmurs of a "unite-the-centre" meeting in Red Deer that will be occurring soon, and is apparently being planned by former Edmonton Mayor and PC MLA Stephen Mandel, but many details of this are still foggy.

The Alberta New Democrats are the only viable option on the centre.

[Njall]

In time, yes, unless something unforeseen happens. The general consensus amongst those of us who are fairly highly involved (for example, I sit on the Executive of the PC Youth of Alberta, which gives me access and sometimes voting privileges at the PC Board of Directors) is that we will likely not find a political home in a unified party under Kenney, but in the meantime we don't want to cede control of the PC party that we've all worked to foster and build to his minions. The ominous metaphor that some have used is that we need to stay at the helm of the ship as long as it is afloat, and we need to ensure that lifeboats are ready to take our friends to new political homes when the time comes.

The PC Party's Executive Director resigned yesterday, and has indicated that after a few weeks off, he'll begin his new involvement in the Alberta Party - he's had discussions already about that with Greg Clark. He hopes to pave the way for other disaffected PCs. I also know of at least two Constituency Association Presidents (Edmonton-Centre and West Yellowhead) who have already purchased Alberta Party memberships. Former Edmonton-Castle Downs MLA and Deputy Premier Thomas Lukaszuk has already left the party, as he tweeted a picture of his membership card in the garbage on his way from the convention.

On a related note, I've been hearing murmurs of a "unite-the-centre" meeting in Red Deer that will be occurring soon, and is apparently being planned by former Edmonton Mayor and PC MLA Stephen Mandel, but many details of this are still foggy.

The Alberta New Democrats are the only viable option on the centre.

Many would argue that the NDP aren't exactly a centrist option. Greg Clark has spent much time since his election defining himself as a broadly centrist, fiscally conservative and socially progressive politician, which is what a lot of progressive and centrist PCs are looking for, hence why he's (and his party are) such an attractive option.