UCP Government House Leader Jason Nixon’s challenger in the upcoming Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre nomination has been accused of being behind an e-mail that levelled scathing accusations against the MLA..Despite no known evidence linking Eckville cattle rancher Tim Hoven to an old e-mail that resurfaced, he’s being investigated by the constituency association’s (CA) nomination committee which some local members fear will recommend his disqualification..Hoven, who will file his application for the March 21 nomination contest Monday, condemned the “gutter politics” and denied involvement with the February 26 e-mail sent to several party officials..“I had no association with an e-mail. It’s very destructive what they tried to frame on me,” Hoven told the Western Standard..“Those types of gutter politics are the reason why good people all over this province and all over this country don’t get involved in politics.”.At issue is an e-mail, it’s subject “the life and times of MLA Nixon,” addressed “to everyone” from someone who identified as Marshall Hunter. .E-mails from the alias Marshall Hunter have been circulated in UCP circles for well over a year, normally containing commentary and allegations scathing of Alberta Premier Jason Kenney and those around him. .This particular e-mail from ‘Marshall Hunter’ then specifically blasted what he alleges is “a board full of members who cheated, lied and falsified votes and memberships,” in reference to November’s CA annual general meeting (AGM) in Nixon’s constituency. .The old board was ousted and replaced by Kenney and Nixon loyalists, which saw several of the ouster members request an under investigation by the UCP’s Arbitration Committee for alleged bylaw violations. UCP Communications Director David Prisco says that no such investigation is underway..Similar investigations are underway for the Chestermere-Strathmore and Sherwood Park ridings..Included in Hunter’s e-mail was a list of never proven in court accusations against Nixon, whom he irreverently refers to as “Judas Nixon.”.This list of accusations has long been in circulation..Within hours, Nixon’s CA Secretary Ralph Sliger fired off an e-mail to Hoven accusing him of having the e-mail sent on his “behalf.”.Sliger’s email was peppered with profanities — including a threat to “sue his ass off” — but nothing to support allegations of Hoven’s involvement..On Sunday, Sliger told the Western Standard there’s no evidence, but will nonetheless be investigated by the CA’s local nomination committee..“We have no proof of anything,” said Sliger..“The issue stands with the local nominations committee. They will do an investigation. It’s up to them to decide if anything happened or didn’t happen.”.He declined to explain why his e-mail clearly accused Hoven of wrongdoing but expressed concern as to how the Western Standard obtained the e-mails..“Tim, today I received a personal phone call and then a very rude offensive e-mail about our present candidate and MLA,” wrote Sliger, in reference to ‘Marshall Hunter’s’ e-mail..“I do not approve of or appreciate your tactics in your approach to challenging our MLA. You want to challenge, fine. Follow the NCLC guidelines..“Your call me [sic] and all those on the CA board names [sic] for not supporting you is not appreciated..“And in my case should you accuse me again of any wrong dealings, I will sue your ass off in a heartbeat. I hope I’ve made this perfectly clear, sir. Slander, innuendos, and false accusations are your mode of operations then you should never be an MLA in any province, definitely you should not be considered by this CA..“Lucky for you the NCLC will deal with you and not me. I can go further but rest assured, I know your history and do not, will not, support any endeavour you choose..“And should your financial supporters/PAC wish to attack me and my fellow members on the CA, it will not bode well for you politically..“I’m a very patient man however your actions and those of your associates representing you have me very pissed at these tactics and the mass e-mail that was sent on your behalf..“You do not have my permission to use the CA e-mail list nor any other list for personal use,” wrote Sliger, warning he would seek legal advice..Hoven, who received a copy of the e-mail along with everyone else, responded via e-mail to Sliger and copied all recipients of Hunter’s email..He also called several recipients of the e-mail..“To be clear, I had nothing to do with that e-mail. Nobody on my core campaign team had anything to do with that e-mail. If any of our volunteers had anything to do with that e-mail, rest assured they will no longer be a part of our team or be associated with it,” wrote Hoven..“My family and I have been the subject of a daily whisper campaign since I announced I was running. I will continue to do what I have been doing, which is to ignore them. These types of cheap personal attacks are something I would never consider, endorse of (sic), or approve of..“If you want to speak about this with me I would welcome the discussion with you. And that goes for the rest of the people who received this e-mail. My phone is always open to you.”.Hoven supporters say they haven’t used the official e-mail list to canvass the constituency because they don’t have it..The constituency has been rife with rumours about efforts afoot to disqualify Hoven..On Sunday alone, the Western Standard received more than 50 e-mails from UCP members in the constituency expressing concern that the UCP brass sought to disqualify Hoven to protect Nixon from a serious challenge. .“There is rampant speculation among conservative insiders all over Alberta that the party is flipping over every rock and running down every nasty rumour trying desperately to find a way to disqualify Hoven,” said one party official who requested anonymity due to non-disclosure agreements and would only comment on what’s in the public domain..“If they stumble into something that is a valid pretext for disqualification, they will disqualify him. I’m just not sure they would disqualify him without stumbling into that valid pretext. I don’t think they can get away with it..“Things would get really unpleasant if they tried to disqualify him.”.Disqualifying a nomination challenger to Kenney’s closest ally in the UCP caucus could cause problems for the premier who is facing a hotly contested leadership review vote on April 9 in Red Deer. .In the lead-up to the 2019 election, the party disqualified nomination challengers to several key Kenney allies. .Tory insiders allege Hoven’s opponents pulled what political operators call a Crazy Ivan, in reference to a slang term for an unexpected radical change in direction employed by Russian submarine commanders..“I’m pretty sure the Hoven camp knew something was coming. They just didn’t think it would be this crazy,” said a former Kenney senior staffer who spoke to the Western Standard on condition of anonymity. .A recommendation for Hoven’s disqualification from the vote now rests with the local board, a board which Hoven supporters claim was unfairly stacked at its controversial annual general meeting. .The Western Standard reached out to Nixon for comment but has received no response..The Western Standard also reached out to the ‘Marshall Hunter’ alias. .“We decided long ago when we started this messaging 2 years ago not to do interviews. We have grandkids who work for the government and do not want them to be put in harm’s way. We are just a conduit of information,” was the e-mail response..Slobodian is the Senior Manitoba Columnist for the Western Standard.lslobodian@westernstandardonline.com.EDITORS NOTE: UCP officials declined to respond to repeatedrequests for comment and clarification. An earlier version of this article reported that the localconstituencyassociation had the power to disqualify nomination candidates. It has been updated to clarify that the association can recommend a disqualification, but that the power rests with the central party. Local UCP members were also under the impression that their complaints were being investigated, however the central party denied this after the story was published without their response to repeated queries.
