The United Conservative Party’s (UCP) rules to elect a new leader on October 6 may drive a deeper wedge in the already fractured party..The rules announced Tuesday — particularly the “shocking” $175,000 entrance fee — could force some candidates out of the race to replace Premier Jason Kenney who announced his resignation after receiving just 51.4% in his leadership review..Members said no to Kenney because they believed he headed a party that had morphed into an elitist collection of a chosen few who shunned the grassroots..Did party officials learn nothing from that long, drawn-out, embarrassing fiasco riddled with distrust and confusion?.After looking at the rules announced by the Leadership Election Committee (LEC), some candidates who filed their paperwork with Elections Alberta think perhaps not..Of particular concern is the hefty $150,000 entrance fee required of each candidate to cover the cost of the election, plus another $25,000 refundable compliance deposit..Why so high, some wonder?.“At first glance, there appears to be a large disparity between what it took to run a leadership race four years ago compared to today,” said Independent MLA and leadership hopeful Todd Loewen..“Asking for twice as much to run, with more candidates than last time, is alarming. We need to ensure the rules do not give the appearance of elitism in the party.”.“I understand the importance of this leadership contest in that it's choosing the next premier of Alberta ... but we still need to be reasonable in our approach to the process.”.“We haven’t been told how much the recent leadership review cost and what that money was spent on. That could be helpful to analyze the potential cost of this contest. As well as the cost of the last leadership election.”.Transparency is needed to “instill member confidence” in the selection process, said Loewen..Members are “shocked” by the amount of the entrance fee, said Amisk Mayor Bill Rock, who entered the race to fight for underrepresented rural Albertans..“It’s quite surprising. My gut reaction was to wonder if they are looking for true grassroots input.”.“We’re talking federal prime minister type numbers.".If you do this right, you’re talking $300,000 plus for anyone who’s out campaigning. You have to travel the province to five different corners. You have to have 1,000 signatures which come from five different regions.”.Every cent must be raised from supporters..The leadership election rules stipulate all applicants are required to submit a nomination petition with a minimum of 1,000 signatures, with 200 of those from each of the party’s five Alberta regions..Rock doesn’t have a problem with the signature requirement..But the entrance fee will whittle down the number of candidates who run, he predicted..“I think it’s looking like they’re trying to cut it back to maybe two or three people.”.He’s not sure if he’ll be one of them..“I’m going to sit down with my team of people this week and I’m going to do what supporters ask me to do.”.The deadline to enter the race is July 20..To date, three UCP ministers are in, including former finance minister Travis Toews, former transportation minister Rajan Sawhney, and former children’s services minister Rebecca Shultz..Loewen and former Wildrose Party leaders Danielle Smith and MLA Brian Jean are also running..“We have some concerns. We were in favour of a wide-open race. We wanted the party to set reasonable entry amounts just because we wanted it to be a significant race with a significant number of contestants and ideas,” said Vitor Marciano, spokesman for the Jean campaign..“A $175,000 rule probably doesn’t serve the long-term interests of the party. It’s going to make this leadership race smaller rather than larger.”.He’s also concerned about the membership sales rules..“It’s like: ‘We’re going to get the leader late, but we’re going to close membership sales early.’”.Supporters have until Friday August 12 to join the UCP or renew their membership. .Ballots will be mailed beginning September 2 and must be received back by October 3. An option to vote in-person will be held October 6..Smith said in-person ballot stations will make sure integrity is restored to the voting process..However, she’s concerned that entrance fee will be a “barrier” for some candidates..“The fee itself seems pretty high. I’m hoping all candidates will be able to raise the money. I’m confident I’ll be able to. But I don’t want to see any of the declared candidates disqualified because that amount is so high.”.“These rules demonstrate our commitment to running a fair, open and equitable leadership election,” said Chair of the Leadership Election Committee David Price. .“This is an exciting time for our party as we showcase an exceptional field of candidates from diverse backgrounds,” said UCP president Cynthia Moore in a release. .Exceptional, if one’s supporters, many of whom have suffered hard economic times, can come up with that entrance fee. .Meanwhile, Kenney — who made a splash about humbly resigning — gets to hang around for a few more months..He said he’ll leave after his successor is chosen.
The United Conservative Party’s (UCP) rules to elect a new leader on October 6 may drive a deeper wedge in the already fractured party..The rules announced Tuesday — particularly the “shocking” $175,000 entrance fee — could force some candidates out of the race to replace Premier Jason Kenney who announced his resignation after receiving just 51.4% in his leadership review..Members said no to Kenney because they believed he headed a party that had morphed into an elitist collection of a chosen few who shunned the grassroots..Did party officials learn nothing from that long, drawn-out, embarrassing fiasco riddled with distrust and confusion?.After looking at the rules announced by the Leadership Election Committee (LEC), some candidates who filed their paperwork with Elections Alberta think perhaps not..Of particular concern is the hefty $150,000 entrance fee required of each candidate to cover the cost of the election, plus another $25,000 refundable compliance deposit..Why so high, some wonder?.“At first glance, there appears to be a large disparity between what it took to run a leadership race four years ago compared to today,” said Independent MLA and leadership hopeful Todd Loewen..“Asking for twice as much to run, with more candidates than last time, is alarming. We need to ensure the rules do not give the appearance of elitism in the party.”.“I understand the importance of this leadership contest in that it's choosing the next premier of Alberta ... but we still need to be reasonable in our approach to the process.”.“We haven’t been told how much the recent leadership review cost and what that money was spent on. That could be helpful to analyze the potential cost of this contest. As well as the cost of the last leadership election.”.Transparency is needed to “instill member confidence” in the selection process, said Loewen..Members are “shocked” by the amount of the entrance fee, said Amisk Mayor Bill Rock, who entered the race to fight for underrepresented rural Albertans..“It’s quite surprising. My gut reaction was to wonder if they are looking for true grassroots input.”.“We’re talking federal prime minister type numbers.".If you do this right, you’re talking $300,000 plus for anyone who’s out campaigning. You have to travel the province to five different corners. You have to have 1,000 signatures which come from five different regions.”.Every cent must be raised from supporters..The leadership election rules stipulate all applicants are required to submit a nomination petition with a minimum of 1,000 signatures, with 200 of those from each of the party’s five Alberta regions..Rock doesn’t have a problem with the signature requirement..But the entrance fee will whittle down the number of candidates who run, he predicted..“I think it’s looking like they’re trying to cut it back to maybe two or three people.”.He’s not sure if he’ll be one of them..“I’m going to sit down with my team of people this week and I’m going to do what supporters ask me to do.”.The deadline to enter the race is July 20..To date, three UCP ministers are in, including former finance minister Travis Toews, former transportation minister Rajan Sawhney, and former children’s services minister Rebecca Shultz..Loewen and former Wildrose Party leaders Danielle Smith and MLA Brian Jean are also running..“We have some concerns. We were in favour of a wide-open race. We wanted the party to set reasonable entry amounts just because we wanted it to be a significant race with a significant number of contestants and ideas,” said Vitor Marciano, spokesman for the Jean campaign..“A $175,000 rule probably doesn’t serve the long-term interests of the party. It’s going to make this leadership race smaller rather than larger.”.He’s also concerned about the membership sales rules..“It’s like: ‘We’re going to get the leader late, but we’re going to close membership sales early.’”.Supporters have until Friday August 12 to join the UCP or renew their membership. .Ballots will be mailed beginning September 2 and must be received back by October 3. An option to vote in-person will be held October 6..Smith said in-person ballot stations will make sure integrity is restored to the voting process..However, she’s concerned that entrance fee will be a “barrier” for some candidates..“The fee itself seems pretty high. I’m hoping all candidates will be able to raise the money. I’m confident I’ll be able to. But I don’t want to see any of the declared candidates disqualified because that amount is so high.”.“These rules demonstrate our commitment to running a fair, open and equitable leadership election,” said Chair of the Leadership Election Committee David Price. .“This is an exciting time for our party as we showcase an exceptional field of candidates from diverse backgrounds,” said UCP president Cynthia Moore in a release. .Exceptional, if one’s supporters, many of whom have suffered hard economic times, can come up with that entrance fee. .Meanwhile, Kenney — who made a splash about humbly resigning — gets to hang around for a few more months..He said he’ll leave after his successor is chosen.
