Contrary to the current narrative, the United Conservative Party (UCP) was not one man’s creation. It resulted from the hard work of many people willing to let go of old grievances and turf protection to create a new vision for the conservative movement in our beautiful province. When the UCP was created five years ago, it belonged to more than 128,000 members from all corners of Alberta..I know this because I was the UCP’s founding chairman. At our first annual general meeting, as we prepared to debate the policies and structures that would define our new party, I challenged everyone to ask themselves two questions for all deliberations: Is this in the best interest of Albertans? And is this the best decision we can make?.In many ways, the UCP is again deliberating how to define what our party stands for and how it will re-inspire the confidence of Albertans..The upcoming leadership race will open the door to engagement from our grassroots, putting the direction of the party back into the hands of Albertans from all corners. It will reinvigorate our membership, bring forward good ideas, and allow us to offer Albertans strong reasons to vote UCP in next year’s general election..It is critical that this race not be marred with more controversy. Needed immediately are clear rules, an election date, and accessible entry fees. Transparency must be obvious at all stages..I worked closely with Premier Kenney for two years, so I have a perspective that most voters don’t have. I know him to be smart, knowledgeable, and to have the best interests of Albertans at heart. I sincerely thank him for everything he gave to Alberta and to our country, and would gladly work with him again in the future..However, we need to face reality at present. The UCP continuously polls poorly when Albertans are asked about their voter intentions, and the only worse numbers are Premier Kenney’s approval ratings. Reasonable or not, Albertans have been clear that they do not like Jason Kenney as premier. The leadership review vote reflected this reality..Premier Kenney did the right and honourable thing by saying he would resign after the leadership review vote. I humbly suggest that Premier Kenney ask himself the questions above when it comes to staying on until a new leader is elected, rather than allowing an interim leader to step in.The UCP will continue to suffer from the dislike of Premier Kenney as long as he remains in the leader’s seat. We need an impartial interim leader so the focus can be on moving forward, not on Premier Kenney..It's time to bring truth to our name as a united group of conservatives. Our conservative values and love for Alberta are, and should be, greater than the division at present. It’s not enough to campaign on the fear of an NDP Government. The longer the UCP stays in disarray, the less credible a choice we will be..But it doesn’t have to be this way, there are many talented people who want to run for leader of the UCP. They all bring strengths and ideas that will capture the attention of Albertans..A vibrant, and positive leadership race will allow the UCP to rebuild as a party that works for the people of Alberta and that can be trusted to serve them.
