‘A collaboration and a true partnership’: Alberta Party in talks with former UCP MLAs

Alberta Party Interim Leader Lindsay Amantea speaks with Alberta Primetime host Michael Higgins about the future of the party.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length

Michael Higgins: What can you tell us about the state of conversations? Who reached out to whom?

Lindsay Amantea: I think it was a little bit of both. A lot of people currently in the Alberta Party are orphans from the former Progressive Conservative Party, including myself. It just made sense. We’re working in the same space, we have the same goals. In many ways we have the same priorities. It just made sense that we shouldn’t be competing against each other for voters in that same centrist space.

So we have been having conversations with both Pete (Guthrie) and Scott (Sinclair) and we are working towards making this a reality moving forward.

MH: When word of this began to seep out, you released a statement saying ‘We are exploring opportunities.’

What kind of actual partnership do you see emerging here? Is this a disappearance of the Alberta Party and the emergence of the PC Party?

LA: I don’t think it’s a disappearance. What this is is a true partnership between individuals who have been in the Alberta Party, who’ve been outside of the Alberta Party, but who have been in politics for a long time together and are looking to do something.

It’s sort of like getting the band back together in a lot of ways. A lot of people on both sides have worked together on various campaigns. It just really makes sense that we shouldn’t be working to divide people into smaller and smaller groups.

This is very much a collaboration and a true partnership to be able to get back to focusing on Albertans, what’s really important to them, and making sure that this government is being held to account. Hopefully forming a government in the next election, in order to be able to make sure that the government is working for everybody, and not just some insiders.

MH: Safe to say this is fairly along in the in the process? Where do things stand? Is a deal done?

LA: Deal isn’t done because at the end of the day, the membership of the Alberta Party does get the final say. We have called a special general meeting for August 27. Notices have been sent out. It will be up to the membership to decide if this is what they want and if this is how we are going to move forward.

MH: Any concerns over how your membership might take this? Do you think it will be fairly smooth sailing?

LA: I’m excited to talk to every single member of this party. So many people have reached out and are very supportive of the change. Ultimately, this is a democratic process and so I’m hopeful that this is the direction that we are going to continue moving in together, but it is up to the membership.

MH: Is there anything else that could potentially stand in the way here? Or is it as simple as getting the nod from membership?

LA: That’s the first step. The next step is all of the process with Elections Alberta. They have a specific process for changing the name of an existing party. This will be the second time this year that an existing party changes its name, if this goes forward.

Previously the Buffalo Party changed its name to the Republican Party of Alberta, and then they did run candidates in the last byelection under that new brand. So there is a process that has been laid out by Elections Alberta, including but not limited to, having the elections commissioner sign off on the name. We are confident that they will do so, but at the same time, that is the final process.

Our constitution requires that we start with the membership, and more importantly, it is up to them.

MH: If for some reason the partnership with Guthrie and Sinclair fails to materialize, what then does the future of the Alberta Party look like? Do you carry on? Do you field candidates in the next general election?

LA: I think that a lot of people are having a real hard time with the United Conservative Party. It has garnered a lot of support and increased relevance for the Alberta Party in the last few months.

The people who are forming part of this party, who have reached out, are committed to making sure that there is a centrist option in this province and seeing that through.