Whether it was the heat from the grill or the sunny +20°C weather, MLA Peter Guthrie’s Stampede Barbecue on July 11 brought out hundreds of people in Cochrane, gathering in front of his constituency office.
“It’s hardly been 11:00 a.m. and we already have a line-up around the block,” said Guthrie. “I couldn’t have asked for a better turnout than this.”
Staying true to Stampede spirit, the event featured western flair with country music, a line dancing presentation, and cowboy hats, boots, and bandanas as far as the eye could see. However, unlike the typical pancake breakfasts common across Calgary and surrounding areas, Guthrie said this event offered a welcome change.
“We felt like by the end of the week, people want something different,” he explained. “I actually attended Richard Gotfried’s barbecue when he was MLA and it was packed. They served Spolumbo’s sausage, and people loved it because it was a refreshing break from all the pancakes.”
The event comes at the cowboy spurred heels of Guthrie’s recent announcement: a joint campaign with fellow Independent MLA Scott Sinclair to revive the once-popular Progressive Conservative Party (PCP).
“One of the things Scott and I keep hearing is that so many people feel like they don’t have a political home,” Guthrie said. “The United Conservative Party (UCP) is speaking to maybe 20 per cent of the population on the right, and the NDP appeals to a similar percentage on the left but there's a big swath of people in the middle who feel left out and underrepresented.”
Guthrie made waves last week at Canada Day celebrations in Mitford Park, where he wore a new PC-branded shirt and formally announced the initiative to attendees.
“The feedback has just been tremendous," Guthrie said. “We’ve had several hundred emails come into our office, all really supportive. I went door-knocking the last few nights. The reception’s been excellent for those who open the door. We’ve had great conversations and signed people up directly through our site, mypcalberta.ca.”
Despite strong public support, Guthrie acknowledged the inevitable criticism.
“There are detractors on social media, but that’s not reality,” he said. “It’s not what we’re hearing on the ground, in our office, or at events like this.”
Guthrie and Sinclair’s immediate goal is to collect more than 12,000 signatures which is well above the required 8,900 in order to register the revived PCP with Elections Alberta. Currently, they are organizing and mobilizing the large number of volunteers from across the province who have reached out, wanting to be involved.
“Until about 10 days ago, our team was just Scott, myself, and four other people,” Guthrie said. “Interest has exploded since then. We’re now organizing all the names of people who’ve reached out to volunteer through the website. We’re working to get those folks set up as our champions across the province.”
The team hopes to hit their signature goal by the end of summer and submit their formal application in September, aiming for the PCP to be officially recognized at the legislature by October.
For more information or to get involved with the campaign, visit mypcalberta.ca
See related article: Guthrie seeking to renew Progressive Conservative Party brand
