Conservatives in Cochrane are looking to gain momentum for the local chapter of Alberta Can't Wait (ACW), as they seek to promote a unified political right under the likely leadership of Jason Kenney.
The volunteer-driven group is a mix of PC and Wildrose party supporters who are seeking to propel the unite the right movement from a grassroots level.
Owen Neal is the captain of the Banff-Cochrane chapter. His motivation to get involved and advocate for change is in response to what he feels is an irresponsible NDP government with Rachel Notley, “a champagne socialist ” at the helm.
“The debt is going to be such a burden, ” he said, adding that the NDP’s “radical plan to ditch coal ” is the wrong path to environmental stewardship - with considerations that Canada’s total greenhouse gas output is estimated around two-three per cent, with Alberta producing a fraction of that.
The two conservative parties would likely come together, guided by a memorandum of understanding, spending down their assets and creating a new conservative party, rather than technically merging (for legal reasons).
Kenney is anticipated to take the reins of the PC leadership this spring, which would likely be followed by a referendum for a creation of a new conservative party.
“What’s left of the PCs is what exists in peoples’ minds, ” said Neal.
The group is also seeking to expand its reach to a broader demographic - to include more youth and to counter what they perceive as long-gone stereotypes that Alberta conservatives are “old, angry white men ”.
Twenty-eight-year-old Ashley Marshall considers herself “an advocate for conservative values. ”
The Cochranite sits on the federal conservative board and is rolling up her sleeves to assist with social media for the local ACW chapter. She is manning the group’s page facebook.com/albertacantwait, a platform she feels will be the best route to engaging and educating youth.
“Because we tend to live on social media one of the best ways to get that messaging out is to make that information quickly and easily consumable. Most of us are not unfortunately reading op-eds in the local paper, ” she said.
“I think we need to advocate our
conservative values better, ” said Marshall, adding that campaigns tend to focus on families and seniors as target groups.
“I think we really need to also come up with strong messaging that also resonates with the 18 to 35 crowd, (such as) how creating favourable conditions for businesses is beneficial to those freshly out of school needing to find jobs. ”
Some 20 ACW members gathered at the Cochrane Legion Oct. 26 for their second informal meeting, with presentations delivered by ACW co-founder John Fitzsimmons and Colin Craig, director of strategic communications for the Manning Centre.
The Manning Centre is a Calgary-based conservative think tank founded by conservative politician Preston Manning, former leader of the Reform Party (which evolved into the Canadian Alliance, then into the Progressive Conservative Party and the current Conservative Party of Canada).
Referring to the current state of affairs in Alberta as “economic carnage, ” Craig addressed the key concerns highlighted by the Manning Centre: Notley’s decision to take nine months to conduct a royalty review, thereby creating investor uncertainty; the (overall) 20 per cent business tax increase; the 50 per cent minimum wage increase; the electricity forum; and the provincial carbon tax (which was not part of their campaign).
“The NDP government is making a bad situation worse, ” said Craig, adding “Alberta has the most fiscally irresponsible party in power. ”
“Instead of raising taxes, I argue that we can cut the fat in government and put those dollars into health care (to assist the aging population) … services, ” he said, expanding on solutions to “cut the fat ” by bringing down the starting wages for entry level government positions; improving public-private partnerships; and changing tendering processes.
Both Fitzsimmons and Craig addressed Notley’s declining approval ratings - which vary from the low 30s in the Angus Reid poll to 19 per cent in the Lethbridge College Citizen Society Research Lab.
Cam Westhead, the Banff-Cochrane NDP MLA, views the ideals of the unite the right front, as led by Kenney, as “out of touch with modern Albertans ” and that the former minister and parliamentary secretary for former Prime Minister Stephen Harper campaigned on the very values that the province voted against in the 2015 election.
“I can’t help but think (Alberta Can’t Wait) has got an oxymoron of a name, ” said Westhead, adding that under the Kenney’s proposed budget cuts, Albertans would not be able to wait for such projects as the Calgary Cancer Centre build-out, a climate change leadership plan to provide the oil sector market access, infrastructure spending (citing the Highway 22 and 1A intersection); and long-term care centre beds.
Westhead counters much of what the united right movement says, citing that the NDPs infrastructure plan has created 8,000 more jobs; studies indicate that the Alberta Health management structure is “one of the most efficient of any healthcare structures in Canada ” and that proposed notion to “cut the fat ” would result in inevitable impacts on frontline workers; Westhead has been a registered nurse for 10 years.
With respect to a royalty review taking so much time, Westhead said it took that long to get all the players to the table and that the oil industry opted to adopt the framework resulting out of the review earlier than anticipated; he added that the framework has been endorsed by the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.
Westhead also said that according to the Abacus poll, 92 per cent of Albertans could support a climate levy if a pipeline was approved by Ottawa.
Westhead also said that according to the Abacus poll, 92 per cent of Albertans could support a climate levy if a pipeline was approved by Ottawa.
For Carole Vallet, Cochranite and former Saskatchewan resident, she is hopeful Alberta won’t repeat the mistakes of her hometown province and will get behind the unite the right movement.
“There is no other avenue, in my mind, ” said Vallet, adding that Kenney is the right person for the job. “All the NDP have to do is get a pipeline approved (in order to gain back sliding popularity). ”
Coun. Morgan Nagel was also in attendance at the legion event.
A longtime Kenney fan, Nagel said he will get behind the Banff-Cochrane ACW chapter and will be attending the Wildrose AGM Oct. 28 and the PC leadership forum Nov. 5, both in Red Deer.
“This all started with frustration with the NDP. The speakers (at the legion event) said it best - this government is taking a bad situation and making it worse. ”
The Alberta Wide Rally will be taking place at 12 locations across the province on Nov. 5 at noon, calling on conservatives in opposition to the implementation of a provincial carbon tax legislation to show up in support.
Cochrane area individuals can show up at the McDougall Centre located at 455 6th St SW in Calgary to show their support for a carbon tax referendum.
“This is cruel what (Rachel Notley) is doing to the people of Alberta, ” said Todd Beasley, managing director of the movement, with reference to the proposed tax increase.
Beasley said the group is looking to gather at least half-a-million signature petition against the carbon tax plan, to be presented at the Alberta Legislature.
He added that whether one believes in the theory of global warming or not is irrelevant in the face of a plan that has been propelled by celebrity opinion and the likes of David Suzuki rather than science.
