Ex-UCP MLAs reviving Alberta’s Progressive Conservative Party
Two former UCP MLAs, Peter Guthrie and Scott Sinclair, have been expelled from the party and are now looking to revive the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta. The PC party, which governed Alberta for over four decades before merging with the Wildrose Party to form the UCP, is being pitched as a centrist option for Albertans who feel politically homeless.
Guthrie and Sinclair are currently in the process of re-registering the PC party, with a goal of collecting at least 8,819 signatures by November. The pair hopes to officially launch the new Progressive Conservatives this fall, positioning themselves as a more balanced and normal alternative to the UCP and the NDP.
Guthrie, the former infrastructure minister and MLA for Airdrie-Cochrane, left cabinet in February due to concerns over procurement practices at Alberta Health Services. His calls for a public inquiry into the AHS controversy led to his expulsion from the UCP caucus in April. Sinclair, the MLA for Lesser Slave Lake, was also removed from the government caucus in March after criticizing the provincial budget for neglecting rural Alberta.
In an interview on Real Talk with Ryan Jesperson, Sinclair likened Premier Danielle Smith to a “miniature version of Donald Trump in Alberta,” citing what he perceives as controversial and extreme policies from the UCP. The return of the Progressive Conservatives could shake up Alberta’s current two-party system, with the UCP and NDP dominating the political landscape in recent elections.
If successful, the revival of the PC party could provide a new voice for Albertans who feel underrepresented by the existing political options. With only a small percentage of the vote going to smaller parties like the Alberta Party and those using the Wildrose brand, the reemergence of the Progressive Conservatives could offer a more moderate alternative for voters in the province.
