WESTLOCK, Alta — Five of seven United Conservative Party (UCP) leadership candidates were in Westlock Friday evening to meet with party members and share their visions for Alberta going forward.
The Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock UCP Constituency Association hosted the Northern Alberta UCP Leadership Forum at the Westlock Community Hall July 22 and welcomed leadership candidates for an evening to meet and mingle with party members. The event included a barbecue steak dinner and was a fundraiser for the 2023 election campaign.
UCP leadership candidates participating in the forum were Brian Jean, Todd Loewen, Rebecca Shulz, Danielle Smith and Travis Toews. Fellow candidates Leela Aheer and Rajan Sawhney were unable to attend due to prior commitments.
Just over 200 UCP members from across the province registered for the joint fundraiser-forum, to have a chance to speak with leadership hopefuls. UCP members Joe and Belinda Halbach from Legal said the evening was a great way to get to know the candidates better and hear their views on different topics. The couple spoke with candidate Brian Jean prior to the forum but are undecided who they will vote for when members choose a new leader Oct. 6.
“I think this (forum) is part of the process to make a decision,” said Joe.
Following the dinner, candidates seated on stage were given five minutes each for opening remarks, followed by several questions on a variety of topics including a provincial sales tax, addressing healthcare capacity and service requirements, steps to Alberta autonomy, as well as international trade, education and preparing for the upcoming provincial election in 2023. Each candidate was given 90 seconds to respond to each question, which were a mix of pre-submitted questions from a committee and questions from members on the floor. Once closing remarks were completed, candidates continued to meet with UCP members for the remainder of the event.
“I was really pleased with how the evening turned out. I think all the candidates presented themselves very, very well and I was very impressed that there was no criticism amongst each other,” said Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock UCP Constituency Association president Bill Hall. “I think we have some excellent candidates.”
The areas of trust, unity and a better deal for Alberta were some of the themes expressed by the candidates throughout the evening.
“I think unity is one of the most important things we’re facing as a party and the candidates we have running, I think each and every one of them is capable of doing that,” said Hall.
Former UCP caucus chair and independent MLA Todd Loewen addressed the views that many Albertans have towards politicians today in his opening remarks and noted how many no longer feel heard by their elected officials and leaders.
“Albertans have lost trust in government and politicians. That’s why I’m running for the United Conservative Party leadership and to be the next premiere of Alberta,” said Loewen. “To bring trust, transparency and accountability to our government. Albertans, they do a hard day’s work, and they expect their government to do the same.”
Fellow MLA and leadership candidate Rebecca Schulz also touched on the issue of trust in her closing remarks.
“A lot of people have said the question on the ballot is going to be about trust – who do we trust to unite this party, who do we trust to stand up to Justin Trudeau and the federal Liiberal government and who do we trust to take us forward in this time of economic growth,” said Schulz. “At a time where skepticism in politicians is at an all-time high, it won’t be the status quo where people feel they’ve (become) entitled, arrogant and out of touch with the needs of everyday Albertans … we need a leader who can unite, who can create a vision that Albertans can get behind.”
Phil Pardo and his friend Lydia Neufeld travelled from Stony Plain to attend the event and were pleased to have the opportunity to hear from candidates running to be the next leader of the United Conservative Party.
“The questions were really deep, and it gave me a good sense of who I’m going to vote for,” said Neufeld. “What encouraged me today was the emphasis on unity, how we need to downplay and erase the thought of division in our unity.
“The experience and knowledge of each candidate is really going to be useful for Alberta and Albertans,” she added.
Pardo agreed saying the forum was informative and useful for UCP members. He applauded both organizers and leadership candidates for participating in the event.
“The way they structured the questions I think was good,” he said, noting an important topic he wants to hear more about from candidates. “Danielle Smith touched on it — these economic corridors and how key they are to the future of Alberta and Canada … that is key to us as a trading province.”
Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock MLA Glenn van Dijken said the event included a good representation of UCP members from across the constituency and topics discussed during the forum are important issues for rural Albertans.
“You can see their platforms online, you can hear a lot of what they’re saying in the media but until you meet them, a lot of times you really don’t know them. The constituency association board felt it was important to put together an event where people could meet the candidates one on one,” said van Dijken, noting the party’s path forward. “The leadership candidates understand how important that process is for everybody to be able to debate and discuss and consider but our unity as a conservative party and conservative movement within the province is very strong.”