LAC LA BICHE - It was a decisive win for the UCP and Brian Jean supporters in the Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche constituency. And the new provincial MLA is looking to keep winning.
The unofficial results of last Tuesday night's provincial by-election for the vacant MLA seat saw Jean more than triple-up on his nearest competitor Ariana Mancini with the NDP. Jean secured 3,714 votes of the 5,670 cast in the by-election, with Mancini coming in with just 1,081. Wildrose Independence Party candidate Paul Hinman was third with 628 votes. Alberta Liberal Party candidate Abdulhakim Hussein was fourth with 211 votes.
None of the four remaining candidates broke into triple digits, with Alberta Party candidate Michelle Landsiedel garnering just 98 votes and independent candidate and Lac La Biche local Brian Deheer with 56. Alberta Advantage Party candidate Marilyn Burns came away witih 25 votes, and Independence Party's of Alberta Steven Mellott got 24.
"This was not a squeaker ... I have a clear mandate from the people — over 60 per cent," said Jean in his victory speech delivered to a room of supporters at his Fort McMurray campaign office.
Jean thanked all of the candidates for their commitments and for letting their names stand. He also thanked his campaign support and the voters who delivered the unmistakable mandate.
Part of that mandate, says Jean is to challenge Premier Jason Kenney for the leadership of the UCP. Tuesday's win in the constituency brought Jean another step closer to that goal.
"I am humbled," he told Lakelandtoday following his acceptance speech, suggesting that the win was likely due to an even split between UCP voter support, voters who like his open and accountable leadership style and voters encouraged by his plan to challenge the leadership of the party. "I think it's a combination. I think people are seeking someone that makes better decisions and they know that I can do that, and that and I do that."
March 19 UCP membership deadline
The next step in the plan, he says, is to flood the April 9 UCP leadership review in Red Deer with Alberta UCP members, letting the membership decide if there will be a vote for a new party leader. The deadline for Albertans to register for a UCP membership and attend the review is March 19.
"There's only four days left,' Jean said, calling out the looming deadline like a circus busker. "Four days. Four days only."
Party plans
Although he has made no bones about his feelings on the current leadership, Jean remains a firm party supporter.
"I still think the UCP is the right vehicle. I just think the person in charge is making the wrong decisions," he said, describing the need to replace the party's current leader as the only way to stop a possible NDP take-over in next year's provincial election."I think the only reason Albertans would ever trust the NDP again is if Jason Kenney is still the premier. This by-election was all about stopping the NDP next year... Four or eight years of their decision making in Alberta would change the province forever."
Wrapping up her campaign before the final votes had been tallied, Mancini congratulated Jean and thanked her campaign team and the voters.
“I’m so proud of the people around me who supported me and a bright future for this community,” said Mancini, saying that her support and reason for running came from a desire to focus on her community, not political in-fighting.
“Families told me about their bills stacking up higher and higher every month, and that they want a government that’s focused on families, not a government that fights amongst themselves,” said Mancini. “Folks in Fort McMurray have had enough of the drama and the infighting in the UCP."
Jean too says he plans to make sure his constituents and Albertans get the best.
"I have a promise to make Albertans the healthiest, happiest and most prosperous province in Canada, and that's what I'm going to do."
Although Tuesday's by-election saw only 5,837 votes out of an eligible voter list of 24,048 — about 25 per cent voter turnout — Jean says he is committed to serving all constituents and all Albertans.
"I'm going to represent every single person in Alberta, but the point is that I'm not going to represent anybody outside of Alberta... I'm not serving Justin Trudeau or the leader of the Bloc or the leader of NDP. I'm serving Albertans, and I think politicians forget that. I'm serving the people here," he said.
Whether those people will be the 45,000 in the Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche constituency or the 4 million across the province will hinge on the April 9 review.
"I will seek the leadership if the job comes up," he told Lakeland Today.
Tuesday's by-election results will remain unofficial until March 25.
Jean won the 2015 election as a Wildrose Party candidate, again besting NDP runner-up Mancini. After Jean's resignation as MLA in 2018 following a failed UCP leadership bid, the 2019 election saw Laila Goodridge elected as the UCP representative for the area. Goodridge left the seat abruptly last August when she was appointed as the area's federal Member of Parliament. Her departure lead to Tuesday's by-election.
