Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner holds a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on April 5. The Canadian Press
Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner has said she will not run for the United Conservative Party to replace Alberta Prime Minister Jason Kenny, ending weeks of speculation that has intensified after she publicly said she was considering is running.
Ms Rempel Garner, who represents Calgary Knows Hill in parliament, was expected to become a favorite if she launched a campaign, but in a lengthy blog post, the longtime politician said the party turmoil eventually led her to step down.
After less than a year of provincial elections and her status as an outsider in the party, Ms. Rempel Garner wrote that she was not sure she would be able to heal the wounds that led to a split in the UCP. She said she sympathized with the “significant level of injury and insecurity” in the party, after she herself suffered election losses, resignations of leaders and removal from the federal conservative group.
She said both Conservative parties have been headlined for public outbursts, close to physical fighting, defamatory jobs and internal conflicts, all of which do little to gain public confidence. The election of a new leader will not simply erase these long-standing problems, she added, citing talks in recent weeks that show the “fierceness” that led to Mr Kenny’s resignation is still harsh.
Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner is leaving Patrick Brown’s campaign to consider running for UCP leader
Ms Rempel Garner wrote of a “clear division” between “those who do not want the former leadership team to retain power and those who are part of the former leadership team and want to fully maintain the status quo”.
“None of these positions are sustainable. The public also has no sympathy for this. “
The UCP race was convened last month after Mr Kenny completed a leadership review with just 51% support, a weak victory that led him to announce his intention to resign.
Pending a potential provincial candidacy, Ms. Rempel Garner stepped down as co-chair of Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown’s campaign to lead the Federal Conservatives. Shortly after her departure, Mr. Brown’s campaign manager, Sean Schnell, set out to follow. She also received a release earlier this week to run for leader, although she had not been a member of the party long enough.
Mr Brown said in a statement that Ms Rempel Garner would not return to her campaign.
“The campaign is being adjusted and reset after she leaves, and we have a team that will take us by September 10,” he said. “But I am pleased that we will be able to continue to use her experience and insight as we move forward.”
Ms Rempel Garner said bowing as a contender for UCP leader was the most difficult decision she had ever made, but mixed reactions from members of the UCP group regarding her request for exemption confirmed her decision.
“I am concerned about what would happen if I intervened as a leader in the current internal dynamics of the UCP group, especially given that we will have to govern as we prepare for the forthcoming general elections,” she said.
The vote to reconsider Mr Kenny’s leadership followed more than a year of struggle within his caucus, including several MLAs that openly called for his resignation and pressure from electoral associations. Complaints range from the prime minister’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, with some of his party claiming the province has gone too far with restrictions, to criticism of what some see as a top-down leadership style.
Eight candidates have so far registered with Elections Alberta to run for UCP leader. These include former cabinet ministers Travis Tows, Rajan Sony, Rebecca Schultz and Lila Ahir, who was fired after openly criticizing Mr Kenny’s leadership.
Mr. Kenny’s rival Brian Jean, who previously led the Wildrose party, co-founder of UCP and lost to Mr. Kenny in the race for leader of the newly formed party in 2017, is also running.
Other candidates include Daniel Smith, Mr. Jean’s predecessor as Wildrose leader; Independent MLA Todd Lowen, who was kicked out of the UCP group last year after urging Mr Kenny to leave; and Bill Rock, mayor of the small rural community of Amisk, Alta.
A new leader of the OCP will be elected on October 6th.
With a file from The Canadian Press
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