How can the UCP build bridges and win back support in Edmonton?
CBC
Premier Danielle Smith needs to collaborate and take a less ideological approach to solving problems in Edmonton if she wants the UCP to win seats in the capital in 2027, some local conservatives say.
Edmonton voters elected NDP candidates to all 20 city ridings shutting the governing party out of the provincial capital.
Four years ago, Kaycee Madu was the only UCP candidate to win his seat. Madu lost to school board trustee Nathan Ip on Monday.
Although Edmonton has a reputation of being more progressive than Calgary, local conservatives say the city isn't a lost cause. Smith and her government needs to take a different approach if they want they want to win support in Edmonton.
Edmonton entrepreneur and past Progressive Conservative candidate Chris LaBossiere said Smith needs to make the first move.
"The community shouldn't go bended-knee to try to start building the bridges to this government," he said.
"Even in winning, even in success, it's still the leader's job to show the humility to build that bridge from the party out to the communities."
The United Conservative Party was created by merging the Wildrose and Progressive Conservative parties in 2017.
Although the UCP was touted by former premier Jason Kenney as a "big-tent party," there are some who think the party has tracked too far to the right under Smith thanks to the influence of political grassroots group Take Back Alberta.
The group's socially conservative views may go too far for voters in Edmonton, which tends to lean more progressive on social issues.
The NDP spent much of the campaign highlighting statements Smith made in the past about people who were vaccinated against COVID-19 and the Coutts blockade.
Although Edmonton didn't elect any UCP members this time around, Edmontonians elected Progressive Conservatives before the party merged with the Wildrose to create the UCP six years ago.
The city once had a large number of moderate Progressive Conservative MLAs like Dave Hancock, Gene Zwozdesky and Thomas Lukaszuk.
Matt Jeneroux, the Conservative MP for Edmonton Riverbend, was a Progressive Conservative MLA from 2012 to 2015. At the time, the PCs had about 15 members in the capital region.
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