United Conservative members organize against Jason Kenney ahead of leadership vote
CBC
Five weeks before United Conservative Party members vote on Premier Jason Kenney's fate as leader, grassroots organizers and MLAs are working to tip the balance.
Take Back Alberta, a provincial conservative grassroots group, says it's been holding meetings since December to convince members to vote to turf Kenney in the upcoming leadership review.
The group is also working to pay for transportation and attendance costs for members who would not otherwise be able to attend the special meeting in Red Deer on April 9.
David Parker, a campaign organizer for Jason Kenney during his United Conservative Party (UCP) leadership bid in 2017, is running the efforts.
He says that after devoting time to getting Kenney elected, he's lost patience with the leader and believes others feel the same way.
"Anyone who cares about the future of the province from a conservative angle must vote Jason Kenney out," Parker told CBC News.
"On April 9, we're voting out a tyrant."
Since December, he estimates the group has held about 200 face-to-face meetings with members. The number of participants varies from a few dozen to a hundred, according to Parker.
The movement is seeing the participation of several MLAs from Kenney's own party. Parker says half a dozen are involved.
CBC News obtained a partial audio recording from a meeting on Feb. 17 in a community hall in Glendon, Alta., which is northeast of Edmonton.
In the recording, Dave Hanson, the MLA for Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul, says he fears seeing "interference" in the April 9 confidence vote, similar to allegations of fraud that tainted the 2017 leadership race.
Hanson confirmed to CBC News the recording is authentic, but says he participated with the understanding the meeting would not be recorded. He declined to comment further.
During the meeting, he said he was pleased people are working to attend the leadership review.
"It's a groundswell. I'm very, very happy to see it happening here, too."
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