What’s in a name? The wild ride from PC 2.0 to Progressive Tory Party of Alberta

When Peter Guthrie pulled out the long-packed-away Progressive Conservative brand and threatened to have the Alberta Party wear it, he wanted a reaction. (File)

Peter Guthrie never made any bones about it.

When he pulled out the long-packed-away Progressive Conservative brand and threatened to have the Alberta Party wear it, he wanted a reaction.

He says he wasn’t surprised when the United Conservatives cried foul.

Nor when his former party-mates pursued a lawsuit.

But then the UCP went after Elections Alberta to keep them from allowing it.

And thrust through Bill 14 to prevent others from trying it.

“The court injunction against Elections Alberta—I thought it was fascinating they would continue to go after their own arm of government,” Guthrie said.

“And the legislation—that one really took me by surprise.

“I didn’t expect they would go to that extent—to actually ban words.”

Others likewise cocked eyebrows.

Political analyst Lori Williams says the UCP’s reaction flew in the face of conservatism.

She says conservatism “is, in part, about limited government.”

“That they felt comfortable in restricting the words that can be used by others is very difficult to reconcile with a lot of ideas associated with conservatism,” she said.

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Bill 14 changed several bits of legislation.

Limitations on political parties using names similar to legacy parties were among them.

Justice Minister Mickey Amery said at the time, “Some folks out there want to confuse people into voting for them based on the name ‘Conservative.’”

“But this is not a partisan issue,” he said.

“There are people who will undoubtedly, based on what we’ve seen in the long ballot protests, try to take the goodwill and hard work of political movements all across the province, and we think that’s wrong and it’s inappropriate to do so.”

After four decades and change of Progressive Conservative governments and recent years of the PCs battling it out with the Wildrose, the NDP surprised with a majority win in 2015.

Jason Kenney was brought in to lead the PCs in 2016.

The UCP was born of the PCs and the Wildrose merging in 2017.

The new party took Alberta in 2019 and has held reign since.

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Guthrie watched his plan wilt more with each reading for Bill 14.

He and fellow ex-UCPer Scott Sinclair also still had a lawsuit hanging over them, alleging conspiracy to damage the party’s image and mislead the public.

Alberta Party president Lindsay Amantea was named as a defendant, too.

Guthrie needed a new plan.

When he was approached about “reigniting the movement,” it seemed like a thing to do.

“Name does carry weight,” he said.

“It carries weight with Albertans now the same way (it did) with me when I was a young person coming out of high school, voting PC for the first time.

“It was about being fiscally responsible.

“It was also about caring for those needing help and being socially reliable.”

Guthrie never got to represent that party.

In February 2025, he resigned as infrastructure minister over the UCP’s ongoing procurement practice scandal.

In April 2025, he was booted from caucus for criticizing the handling of said scandal.

Sinclair was shown the door the previous month for knocking the budget.

“If people wanted to know what a Wildrose government was going to look like, well, we’ve got it right now,” Guthrie said of the UCP’s reign.

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Guthrie kept his mouth shut as Bill 14 was passed.

That was mid-December 2025.

About a week later, Guthrie declared via X the Alberta Party would become the Progressive Tory Party of Alberta, and he would be its leader.

He’s gambling on it being close enough to signal the more moderate of the right.

“There’s a place for us,” he said.

“I think Alberta desperately needs this option.”

The premier’s office declined to be interviewed for this story.

The justice minister’s office suggested trying the party whole.

In a written statement, the UCP said, “We are pleased they have withdrawn their dishonest attempt to steal our legacy party’s name, brand and reputation.”

“They are simply another left-wing party that is out of touch with Albertans, whatever label they use,” the party’s statement read.

“The United Conservative Party is the only conservative option in Alberta politics.

“We are the only ones standing up for our province, lowering taxes, protecting jobs and strengthening our energy sector.”

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Williams calls Guthrie “an extraordinarily effective one-man opposition.”

The MRU political science professor sees how Guthrie’s plot twist could generate UCP concern.

And how the party’s own response could be further reason to worry.

She also sees why it might not be enough.

“Trying to suppress certain speech or words or whatever actually calls more attention to it,” she said.

“It diminishes control; it does not increase it.

“(But) we’re talking about the name of a political party, and any political party not the UCP or the NDP right now is having a hard time getting any kind of traction.

“I don’t know if this will change that.”

Right-of-centre Alberta’s new option could draw votes away from the UCP, Williams figures.

She says whether more moderate UCPers vote elsewhere or stay home, it could lay pavement to a loss.

Guthrie says vote splitting is a myth, the fear of which brought about the merger to begin with.

He wants all of the votes.

“For the last 55 years, conservative parties have won every single election (except one), and there was competition in every single one of those,” Guthrie said.

“If we don’t have another viable conservative option, the UCP are going to just hand (the next election) to the NDP.”