UCP files lawsuit against former caucus members and Alberta Party president

Minister of Infrastructure Peter Guthrie is sworn into cabinet, in Edmonton, Friday, June 9, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson.

Alberta’s governing United Conservative Party is suing two of its former caucus members, accusing them of conspiring to damage the party’s image and mislead the public.

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Peter Guthrie and Scott Sinclair, who are both named as defendants in the lawsuit, have been trying to start a provincial party under the Progressive Conservative brand since they were expelled from the UCP caucus earlier this year.

The two currently sit in the Alberta legislature as Independents.

The United Conservative Association, which operates the UCP, filed the lawsuit on Nov. 7 in the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta against them and Lindsay Amantea, president of the Alberta Party.

The statement of claim says that Guthrie and Scott did not get the necessary signatures to apply for a new political party, so they allegedly teamed up with Amantea to use the PC Alberta brand “with a view to usurp the goodwill and reputation associated” with the UCP.

The Progressive Conservatives ran Alberta’s government for more than four decades before collapsing and merging with the Wildrose Party into the new United Conservatives in 2017. The UCP has been Alberta’s governing party since 2019.

The court document says that as part of the unification, the United Conservative Association assumed ownership of the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta’s names, brand and trademarks.

“The Alberta Party amending its name or ‘rebranding’ as the ‘Alberta Progressive Conservative Party’ … will cause confusion for Albertans — which is what Guthrie, Sinclair, Amantea and the Alberta Party intend,” the statement of claim says.

“The United Conservative Association has suffered damages — including harm to its goodwill and reputation — as a result of the defendants passing-off on the PCAA name and associated goodwill.”

Guthrie could not be immediately reached for comment, but said on the social media platform X that the lawsuit isn’t about trademarks, party names or justice.

“This is about intimidation — and it fits a pattern,” he said in a video post Monday. “The UCP use threats to silence anyone who challenges them.”

He said the statement of claim falsely states he was removed from caucus for misconduct.

“The truth is: I raised concerns about potential corruption and pushed for transparency,” he said. “I wasn’t removed for misconduct — I was removed because I refused to participate in it.”

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In the lawsuit, the United Conservative Association is seeking compensation and declarations that the three defendants engaged in a conspiracy and infringed on its trademarks. None of the allegations have been tested in court.

Guthrie called the conspiracy allegation odd.

“The irony is hard to miss: a party known for chasing conspiracies is now trying to convince Albertans that everyone else is part of one,” he said. “This government has a credibility problem — and it shows when they use baseless accusations to distract from their failures.”

Sinclair and Amantea did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

In a statement Monday, the UCP said the PC Alberta name, logo and history legally belong to them and they have a responsibility to protect it.

“The Alberta Party’s attempt to rebrand under that banner is misleading,” UCP spokesman Dave Prisco said.

“If the Alberta Party wants support, they should build their own movement. Instead, this is meant to mislead and confuse voters by claiming a history and name that isn’t theirs.”

In July, the UCP said it sent a cease-and-desist letter to stop the use of the PC Alberta name.

Guthrie resigned from his position as infrastructure minister in February in protest of Premier Danielle Smith’s handling of health-care contracts and procurement. He was later removed from caucus.

Sinclair was expelled from caucus in March after refusing to support the UCP budget.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 17, 2025.

Daniela Germano and Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press