Leslyn Lewis's former campaign manager to help Alberta Premier Danielle Smith in 2023

OTTAWA -- The man who ran Leslyn Lewis's campaign as she made two consecutive bids to become the federal Conservative leader is off to help Alberta Premier Danielle Smith try to win a provincial election in 2023.

Steve Outhouse confirms he will serve as campaign manager for Smith and the United Conservative Party when Albertans go to the polls next spring.

Outhouse is well known in Conservative circles and was Lewis's campaign manager during the federal party leadership contest this year, which Pierre Poilievre won handily.

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Lewis is a member of Parliament in rural Ontario who enjoyed the backing of the party's social conservative base during her leadership runs in 2020 and 2022.

Smith will face off in the next election against a former Alberta premier, NDP Leader Rachel Notley.

After taking over the UCP leadership following Jason Kenney's resignation, Smith vowed to push back against Ottawa, beginning with her controversial sovereignty act.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 9, 2022.

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  Alberta Premier Danielle Smith addresses the children’s medication shortage in Edmonton, on Tuesday, December 6, 2022. The province has secured five million bottles of children’s acetaminophen and ibuprofen for Alberta families. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

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  Leslyn Lewis speaks at the Conservative Party of Canada English leadership debate in Edmonton, Alta., Wednesday, May 11, 2022.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh