What federal Conservative leadership candidates can learn from Kenney and Alberta
As federal Conservative leadership candidates travelled to Alberta this week, they arrived in a fractured Tory heartland.
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, who won a majority government in 2019, leading the newly formed United Conservative Party to victory over the NDP, is awaiting the results of a membership review, where ballots to be counted next week will determine his fate as leader.
Those ballots were due Wednesday, roughly an hour before the six candidates competing to lead the federal Conservative Party of Canada took to the stage in Edmonton for a debate in a contentious race.
So what, if anything, can those vying to become the next federal Conservative leader take away from their Conservative counterparts in Alberta?
Vitor Marciano, a longtime Conservative now assisting UCP MLA and Kenney rival Brian Jean, said one major lesson is: Be prepared to design a team that listens to caucus.
"Shame a little bit on the members. We never ask (candidates) to say, 'Tell us what your leadership style is, what your management style is … what sort of people you're going to hire, how you're going to handle caucus, how you're going to handle diversity of opinion,'" he said in an interview.
"We never ask these questions, but they actually end up being incredibly important."
Caucus management has proved challenging for Kenney and was ultimately fatal for Erin O'Toole, the last federal Conservative leader.
O'Toole was voted out by a majority of his 118 MPs in early February after losing last year's federal election. His ousting followed months of frustration brewing within caucus over his reversal on key Conservative policies, like his unexpected embrace of carbon pricing.
O'Toole also earned backlash over his attempts to moderate the party's image and efforts to balance the party’s opposition to COVID-19 vaccination mandates while encouraging people to choose to roll up their sleeves.
The pandemic has also pushed Kenney's leadership to the brink. He saw MLAs speak out against COVID-19 restrictions. Some have called on him to resign, while critics say he leads with a top-down approach, which has alienated the grassroots.
Recently, the embattled premier mused that he's been too tolerant of open dissent.
Evan Menzies, a former director of communications for Alberta's UCP, says the biggest takeaway for Conservative leaders is that the pandemic has proven to be a "politically explosive" time. Supporters have been personally affected — and divided — by many decisions made by the government, a system Conservatives treat with skepticism.
While Kenney endorsed O'Toole in the 2020 leadership race, he told reporters while in Ottawa last week he hasn't done the same so far in this contest.
For several years, the country's conservative movement as a whole has been home to much division, said David Egan, the former president of a federal Conservative riding association in Edmonton and a UCP candidate in 2019.
He pointed back to the 2017 federal Tory leadership race where, after losing to Andrew Scheer, former Conservative cabinet minister Maxime Bernier left to found the People's Party of Canada, a more populist and right-wing alternative for unhappy Tory voters.
Scheer then resigned after his 2019 federal election loss, where he was dogged by his social conservative values. O'Toole himself was only in the job for 18 months before the party entered its third leadership contest in six years.
With nearly all pandemic restrictions lifted and the economy rebounding, Egan is hopeful things improve. He said while leadership contests can reveal divisions, it's also a chance for Conservatives to energize their base, bring in new members and generate buzz.
One name Egan keeps hearing is that of longtime MP Pierre Poilievre, whose rallies have at times pulled in crowds by the thousands.
"This is a movement, almost, that I've never seen before in politics," the 34-year-old Alberta Conservative said. "This is just the nomination. We're not even in a general election yet."
Menzies also noted Poilievre's rallies as one reason he feels hopeful for the movement.
One thing Marciano said he finds "deeply concerning" about the state of the Conservative race is the tone of attacks being lobbed not just between fellow candidates, but between members of their campaign teams.
While leadership races can be divisive, he said afterwards "the secret becomes how to get all of the talent back into the tent working in the same direction."
"(Candidates) should be crystal clear that they're going to tell their staff that there are no sore winners," he said.
"That the day after they win — should they be lucky enough to win — they're going to extend an arm out, not just to the losing candidates, but to the losing candidates' teams, and assemble a team that's made up of the best people that are available and that are the best fit for the jobs."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 12, 2022.
IN DEPTH
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
'Democracy requires constant vigilance' Trudeau testifies at inquiry into foreign election interference in Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified Wednesday before the national public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada's electoral processes, following a day of testimony from top cabinet ministers about allegations of meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. Recap all the prime minister had to say.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
Supports for passengers, farmers, artists: 7 bills from MPs and Senators to watch in 2024
When parliamentarians return to Ottawa in a few weeks to kick off the 2024 sitting, there are a few bills from MPs and senators that will be worth keeping an eye on, from a 'gutted' proposal to offer a carbon tax break to farmers, to an initiative aimed at improving Canada's DNA data bank.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From AI running wild to collapsing ecosystems, government report outlines future disruptions
From collapsing ecosystems to artificial intelligence running wild, a new Canadian government report outlines 35 disruptions that could rattle the country in the coming years.
B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton hospitalized after prison attack
British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton was attacked and sustained life-threatening injuries in a Quebec prison Sunday in what officials described as a 'major assault.'
opinion Tom Mulcair: With Trudeau spiralling, Mark Carney waits in the wings
In his latest column for CTVNews.ca, former NDP leader Tom Mulcair argues that if there's an unofficial frontrunner in the eventual race to replace Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader, it has to be former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney.
Toronto Blue Jays fan struck by 110 m.p.h foul ball offered tickets, signed baseball by team
The Toronto Blue Jays have offered tickets and a signed baseball to a fan who says she was struck in the face by a 110 m.p.h (177 km/h) foul ball at Friday’s game.
Matthew Perry's death is being investigated over ketamine level found in actor's blood, reports say
An investigation has been opened into the death of Matthew Perry and how the “Friends” actor received the anesthetic ketamine, which was ruled a contributing factor in his death.
OPP continues to investigate boat collision north of Kingston, Ont. that left 3 people dead
Ontario Provincial Police continue to investigate a long weekend fatal boat collision on Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont.
Police in Ontario say suspects charged in armed home invasion near Toronto part of 'larger criminal network'
Police in Ontario say a group of suspects charged in an armed home invasion north of Toronto last year were driving a vehicle stolen in a carjacking in Calgary just one month earlier.
Air turbulence: When can it become dangerous?
Flight turbulence like that encountered by a Singapore Airlines flight on Tuesday is extremely common, but there's one aspect of severe turbulence an aviation expert says can lead to serious injury.
Orphan orca's extended family spotted off northeast side of Vancouver Island
Members of a killer whale pod related to an orphan orca calf that escaped a remote British Columbia tidal lagoon last month have been spotted off the northeast coast of Vancouver Island.
Local Spotlight
Montreal photographer captures dramatic Canada Goose vs. fox face-off
Montreal photographer captured the moment a Canada Goose defended itself from a fox at the Botanical Garden.
Beyond books: Halifax libraries lends instruments, sports equipment, memory kits and more
Public libraries in Atlantic Canada are now lending a broader range of items.
'A special bird': The unbreakable bond between purple martins and humans
Flashes of purple darting across the sky mixed with the serenading sound of songs will be noticed more with spring in full force in Manitoba.
7-year-old Pokémon prodigy heading to Hawaii for world championship tournament
Catching 'em all with impressive speed, a 7-year-old boy from Windsor, Ont. who only started his competitive Pokémon journey seven months ago has already levelled up to compete at a world championship level.
VIDEO Born without front legs, this dog has been inspiring the world for 3 years: Dresden farm owner
A sanctuary dedicated to animals with disabilities is celebrating the third birthday of one of its most popular residents.
From DVDs to rehearsals: Halifax theatre company transforms Video Difference building into arts hub
2b Theatre recently moved into the old Video Difference building, seeking to transform it into an artistic hub, meeting space, and temporary housing unit for visiting performers in Halifax.
'Another pair of eyes watching over me:' How a B.C. woman's service dog saved her from drowning
A B.C. woman says her service dog pulled her from a lake moments before she had a seizure, saving her life.
Starbucks fan on decades-long journey to visit every store in the world
A Starbucks fan — whose name is Winter — is visiting Canada on a purposeful journey that began with a random idea at one of the coffee chain's stores in Texas.
'Sacred work': Sask. First Nation learning how to conduct its own underground searches
Members of Piapot First Nation, students from the University of Winnipeg and various other professionals are learning new techniques that will hopefully be used for ground searches of potential unmarked grave sites in the future.