Last-ditch bid to turf Jason Kenney from Alberta PC leadership race fails

A last-ditch attempt to get Jason Kenney kicked out of the Alberta Progressive Conservative leadership race has failed.

Party president Katherine O'Neill has ruled a bid by another board member to call an emergency meeting on the issue is out of order.

O'Neill says the next meeting of the board will proceed as scheduled on March 19, after the new leader is picked at a delegated convention in Calgary.

This was the second time a party member has tried to get Kenney expelled from the race based on his promise to try to join forces with the Wildrose party should he win.

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The committee running the race has already ruled that Kenney's plan doesn't violate rules that prevent candidates from doing anything that harms the party or its brand.

O'Neill has stressed that the members need to decide the future of the party and will have their say on March 18.

The party member and lawyer who filed the complaint, Jeff Rath, has argued that Kenney'svision runs counter to the PC party's constitution.

Rath was formerly the lead fundraiser for the Richard Starke campaign, who is running against Kenney, along with Byron Nelson.

Starke earlier said he does not agree with the complaint and asked Rath to step away from his campaign, which he did.