UCP founding convention ends with no clear answer on party platform

It was all going so well.

When convention co-chairs Edmonton Riverbend MP Matt Jenerouxand Chestermere-Rocky View MLA Leela Aheer took centre stage Friday night to open the inaugural United Conservative Party policy convention in Red Deer, there was the aura of something glittery and special getting underway.

Jenerouxtold delegates that, unlike the pastwhen Alberta had two provincial conservative parties to choose from, the merged UCPmade things simpler.

"Federal Conservatives no longer need to pick a side," Jenerouxtoldthe crowd, "and I did pick a side at one point."

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Jeneroux and Aheer represented the coming together ofthree conservative parties in Canada. That includesthefederal Conservative Party and thetwo provincial conservative parties, the Wildrose and Progressive Conservatives, allworking together for a common purpose to win provincial and federal elections in 2019.

So far, so good. It was all smooth and according to plan.

But by Sunday, the new UCP found itself embroiled in controversy.

It was an old problem carried over from one of its two founding legacy parties which exposed a wound, and potential vulnerability.

The issue was a motiongiving parents the right to be informed if their child joins a gay-straight alliance (GSA).

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Resolution 30 had enough support from the grassroots membership to make it to the convention floor, ahead of hundreds of others that didn't make the cut.

It called for the Alberta government to reinstate parental opt-in consent for any subjects of a religious or sexual nature, including enrolment in extracurricular activities.

When it came up, there seemed little doubt behind the intention. Proponents argued that it was about respecting the constitutional rights of parents.

Spruce Grove Pastor Brian Coldwell argued, "It's about fundamental God-given freedoms."

'Lake of fire' warning

But in a surprising move, three UCPMLAs tried to urge delegates to drop the motion.

One of them, Calgary-Hays MLA Ric McIver, warned delegates to reject the resolution altogether.

"This is about outing gay kids," McIver saidto heckling from the crowd. "Don't be called the lake of fire party, I'm begging you."

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Lake of fireis a reference to an incident in the 2012 provincial election, when it was revealed a blog written by a Wildroseparty candidate warnedhomosexualsthey faced etermityin the "lake of fire," or hell, if they didn't change their ways. Thosehomophobic comments, coupled with comments deemed racist by another Wildrosecandidate, were blamed fordashing thehopes of then-Wildrose leader Danielle Smith of forming the next government.

Convention floor drama

On the convention floor Sunday, Jason Nixon, the MLA for Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre, was quickly movedto thefront of the line when the call was made for the last few speakers.

But Nixon's pleas of "Stop taking the NDP's bait," and"We should not go down this road" didn't appear to affectthe outcome of the vote.Aheeralso tried unsuccessfully to sway the delegates to reject the motion. It passed with 57 per cent support.

AfterMcIverspoke, he was usheredto the back of the roomby party officials. Reporters wanting to talk to him were told he wasn't available, and it would be up toUCPLeader JasonKenneyto answer any questions.

Only the night before,Kenney was on stage talking about creating a big-tent party, urging delegates to be flexibleand warning to not repeat mistakes of the past.

In the meantime, the NDP seized on the opportunity created by division at the convention.

Eggensees an opportunity

Education Minister David Eggen, who had planned all along to attend the convention as an observer Sunday, dashedout a news release shortlyafter the motion was passed hoping to draw attention to the UCP'sintransigence on social issues, similar to the past conservative parties.

"Nothing's changed as far as I can see" said Eggen, who suggested even the hint of outing gay students would cause "actual damage and insecurity."

Saying they wereconcernedabout the responseEggenwould receive from delegates,UCPconvention organizers had advisedEggenspeak to reporters outside the convention venue.

When Kenneyspoke with reporters, he brushed aside suggestions by critics that perhaps the UCP isn't such a big-tent party after all. In fact, he said,Resolution 30 was poorly worded, suggestinghad he been on the floor he would have voted against it.

In fact, Kenney said the party's position hadn't officiallychanged. Besides, he said, it is up to him to sign off on anything that becomes party policy, or part of its platform.

"And really, I hold the pen on the platform," Kenney told reporters. "And I reaffirmed in my remarks [Saturday] night, the role of the leader to make decisions."

Kenney said a UCP government "will not be changing law or policy to require notification of parents when kids join GSAs. we will not do that."

'Rooting for you,' Scheer says

Prominent federal Conservatives played a key role at the weekend convention.

"We are rooting for you like you have no idea," said federal Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer during his Friday night speech.

Scheer called Kenney"someone who has steered a movement of unity that made friends out of former enemies."

They may not be enemies anymore, but it's clear, rifts still exist.

Regardless of what policies werepassed or rejected at the convention, the real work will take placebetween now and next February. That's when the UCP will hold its next convention, this time in Edmonton.

Kenney is now presented with perhaps his biggest challenge as leader of the newestAlberta conservative political party. In June, hewill appoint a committee to draft an election platformthat tries to appeasethe grassroots whileappealingto voters.

And at that point, like the decision MP Jenerouxadmitted facing when he kicked off the UCPconference,Kenney will have tochoose a side.

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