UCP motion aimed at preventing early leadership review fails to pass

Aresolution aimed at increasing the threshold to trigger a leadership review failed to get the required 75 per cent support at the United Conservative Party's annual general meeting in Calgary on Friday.

The resolution drafted by the Edmonton North West constituency association proposed changing the number of constituency associations required to call a leadership review from 22 to 29.

The motion was seen as a strategy to prevent an earlier review of Premier Jason Kenney's leadership than the one already promised in April.

"One-quarter of CAs shouldn't be able to overthrow a leader," the resolution said. "The bar is set too low and opens the party up to trouble-making by a small minority of CA Boards."

About 57 per cent of the 670members who voted on the resolution said yes. The motion needed 75 per cent approval to pass.

Twenty-two constituency associations recently passed motions asking for a review of Kenney's leadership prior to March.

The AGM is the governing party's first in-person convention in two years and comes amid plummeting popularity for Kenney.

Kenney has faced attacks on his leadership from his own MLAs as well from members who opposed his government's measures to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Earlier this week, UCP MLA Pete Guthrie alleged political action committees were paying the convention fees so pro-Kenney members could vote.

Kenney, who laid low at the last in-person AGM in December 2019, was seen working the crowd in the lobby of the Grey Eagle Convention Centre in Calgary.

His speech to the convention on Saturday morning will be closely watched.

While many members are disgruntled with Kenney's leadership, others at the AGMwere sporting buttons saying "I stand with Jason Kenney."

A group of protesters opposed to the government's decision to introduce vaccine passports and other COVID-19 mitigation measures gathered outside the convention hall, which temporarily preventedUCP delegates from entering prior to the start of the governance resolution debates.

Former Wildrose Partyleader Brian Jean, who lost the 2017 UCP leadership debate to Kenney, is at the convention. Jean intends to seek the UCP nomination for the upcoming byelection in Fort McMurray-Lac la Biche.

Central Peace Notley MLA Todd Loewen, who was kicked out of the UCP caucus earlier this year after publicly calling on Kenney to resign is also at the convention. Although he sits as an independent MLA in the legislature, Loewen is still a UCP member.