Juno News - UCP moves to block PC party revival

00:00:00.000 This week on the Alberta Roundup, the United Conservative Party moves to stop two ousted

00:00:15.360 MLAs from reviving the progressive conservative brand claiming it violates Alberta's election

00:00:20.560 laws. Meanwhile, Thomas Lukasik's anti-separation petition stumbles out of the gate after a filing

00:00:26.400 blunder forces him to collect nearly 120,000 more signatures than its counterpart, the petition for

00:00:32.160 Alberta to separate from Canada. Conservative leader Pierre Poliev is set to return to Parliament

00:00:37.360 in a safe Alberta seat after losing his long time riding in April. Premier Danielle Smith gives Ottawa

00:00:42.480 until fall to repeal anti-Alberta laws, warning separatist sentiment is the highest she's ever

00:00:47.920 seen. And Alberta and Ontario team up to push Ottawa to scrap federal policies they say are punishing

00:00:53.600 their economies and delaying projects. All that and more on this week's Alberta Roundup,

00:00:58.160 I'm your host Isaac Lamoureux and let's get into that first exclusive right away.

00:01:02.400 Despite the legacy media reporting widely that formerly ousted Alberta UCP MLAs are trying to

00:01:07.760 revive Alberta's progressive conservative party, True North has learned that it might not be that

00:01:13.040 simple. Two independent MLAs expelled from Premier Daniel Smith's caucus are trying to bring back the

00:01:18.800 progressive conservative association, but the UCP is fighting the effort. Independent MLAs Peter

00:01:24.720 Guthrie and Scott Sinclair have pledged to revive the progressive conservative association of Alberta,

00:01:30.480 which governed the province between 1971 and 2015 until its merger with the Wild Rose Party to form the

00:01:37.280 UCP. True North asked Elections Alberta whether Guthrie and Sinclair could proceed under the PC name and

00:01:43.280 banner. The office replied that the progressive conservative association of Alberta name is currently only

00:01:48.240 reserved and that reserving a name does not guarantee it will be accepted for registration.

00:01:53.200 A spokesperson for Elections Alberta said, quote, the only restrictions at this stage are that the

00:01:58.080 desired party name is not in use and the acronym is not the same or similar to an existing registered

00:02:04.000 party. However, the UCP clarified that the name is off limits. A spokesperson for the UCP told True

00:02:09.680 North, quote, Alberta election law is clear that new parties may not use the name of the former legacy

00:02:14.880 parties of the UCP. This is to avoid confusion for voters. We expect that law to be followed and

00:02:20.480 will follow up with Elections Alberta accordingly. The governing party cited section 7.3 of the

00:02:26.000 Elections Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act, which says that no political party can be

00:02:30.480 registered if the applying party's name resembles the name or abbreviation of any other registered party

00:02:35.920 and is likely to confuse voters. Section 7.3 of the act reads in part that the Chief Electoral Officer,

00:02:41.760 quote, shall not register a political party if the proposed name was the name of any registered

00:02:47.040 predecessor party or so nearly resembles the name or the abbreviation of the name of any registered

00:02:52.640 predecessor party as to likely to be confused with the name or the abbreviation of the name of that

00:02:58.240 registered predecessor party. The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta name is currently listed on

00:03:03.520 Elections Alberta's website as reserved until November 26, 2025. Guthrie and Sinclair, both former

00:03:10.000 members of Alberta Premier Daniel Smith's caucus, said the plan is to offer a conservative alternative

00:03:15.680 to the UCP. Guthrie resigned from cabinet earlier this year over concerns about procurement practices

00:03:21.120 and was later removed from caucus. Sinclair was expelled after opposing the government's budget.

00:03:26.080 Guthrie told the Globe and Mail that the Alberta NDP will win the next provincial election if a

00:03:31.200 conservative alternative is not on the ballot. But that claim is undermined by recent polling.

00:03:36.320 Smith recently posted the largest approval gain among premiers nationwide. Conversely,

00:03:41.600 Alberta NDP leader Naheed Nenshi is polling poorly. In fact, even lower than Rachel Notley in

00:03:47.040 her final few months when it comes to both electoral support and favourability. And despite the party name

00:03:52.320 being reserved, to become a registered political party officially, it must either hold three seats in the

00:03:57.920 Legislative Assembly, endorse candidates in at least half of Alberta's electoral districts,

00:04:02.720 or complete a petition containing at least 8,819 names and signatures of eligible electors.

00:04:09.360 But sticking with Alberta politics for our next story, however moving a bit more into separation,

00:04:14.400 an anti-separatist movement will face additional hurdles due to a filing blunder. Former progressive

00:04:20.240 Conservative cabinet minister Thomas Lukaszek's petition will face additional regulations because he

00:04:25.360 submitted it too quickly. Lukaszek recently launched a Citizens Initiative petition to hold a referendum

00:04:31.040 on whether Alberta should remain in Canada, a move he said was necessary to counter the rising

00:04:36.080 separatist sentiment across the province. But a bureaucratic miscalculation has put the effort

00:04:41.120 at a severe disadvantage compared to its pro-separatist counterpart. According to Elections Alberta,

00:04:46.320 because Lukaszek's application was formally submitted before Bill 54 was proclaimed into force,

00:04:51.520 it is governed by the older, more onerous requirements for a referendum petition. That means

00:04:56.720 the campaign must collect signatures from 10% of all electors on the post-election day voters list,

00:05:01.920 which is about 293,976 signatures. All of them must be gathered in person within a tight 90-day window.

00:05:10.240 By contrast, the Alberta Prosperity Project, which wants to hold a referendum on whether Alberta should

00:05:15.200 become a sovereign country, filed its application later and specifically requested that Elections Alberta

00:05:21.360 delay formal submission until after Bill 54 took effect. That bill, which a spokesperson for Alberta's

00:05:27.680 Minister of Justice said will come into force this week, significantly lowers the signature threshold

00:05:32.880 to 10% of ballots cast in the previous election, which is about 177,000 signatures. It also extends the

00:05:39.040 collection period to 120 days. So that difference, which is almost 120,000 signatures and 30 days,

00:05:45.840 could prove fatal to Lukaszek's effort before it even gains traction. Remember again,

00:05:50.160 the signatures need to be collected in person and will likely be no easy task.

00:05:55.120 In a letter to Elections Alberta, the Alberta Prosperity Project's lawyer, Jeffrey Rath,

00:05:59.440 called Lukaszek's application a quote, mischief application, suggesting it was an attempt to

00:06:03.920 confuse voters and derail the sovereignty campaign. Rath argued that a petition to simply reaffirm the

00:06:09.280 status quo does not belong in a citizen's initiative process designed to drive major policy change.

00:06:16.000 Lukaszek has defended his position, saying that Albertans who want to remain in Canada should

00:06:20.560 have an equal opportunity to voice their opinion. He said that if the Separatist side can get

00:06:25.200 organized and collect signatures, pro-Canada residents should be able to do the same, regardless

00:06:30.000 of the procedural hurdles. Although, of course, if Albertans were to vote no on the separation

00:06:34.240 petition, that answers the question of Lukaszek's and renders it moot anyways. Meanwhile, Premier Daniel

00:06:40.240 Smith, who has not endorsed separation but has repeatedly warned Ottawa of growing discontent,

00:06:45.280 said the frustration driving the movement is rooted in real grievances about federal

00:06:49.680 overreach on energy policy and taxation. The Alberta Prosperity Project continues to host

00:06:54.640 town halls across the province as it prepares to launch its official campaign under the lower

00:06:59.360 threshold. The project has also taken aim at Lukaszek. For example, in OnePostX it said, quote,

00:07:05.040 this is not our petition. This is a bold attempt by Thomas Lukaszek to stall our efforts, but we will

00:07:10.400 not be deterred.

00:07:14.240 We're thrilled to host the 16th Annual Canada Strong and Free Regional Conference on September

00:07:18.960 5th and 6th at the Westin Calgary Airport. Connect with fellow Conservatives to discuss the priorities

00:07:24.240 shaping Western Canada, including resource development, agricultural resilience, trade,

00:07:28.800 and national unity. Plus, we are pleased to be joined by guest speakers such as Alberta Premier

00:07:34.000 Danielle Smith, Conrad Black, and Tristan Hopper. Visit canadastrongandfree.network to

00:07:40.000 reserve your tickets now.

00:07:45.600 Our next story will be a bit more federal. Let's give that a look now.

00:07:48.880 Federal Conservative leader Pierre Polievre is officially on track to potentially re-enter

00:07:52.720 Parliament, setting up a high-stakes return. Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that a

00:07:56.480 by-election will take place on August 18th in the riding of Battle River Crowfoot, a deep blue

00:08:01.440 stronghold in east-central Alberta. The seat became vacant when long-time Conservative MP Damien Couric

00:08:07.360 stepped down in May, saying he wanted to ensure Polievre could continue to be the Conservatives'

00:08:12.400 voice in Ottawa after narrowly losing his Carleton seat in April's general election. Couric had been

00:08:18.160 re-elected in the April federal election with over 80% of the vote, and polling by 338 Canada from June

00:08:23.680 29th showed that Conservative support in the riding remained strong at 81%. Couric called the move

00:08:29.840 necessary to quote, make sure Pierre is back in the House, holding the Liberal minority to account.

00:08:34.640 Polievre's Carleton defeat featured over 90 candidates in an organized stunt to highlight

00:08:39.200 flaws that first passed the post electoral system. The final count saw Liberal Bruce Fanjoy edging

00:08:44.640 Polievre by just over 5% of the vote share, with Fanjoy receiving 50.9% and Polievre receiving 45.7%.

00:08:52.960 Nationally, Polievre's Conservatives still captured their strongest popular vote share in more than three

00:08:57.760 decades. Carney previously pledged to move quickly on the by-election. In May, he told reporters,

00:09:02.320 no games, nothing straight, and said he would ensure Polievre had a chance to return to the House

00:09:06.640 without delay. Voters in Battle River Crowfoot will cast ballots on August 18th, with advance voting

00:09:11.680 beginning a few weeks prior. Candidates' nominations will close in early July, and I've got my eyes on how

00:09:17.280 many candidates will be on this ballot, remembering that in the Carleton ballot there were I think over 90,

00:09:21.760 and whether Polievre will cruise to victory with a similar 80% vote share that Couric had.

00:09:27.120 Sticking with the federal-provincial-collaborative angle for our next story, we'll cover an

00:09:30.880 exclusive that came out of Alberta Premier Daniel Smith's recent interview with Juneau News' Kian

00:09:35.520 Bextie. In an exclusive interview with Juneau News' Kian Bextie, Premier Daniel Smith said Ottawa

00:09:40.800 has until the end of the fall to repeal what she calls anti-Alberta laws, warning that separatist

00:09:46.480 sentiment has surged to historic highs. Smith pointed to the recent Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills

00:09:51.760 by-election as evidence, noting that while the United Conservatives kept the seat with 61% of the

00:09:57.200 vote, the Separatist Republican Party of Alberta captured 15.6%, a record showing for a Sovereignist

00:10:03.440 candidate in her time observing Alberta politics. She said, quote,

00:10:07.440 We have always had independence parties on the ballot. I've seen them get as low as a couple

00:10:11.360 hundred votes, sometimes, you know, 3%, 4%, or 5%. This, admittedly, is the highest percentage that I

00:10:17.120 have seen of a Separatist candidate in my time watching politics. People are unhappy, but they're 0.81

00:10:21.920 also willing to give my approach the benefit of the doubt. Let's give this new leader a chance.

00:10:26.480 She added, quote, This is time-limited. I take that sentiment very seriously, and I've told the

00:10:31.840 Prime Minister he should too, because one of the things that they need to understand is that they've

00:10:36.000 created it. The sentiment exists because of how Ottawa has treated our province in particular,

00:10:40.960 and some of our industries in particular. Among her demands are repealing Bill C-48,

00:10:45.520 the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, and Bill C-69, the No New Pipelines Law. She also criticized the

00:10:51.840 Liberals' net-zero car mandate taking effect in January, which will require 20% of all vehicles

00:10:58.000 sold in Canada to be zero emission. She called that policy idiotic, noting Alberta would need to

00:11:02.720 buy about 40,000 electric vehicles annually, cars that are neither produced in Canada nor the United

00:11:08.000 States. Smith concluded, saying, quote, It's nonsensical pretzel logic that we would like to see

00:11:14.560 some clarity out of the federal government on. This would be a perfect opportunity for them to

00:11:19.280 very quickly tell people that whatever they want to do, aspirationally over time, they have to

00:11:23.840 recognize that trying to implement it in January of 2026 is unachievable, and all it will do is hurt

00:11:29.840 Doug Ford's auto industry in Ontario. And for our last story today, we'll actually talk about Ontario,

00:11:35.200 because we'll cover some more Albertan versus the Feds, but this time another province is joining the fight.

00:11:40.320 Alberta and Ontario have formally teamed up to demand that Ottawa tear down what they call

00:11:45.760 ineffective and ideological federal regulations that are dragging down economic growth and delaying

00:11:51.280 major energy projects across Canada. In a June 30th letter addressed to Federal Environment Minister

00:11:56.560 Julie DeBruson, Alberta Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz and Ontario's Environment Minister

00:12:01.200 Todd McCarthy laid out six urgent requests they said are needed to reset the relationship between Ottawa

00:12:07.040 and our provinces. The letter reads, quote, Prime Minister Mark Carney has made a commitment to

00:12:12.000 do things differently. We are hopeful that this new federal government will move away from policies

00:12:16.800 and legislation that undermine competitiveness, delay project development, and disproportionately harm

00:12:22.560 specific provinces and territories without any quantifiable benefits to the natural environment.

00:12:28.160 The ministers argued that Canada could become an economic superpower, but only if the federal

00:12:32.720 government steps back and allows provinces to exercise their constitutional authority over

00:12:37.520 resources and environmental regulation. Specifically, Alberta and Ontario are calling on Ottawa to

00:12:42.800 repeal the Impact Assessment Act and the Physical Activities Regulations, repeal the Clean Electricity

00:12:48.480 Regulations, repeal the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act and all related regulations, suspend the

00:12:54.400 proposed Oil and Gas Sector Greenhouse Gas Emissions Cap Regulation, amend the Species at Risk Act to

00:13:00.240 respect the constitutional jurisdiction of provinces and undertake to refrain from reintroducing Bill C-61

00:13:07.280 legislation dealing with water infrastructure on First Nations lands. The letter also highlighted the

00:13:12.720 provinces' track records on reducing emissions through electrification, industrial innovation, and public

00:13:18.240 transit, noting that many of these policies have succeeded precisely because they were led by provincial

00:13:24.160 governments rather than imposed by Ottawa. Alberta and Ontario brought these demands forward in person when

00:13:29.600 ministers gathered in Yellowknife on July 2nd and 3rd for the Canadian Council of Ministers of the

00:13:34.480 Environment meeting. That wraps up this week's Alberta Roundup. My name's Isaac Lamoureux. Have a great weekend,

00:13:40.000 thank you, and God bless.

00:13:50.880 you

Juno News - July 06, 2025

UCP moves to block PC party revival

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