‘How to not lose the UCP leadership’
Episode Stats
Words per Minute
140.83488
Summary
Former Member of Parliament Art Hanger speaks at the Alberta Conservative Party's convention. Art talks about his career in politics and what it means to be a conservative in the 21st century. He also talks about the upcoming leadership convention.
Transcript
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With me now, Art Hanger, who many of us remember very well as the Conservative Member of Parliament for Calgary Northeast.
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How many years did you represent that riding, Art?
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Fifteen years, and certainly, I'm not going to look at myself as a politician, but as a reformer.
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I went down as one, and I wanted to remain as one.
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And I certainly realized that the party morphed off into another Conservative sort of establishment party.
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Those were the days when Conservatives had to be kamikazes to want to be a Member of Parliament in Ottawa.
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Let's change the subject here to the speech that we just heard this afternoon and this convention.
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How do you think this party is doing? Do you think they have their priorities right?
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Well, I was absolutely amazed at the number of people that joined this party to have their voices expressed in policy.
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We just finished the policy session, and there were some pretty right-wing policies that I consider very positive for the province,
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for the individual, and protection for families, which really the family was under threat, I believe, in this province.
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And it's from all these woke, left-leaning ideals.
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And I can only hope and trust and pray that these are going to be followed by the political machinery now that the people have spoke.
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Why do you think people care so much right now?
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I can't think of a bigger convention than I've ever attended.
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Why do you think people care so much right now, Art?
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When the premier spoke about families, they stood.
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She got a standing ovation on her position to protect that family and their rights and their children.
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Now, to me, that says a lot because there's the building block of our society right there.
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And they've established, at least in their mind now, Smith has said it, they've established a benchmark.
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If she doesn't, you're going to see a huge backlash because this kind of response out of Alberta,
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you know, to have the largest political gathering convention in our history, I mean, that says a lot.
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And I think that, you know, for every person that's here, there are dozens and dozens more that think just like them.
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I remember 20 years ago when she was on the editorial board and you were still a member of parliament,
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that she spoke very well of you at that time and, you know, I was quite proud of the stance that you were taking in Ottawa.
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And I hear you now saying that there is something that she needs to do to keep faith with the people here.
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Surely you don't think that there's any way she would ever go back on that?
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Well, I think her biggest hurdle is the bureaucracy.
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You know, they have been so established in some of these principles of the past,
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the old guard and the principles of the past, wokeism, the influence of the UN.
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And it filters all the way down into the municipalities.
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You know, so you have political figures expressing what bureaucrats want them to say.
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You know, so far she's beginning to break that mold.
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You know, so she's got a fight on her hands, but she needs the support of all of these people here.
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Are you still involved in the conservative movement?
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You've been retired since, what, 2008 as a member of parliament?
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Prior to COVID, I was sitting back in my rocking chair thinking time for retirement.
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And I looked at the circumstance and the people that were being marginalized by these policies.
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And I said, how can I sit around and just do nothing?
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I established, with the aid of others, to set up networks to support people that have been marginalized by these policies.
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And I cannot see just sitting back and letting all this nonsense go on and on and on.
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Because I've got a family and grandkids to consider, too, as do so many others in Alberta here that worked hard to establish themselves in this province.
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And all of that comes under threat when you saw the influence of federal government and even some of the provincial government's policies that hurt people.
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So, no, I have purpose now to re-engage in every step I can.
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You know, as limited as I am with my age, I'm going to do what I can.
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There are so many people who will be so glad when they hear you say that, that you are still out there and ready to fight.
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Because, as I think you once said, as long as you're still fighting, you aren't actually defeated.
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And I also believe that, you know, the foundations of this land and this province are all based on God's word.
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You know, you see that violation time and time and time again.
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And without that moral compass, we've got problems.
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So, I suggest that those that have engaged in a political future that they want to participate in, that they bring the Lord back into play.
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Because there are no other powers in heaven or on earth that can change what we have.
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And they have to be dealt with on a spiritual level.
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Art Hanger, ladies and gentlemen, one of the great MPs of the reform era.