Alberta will have a new premier Thursday Here’s how to follow the race
The Edmonton Journal will broadcast the outcome live with full coverage and in-depth analysis
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After months of political posturing, a new prime minister will finally be crowned in Alberta on Thursday when members of the United Conservative Party (UCP) elect a new leader.
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The Edmonton Journal will provide readers with a one-stop shop for all leadership election issues, with an online live stream broadcasting the results as they are announced by the BMO Center in Calgary, a live blog on EdmontonJournal.com with the digital editor Trevor Robb , and analysis by postmedia columnists from both the Edmonton Journal and our sister newspaper, the Calgary Herald.
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Provincial affairs journalist Lisa Johnson will walk down the QEII to provide in-depth coverage of the day’s events as they unfold. Follow Lisa on Twitter. Madeline Smith will be watching the airwaves for developments and reactions from Edmonton. Also follow Madeline on Twitter.
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Brian Jean opens up on UCP leadership issues and promises to stay tuned no matter what
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Danielle Smith’s often divisive campaign defined Alberta’s UCP leadership race
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Travis Toews focused on unity, healthcare as UCP leadership yet to be decided
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Rebecca Schulz has an optimistic and hopeful vision for Alberta
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“Eternal Optimist” Leela Aheer poised for UCP leadership contest
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‘I’m a progressive conservative’: Rajan Sawhney envisions a larger UCP tent
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Todd Loewen’s UCP leadership campaign focuses on listening
watch party
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A watch party will be held Thursday at the Edmonton Inn and Conference Centre, 1834 Kingsway NW, featuring former Edmonton-Castle Downs City Councilman and UCP candidate Jon Dziadyk.
Doors open at 5:00 p.m. The event is expected to begin around 5:30 p.m. and end sometime after 7:00 p.m. Tickets cost $45 and come with a tax receipt.
The race
Seven candidates compete for the top job. The party uses a preferential voting system in which members rank candidates. If no one receives a simple majority on the first ballot, the candidate with the least preferred votes is removed, and their voters’ second preference votes are then included in the counts of the other candidates in subsequent ballots until a winner is determined.
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Leela Aheer, Former Secretary of State for Culture, Multiculturalism and Women’s Status
The former UCP Cabinet Secretary and MLA for Chestermere-Strathmore is vying for the province’s top job, rivaling the man who first gave her a chance as an elected official, Brian Jean, and the woman who sparked the situation that opened that door, Danielle Smith. Aheer’s platform focuses on several issues she has heard about from Albertans campaigning: health, education, inflation, elder care and AISH benefits, issues that concern Albertans and on which she is concerned. Read her full profile here.
brian jean, Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche MLA
Jean, who co-founded the UCP, took a break from politics when he resigned his seat as an MLA in March 2018, months after losing the UCP leadership race to Premier Jason Kenney in 2017. He reentered provincial politics in March after the win, a by-election for Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche. If he is elected leader, the first thing he promises to do is open constitutional negotiations while he concentrates on the other issues. Read her full profile here.
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MLA Todd Loewen, MLA from Central-Peace Notley, Independent
The Central Peace-Notley MLA has not drawn the attention of the other candidates for prime minister, but insists what matters most to him is reflecting the views of those who elected him. He says those he has met with have cited the performance of Alberta’s health services, the province’s relationship with the federal government, the UCP’s response to COVID-19 and the rising cost of living as notable issues. Read her full profile here.
Rajan Sawhney, MLA for Calgary North-East
Sawhney argues that her platform of leadership is genuine and informed by her experience of working close to Alberta’s most vulnerable. And her behind-the-scenes record, she said, speaks for itself, albeit softly. She also points to what she calls a principled stance against the party, noting that she is calling for an independent public inquiry into her government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read her full profile here.
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Rebecca Schulz, MLA for Calgary Shaw
The Calgary-Shaw MLA and former Secretary of Children’s Services said Albertans have long had frustration and she would stand up for the province and its priorities, promising to build alliances and relationships with other provinces rather than being a lone wolf. Schulz, who describes herself as fiscally conservative, has experience working with Ottawa in negotiating last year’s $4 billion deal for $10 a day childcare. Read her full profile here.
Danielle Smith, former leader of the Wildrose party
Smith has dominated the race for leadership, railing against the federal government and COVID-19 rules and making the case for her flagship platform pledge of an Alberta sovereignty law. The former media personality and leader of Wildrose is the perceived frontrunner, drawing most of the media coverage and criticism, and largely defining the focus of an anti-establishment UCP base in the summer competition. Read her full profile here.
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Travis Toews, former Secretary of the Treasury
In a recent interview with Postmedia, the former Treasury Secretary said the party must quickly focus on beating Rachel Notley and the NDP in next year’s general election and continue to build on positive aspects of what has happened since his party formed the third government was achieved years earlier. If he is successful, his first day in his new job will focus on solving health problems. Read her full profile here.
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