THE ALBERTA PARTY: A NEW BEGINNING

It's more than a name change, it's a opportunity to change Alberta's political culture

Last night, the Alberta Party held a Special General Meeting and overwhelmingly agreed to change its name to the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party. I was there.

The Alberta Party has struggled with clearly positioning itself in the minds of Albertans. Centrist is too vague and too difficult to connect with Albertans in any meaningful way.

THE ALBERTA PARTY IS NOT SEPARATIST

It was recently revealed in byelection door-knocking that people were mistakenly believing the Alberta Party name was associated with Separatism. That is totally wrong, but it proves the maxim that in politics, perception is everything.

For that reason alone, the Alberta Party needed to change its name.

A BRIEF HISTORY

Originally, the Alberta Party as an idea emerged from the series of Reboot Alberta gatherings in 2009-10. The challenge of gathering 8000 names to establish a new party was overcome by taking over the existing Alberta Party.

The original Alberta Party was a far-right group that refused to join Preston Manning's efforts to unite the hard-right Conservative factions in his Alliance movement.

The new party group, made up mostly of former PCs of the progressive persuasion, didn't want the original Alberta Party ideology, just the name. I negotiated the friendly takeover of the old party organization and the Alberta Party started out on its new centrist political journey.

MOVING FORWARD

Now that the journey is taking on a new energy based on the original motivating persona of the Lougheed version of progressive and conservative, with a serious sense of environmental stewardship updates, and designed for the challenges of a 21st-century Alberta.

We need a viable third-party alternative to avoid descending deeper into the disastrous two-party system that is destroying democracy in America.

THE POTENTIAL

The Alberta Progressive Conservative Party, if framed properly, will be centre-left on social justice policy. It will be centre-right with prudent fiscal policy. It will also be pragmatic about environmental policy that leads in stewardship and climate change.

It isn't just going to be somewhere in between the UCP and NDP anymore. It will be above and beyond the old outdated spectrum. It will be more pluralist and adopt the best of traditional conservative values and progressive social democrat values, but leave behind the extremist toxicity inherent in the polarized Left versus Right of Alberta politics today.

The revived Alberta Progressive Conservative Party will build a way forward by balancing the best of the private and public sectors, without being ideologically tied to and limited by the inadequacies of either one.

A PARTY FOR THE REST OF US

The Alberta Progressive Conservative Party is the best guarantee of escaping the tyranny and abuses of power pursuing politicians with majority governments.

Hoping for a change isn't a strategy. Thinking for a change is the start of a strategy. Planning for a change is the beginning of a strategy. Being the change you want to see is the opportunity to act out a strategy.

All this and more is being offered by the emergence of the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party option. Join in the movement for responsible change. It's coming soon to your part of our Alberta.