Alberta Party
Template:Short description Template:Use Canadian English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox political party
The Alberta Party, formally the Alberta Party Political Association from 1998 to 2004, is a political party in the province of Alberta, Canada. The party describes itself as centrist and pragmatic in that it is not dogmatically ideological in its approach to politics.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
On August 27, 2025, party members voted to change its name to the Progressive Conservative Party in a special general meeting, pending confirmation by Elections Alberta.<ref>https://www.albertaparty.ca/name_change_announcement?splash=1</ref>
History
Founding
In the early 1980s, the right side of Alberta's political spectrum was fragmented by parties spawned in the wake of the National Energy Program and feelings that Premier Peter Lougheed had done little to prevent the economic collapse they believe it had caused. Some of these parties had already achieved some small success in attaining seats in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, though in the 1982 general election Social Credit, the Alberta Reform Movement and the Western Canada Concept lost their representation in the Legislature.
In 1985,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the party was founded as the Alberta Political Alliance Party and became a registered party with Elections Alberta.<ref name="ElectionsAlberta">Template:Cite web</ref> It was organized as an alliance of three right-wing political parties: the Alberta Social Credit Party, Western Canada Concept and The Heritage Party of Alberta.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> However, this alliance did not last long as the Western Canada Concept and The Heritage Party ran candidates individually in the 1986 election, and many former Social Credit supporters moved to the Representative Party of Alberta, and the Alberta Political Alliance Party ended up not running any candidates.<ref name="ElectionsAlberta"/>
The party renamed to the Alberta Political Alliance before the 1989 election, however again did not run any candidates.<ref name="ElectionsAlberta"/>
On October 30, 1990, this alliance of parties gave way to the creation of a new political party, the Alliance Party of Alberta.<ref name="namechange1">Template:Cite book</ref> This change marked a transition away from trying to build a coalition of parties to full participation in electoral politics. The party participated in two by-elections, and fielded a handful of candidates in the 1993 general election but received only a small percentage of the popular vote in each case.<ref name="elecwaters">Template:Cite web</ref> The party did not contest the 1997 provincial election.<ref name="didnot">Template:Cite web</ref>
In 1998, the Alliance Party followed the example of the Saskatchewan Party and the Manitoba Party by changing its name to the Alberta Party Political Association, or the Alberta Party for short.<ref name="namechange2">Template:Cite book</ref>
2000s
For the 2001 election, the party formed an electoral coalition with the Social Credit Party.<ref name="coalition"/>
Shortly before the 2004 election, the Alberta Party attempted to merge with the Alberta Alliance Party (a different organization from the old Alliance Party of Alberta). The merged party would have adopted the Alberta Party platform, and the Alberta Party provincial council would have had seats on the Alberta Alliance Provincial Council. The deal fell through because the Alberta Party would not agree to de-register the Alberta Party name with Elections Alberta.Template:Citation needed
On October 1, 2004, shortly before the general election, the party shortened its registered name to "Alberta Party" from "the Alberta Party Political Association".<ref name="2004report">Template:Cite web</ref>
In the 2004 provincial election, the party nominated candidates in four ridings, winning a total of 2,485 votes, or 0.3% of the provincial total. The party fielded one candidate, Margaret Saunter, for the March 3, 2008 provincial election. Saunter placed last out of a field of six candidates in Edmonton-Centre.
In late 2005, talks continued about the party merging with the Alberta Alliance Party; this time also with the Social Credit Party, who the party had an electoral coalition with in 2001. Despite cooperation and successful merger talks between the party leaders, the Social Credit Party membership voted down the motion to merge at the 2006 Social Credit Convention.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Alberta Alliance Party and Alberta Party held their Annual General Meetings on March 23, 2007 and March 24, 2007, in Edmonton and Red Deer, respectively, to vote on a new party constitution that would have merged the parties.<ref>Alberta Alliance enters merger talks</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The new party would have kept the Alberta Alliance Party name and Paul Hinman as leader. The Alberta Alliance party membership voted to withhold a potential merger until after the Alberta Party had resolved its legal troubles.<ref name="agmreport2007">Template:Cite web</ref>
Ideological shift and party renewal
After the rise of the Wildrose Alliance as Alberta's main right-wing alternative to the governing Progressive Conservatives, the right-wing members of the Alberta Party left to join that party. This left a small group of centrists in control of the party. In 2009, former Alberta Greens deputy leader Edwin Erickson, who had been organizing a new "Progress Party", was invited to run as a leadership candidate for the Alberta Party and won by acclamation. In 2010 the Alberta Party board voted to merge with Renew Alberta, a progressive and centrist group that had been organizing to form a new political party.<ref name="autogenerated1">http://www.renewalberta.ca/ Template:Webarchive</ref>
During the merger process, the party's board agreed to suspend its old policy platform and start anew. To create a new platform different from its more right-wing history, in 2010 the party launched a campaign called "The Big Listen" in order to canvass the public for new policy ideas.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The party held its first policy convention on November 13 and 14, 2010 to develop substantive policies from the ideas heard during "The Big Listen". At the convention, Erickson stepped down to make way for an acting leader until a leadership contest could be held. A first set of policies was released on November 23, 2010, to coincide with the announcement of the appointment of an acting leader, Sue Huff. These policies centred on five key areas: economy, health, environment, democratic renewal, and education.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On January 24, 2011, former Liberal MLA Dave Taylor announced he was joining the Alberta Party, becoming the party's first MLA.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2010s
The party announced in January 2011 that a leadership convention would be held in Edmonton on May 28, 2011.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Four candidates contested the leadership of the party: Glenn Taylor, mayor of Hinton; Tammy Maloney, a social entrepreneur; businessman Randy Royer;<ref>Template:Cite web Randy Royer</ref> and Lee Easton, chair of the English program at Mount Royal University.<ref>Template:Cite web Lee Easton</ref> Chris Tesarski, CEO of Sandbox Energy Corporation, was also a candidate early in the contest.<ref>Oil exec to run for Alberta Party leadership</ref> However, on April 15, Tesarski announced that he would not seek the party's leadership, citing disagreements with some aspects of the party's philosophy and some party members' attitudes towards his candidacy.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Dave Taylor, the party's only MLA, was also expected to run for the leadership,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> but did not join the campaign. At the convention, the election was decided on the first ballot when Glenn Taylor won just over 55% of the votes.<ref name="albertaparty1">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The party nominated 38 candidates to run in the 28th Alberta general election.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> None were elected.
After Glenn Taylor stepped down on September 22, 2012, the party remained without a leader for some months. On May 29, 2013, the party announced that it would be holding a leadership vote to coincide with its Annual General Meeting on September 21, 2013, in Edmonton.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Entrepreneur and 2012 Calgary-Elbow election candidate Greg Clark, and self-employed consultant and 2012 Calgary-North West candidate Troy Millington, sought the leadership.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Clark won the election, receiving 87% of the 337 votes cast.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Greg Clark leadership
In the 2015 election, party leader Greg Clark became the first ever MLA to be elected under the Alberta Party banner.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
On October 30, 2017, it was announced that former NDP MLA Karen McPherson who had left the Government Caucus earlier in the month would cross to join the Alberta Party as their third ever, and second current MLA. McPherson cited the need to make transformative change in healthcare and management of the economy, as well as the feeling that she could better advocate for her constituents and use her skills and abilities better in the Alberta Party.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In January 2018, former UCP MLA Rick Fraser announced that he would be joining the Alberta Party and running for its leadership race that had been triggered when Greg Clark stepped down. Fraser cited the divisive politics of the UCP for his departure, and the need to find "common sense policies" that "don't divide Albertans, but rather bring them closer together."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Fraser's joining of the Alberta Party tripled the caucus size from the results of the 2015 general election, leaving the Alberta Party as the third largest representation in the Legislature.
Stephen Mandel leadership
Template:Main A leadership election was triggered when Greg Clark stepped down as leader on November 18, 2017.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The election was held on February 27, 2018, after originally being scheduled to be on February 7.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Stephen Mandel became the new leader of the party after achieving 66% of the vote.
The Alberta Party ran a full slate of candidates for the first time. Although the party gained 9.09% of the popular vote, an increase from 2.29% in 2015, it lost all three ridings it held going into the election and won no seats in the Legislature.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Decline
On June 30, 2019, Stephen Mandel resigned as leader of the Alberta Party.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Former PC MLA Jacquie Fenske became the interim leader on February 10, 2020.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Party announced a leadership contest, with a new leader to be elected on October 23, 2021.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As only one candidate submitted a valid application by the close of nominations on August 31, 2021, Barry Morishita was acclaimed as leader.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In the 2023 election, the party only ran 19 candidates and received just 0.71% of the provincewide vote.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
On October 15, 2023, Morishita resigned as leader of the party.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On April 14, 2024, the party announced that corporate lawyer, Lindsay Amantea, was the new interim leader.<ref name="Amantea"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Name change and revival
In July 2025, it was announced that former UCP and current independent MLAs Scott Sinclair and Peter Guthrie planned to form a political party called the Progressive Conservatives, reviving the predecessor to the United Conservative Party.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Later that month, it was announced that Sinclair and Guthrie would be joining the Alberta Party and rebranding it as the Progressive Conservative Party.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
A special general meeting was held on August 27, 2025, in which the membership decided the future direction of the party.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The party voted to change the name to the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party, with 94% of party members in support. On August 29, the party submitted the name change request to Elections Alberta.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Ideology
For most of its history, the Alberta Party was a right-wing organization. This was until the rise of the Wildrose Alliance as Alberta's main conservative alternative to the governing Progressive Conservatives attracted away the Alberta Party's more conservative members. This left a small rump of comparatively less conservative members in control of the Alberta Party. In 2010, the Alberta Party board voted to merge with Renew Alberta, a progressive group that had been organizing to form a new political party in Alberta.<ref name="autogenerated1" /> The Alberta Party thus shed its conservative past for a more centrist<ref name="660 News">Template:Cite news</ref> political outlook. The party has been cited in The Globe and Mail<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and The Economist<ref name="the Economist">Template:Cite news</ref> as part of the break in one-party politics in Alberta, with the Economist calling it "a split in Canada’s most powerful right-wing political machine."
Leaders
| Picture | Name | Start | Finish | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Howard Thompson | 1986 | 1993 | ||
| Mark Waters | 1993 | 1997 | ||
| George Flake | 1997 | 1999 | ||
| Fred Schorning | 1999 | 2001 | ||
| George Flake | 2001 | 2004 | Second time as leader. | |
| Bruce Stubbs | 2004 | 2009 | ||
| Robert Leddy | 2009 | January 28, 2010 | First leader of the ideological shift. | |
| Edwin Erickson | January 28, 2010 | November 22, 2010 | Leader for merger with Renew Alberta. | |
| File:Sue Huff in 2011.jpg | Sue Huff | November 23, 2010 | May 28, 2011 | Interim leader. |
| File:Glenntaylor-crop.jpg | Glenn Taylor | May 28, 2011 | September 22, 2012 | Elected at a convention in Edmonton; stepped down after failing to win a seat in the 2012 Alberta general election. |
| File:Greg Clark, Leader of the Alberta Party, 2014.jpg | Greg Clark | September 21, 2013 | February 27, 2018 | After remaining leaderless for a year, the party elected Clark at a convention in Edmonton. Clark stepped down as leader on November 18, 2017, and became interim leader until the upcoming leadership election. |
| File:2013-05-21 Stephen Mandel (cropped).jpg | Stephen Mandel | February 27, 2018 | June 30, 2019 | |
| File:Jacquie Fenske.jpg | Jacquie Fenske | February 10, 2020 | August 31, 2021 | Interim Leader |
| File:Barry Morishita in 2020.jpg | Barry Morishita | September 1, 2021 | October 15, 2023 | Morishita, President of the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (2017-2021)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and a former Councillor and Mayor of the City of Brooks, was acclaimed as Leader on August 31, 2021.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Lindsay Amantea | April 14, 2024 | Interim Leader |
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Alberta Party MLAs
| Member | District | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dave Taylor | Calgary-Currie | 2011—2012 | Previously served as a Liberal MLA from 2004–2010 and an independent from 2010–2011. |
| Greg Clark | Calgary-Elbow | 2015—2019 | Only MLA to be elected under the Alberta Party banner. |
| Karen McPherson | Calgary-Mackay-Nose Hill | 2017—2019 | Previously served as an NDP MLA from 2015–2017 and an independent in 2017. |
| Rick Fraser | Calgary-South East | 2018—2019 | Previously served as a PC MLA from 2012–2017, a UCP MLA in 2017, and an independent from 2017–2018. |
| Peter Guthrie | Airdrie-Cochrane | 2025—present | Previously served as a UCP MLA from 2019–2025 and as an independent in 2025. |
| Scott Sinclair | Lesser Slave Lake | 2025—present | Previously served as a UCP MLA from 2023–2025 and as an independent in 2025. |
Election results
By-elections
| Banner | By-election | Date | Candidate | Votes | % | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alliance Party | Little Bow | March 5, 1992 | Larry Haller | 399 | 7.14% | 5/6 |
| Three Hills | October 26, 1992 | Gordon A. Shenton | 566 | 5.47% | 5/8 | |
| Alberta Party | Calgary-Elbow | October 27, 2014 | Greg Clark | 3,406 | 26.88% | 2/5 |
| Edmonton-Whitemud | Will Munsey | 202 | 1.43% | 5/6 | ||
| Calgary-Foothills | Michelle Glavine | 212 | 1.79% | 6/7 | ||
| Calgary-West | Troy Millington | 264 | 2.42% | 5/5 | ||
| Calgary-Foothills | September 3, 2015 | Mark Taylor | 615 | 4.83% | 5/7 | |
| Innisfail-Sylvan Lake | July 12, 2018 | Abigail Douglass | 731 | 7.44% | 3/5 | |
| Fort McMurray-Conklin | Sid Fayed | 103 | 2.57% | 3/5 | ||
| Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche | March 15, 2022 | Michelle Landsiedel | 98 | 1.68% | 5/8 | |
| Brooks-Medicine Hat | November 8, 2022 | Barry Morishita | 2,098 | 16.53% | 3/5 | |
| Lethbridge-West | December 18, 2024 | Layton Veverka | 237 | 1.75% | 3/3 | |
| Edmonton-Strathcona | June 23, 2025 | Samuel Petrov | 115 | 1.19% | 4/6 | |
| Edmonton-Ellerslie | June 23, 2025 | Caroline Currie | 203 | 2.39% | 5/6 |
Notes
References
External links
Template:Alberta provincial political parties Template:Alberta politics Template:Alberta Party leaders