Wildrose Independence Party of Alberta | |
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Active provincial party | |
![]() | |
Leader | Jeevan Singh Mangat (interim) [1] |
President | Rick Northey |
Founded | 29 June 2020 |
Merger of | |
Headquarters | Unit 163 17008 – 90 Ave Edmonton, AB T5T 1L6 [2] |
Ideology | |
Political position | Right-wing [7] |
Colours | Blue Red Green |
Slogan | "Our Freedom Cannot Wait!" |
Seats in Legislature | 0 / 87 |
Website | |
https://www.wildrosenation.com/ | |
Wildrose Independence Party of Alberta is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada, which was formed through the merger of Wexit Alberta and the Freedom Conservative Party of Alberta in 2020.
According to its constitution, Wexit Alberta's plans included abolishing the provincial branch of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the establishment of an "Alberta National Police" and a "Provincial Sheriff Program". It also called for the adoption of a currency to replace the Canadian dollar. [8] [9] [10]
The Wexit movement gained traction in October 2019, shortly after the 2019 Canadian federal election, when the Liberal Party under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was re-elected to form government. [11] [12] In August 2019, Wexit Alberta held several meetings including a small summer meeting in Calgary’s beltline. [13] A few months later another meeting in Calgary drew about 1700 attendees. [14]
On January 11, 2020, a Wexit rally was held at the Alberta legislature grounds with the goal of collecting the 8,400 signatures required for official party status. [15]
Wexit reserved the name "Wexit Alberta" with Elections Alberta for use by a provincial party. [16]
On April 27, 2020, Wexit Alberta and the Freedom Conservative Party of Alberta announced plans to merge into the Wildrose Independence Party of Alberta. [17] [18] Members of those parties voted to approve the merger on June 29, 2020. [19] [20] The parties needed to finalize a unification agreement before the new party could be registered with Elections Alberta. [21] [22] The name was reserved with Elections Alberta. [22] [23] On July 23, 2020, the party was officially registered with Elections Alberta. [24] [25]
On July 17, 2020, the party announced that Paul Hinman would serve as its interim leader, until the party's founding convention and leadership contest. [26] [27] Hinman confirmed his intention to run in the first leadership contest. [28]
The party held its founding convention on January 23, 2021 virtually due to COVID-19 restrictions. According to the party, 478 members were registered to attend and vote on policy, approve a constitution, and elected a new Board of Governors. [29] The party announced that the leadership election would run from June 5 to August 27, concluding with a vote on August 28, 2021, [30] but on July 20, 2021, Hinman was declared to have been elected leader of the party. [31]
In October 2020, the board of the People's Party of Alberta voted to dissolve the party in favour of supporting the efforts of the Wildrose Independence Party. [32]
Paul Hinman ran in the 2022 Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche by-election. Hinman was not a resident of the Fort McMurray or Lac La Biche regions, but denied he was an opportunist or ignorant of local issues facing the riding. [33] He told Fort McMurray Today he was running as a candidate because he felt it was “the most important election in Alberta’s near-term history." He said he had stopped supporting Kenney and the UCP because he felt "Jason Kenney and the UCP have betrayed us by not standing up to Ottawa." [33]
Hinman finished third in the by-election, behind NDP candidate Ariana Mancini and UCP MLA Brian Jean. [34] After the by-election, the party began a review of Hinman's leadership and his performance in the campaign. After the review concluded, he was removed as party leader on June 28, 2022.
The review accused Hinman of paying himself with party money during the by-election. The review also wrote that Hinman was not familiar with the needs and concerns shared by people living in the riding, despite his commentary on community issues at local forums and in interviews with Harvard Media's CFVR-FM and Fort McMurray Today . The review was not released publicly, but a copy was leaked to the Western Standard . [35] [36]
Hinman denied all of the party's accusations against him. He told CTV News that the party was being taken over by "implants, plants, agents inside our board" who are opposed to an independent Alberta. [37] Hinman was reinstated as leader during the party's annual general meeting in Red Deer on July 23, 2022. The party's board of governors were forced out. [38]
A Court of King's Bench justice ruled on October 21, 2022 that Hinman had been legally removed as leader of the party. Jeevan Mangat was named interim party leader. Hinman is appealing the decision. [39] The party's board also accused Hinman and his supporters of disrupting the AGM and pressuring people to either leave or support Hinman. They are suing Hinman for $180,000. [40]
Election | Leader | Candidates | Votes | % | Seats | +/- | Place | Position |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | Jeevan Mangat | 2 / 87 | 820 | 0.05% | 0 / 87 | ![]() | ![]() | No seats |
The Freedom Conservative Party of Alberta was an Albertan autonomist, libertarian and conservative political party in Alberta, Canada.
Paul Hinman is a Canadian politician and businessman who is currently the leader of the Wildrose Loyalty Coalition. He was the leader of the Wildrose Independence Party of Alberta from 2020 to 2022, and was the leader of the Wildrose Alliance (2008–2009) and Alberta Alliance Party (2005–2008). He served two terms as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, from 2004 to 2008 representing the electoral district of Cardston-Taber-Warner and then from 2009 to 2012 in Calgary-Glenmore.
Brian Michael Jean is a Canadian politician who has previously served as Alberta's and Minister of Jobs, Economy and Northern Development. On June 9, 2023 Jean was appointed as Alberta's Minister of Energy and Minerals, with Larry Kaumeyer as his Deputy-Minister, the former CEO of Ducks Unlimited. He has served as member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche since March 16, 2022. He was leader of the Opposition and the last leader of the Wildrose Party from 2015 to 2017 before its merger into the United Conservative Party (UCP). Jean was a member of Parliament (MP) with the Conservative Party from 2004 to 2014 before entering provincial politics.
The Wildrose Party was a conservative provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. The party was formed by the merger in early 2008 of the Alberta Alliance Party and the unregistered Wildrose Party of Alberta. The wild rose is Alberta's provincial flower.
James Albers is a former provincial politician from Alberta, Canada.
Marlaina Danielle Smith is a Canadian politician, former lobbyist, and former columnist and media personality who has been serving as the 19th premier of Alberta and leader of the United Conservative Party (UCP) since October 2022.
Fort McMurray-Conklin was a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada, mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using first-past-the-post balloting from 2012 to 2019.
Lac La Biche-St. Paul-Two Hills was a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada, mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using first-past-the-post balloting from 2012 to 2019.
Drew Barnes is a Canadian politician who was elected in the 2012, 2015 and 2019 Alberta general elections to represent the electoral district of Cypress-Medicine Hat in the 28th, 29th and 30th Alberta Legislatures, respectively. Formerly a member of the Wildrose Party and its successor United Conservative Party, Barnes sat as an independent MLA from 2021 to 2023. He was born in Moosomin, Saskatchewan.
Derek Alexander Gerhard Fildebrandt is a Canadian politician and media executive. He is the publisher, president and chief executive officer of the Western Standard New Media Corp. He is a former member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.
Tany Yao is a Canadian politician who was elected in the 2015 and 2019 Alberta general elections to represent the electoral district of Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo in the 29th and 30th Alberta Legislatures.
The 2019 Alberta general election was held on April 16, 2019, to elect 87 members to the 30th Alberta Legislature. In its first general election contest, the Jason Kenney-led United Conservative Party (UCP) won 54.88% of the popular vote and 63 seats, defeating incumbent Premier Rachel Notley. The governing Alberta New Democratic Party (NDP) were reduced to 24 seats and formed the Official Opposition. The United Conservative Party was formed in 2017 from a merger of the Progressive Conservative Party and the Wildrose Party after the NDP's victory in the 2015 election ended nearly 44 years of Progressive Conservative rule.
The United Conservative Party of Alberta (UCP) is a conservative political party in the province of Alberta, Canada. It was established in July 2017 as a merger between the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta and the Wildrose Party. When established, the UCP immediately formed the Official Opposition in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. The UCP won a majority mandate in the 2019 Alberta general election to form the government of Alberta. The party won a renewed majority mandate in the 2023 Alberta general election under the leadership of Danielle Smith.
A United Conservative Party leadership election was held in Alberta on October 28, 2017 following votes on July 22, 2017 by memberships of both the Wildrose Party and the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta to merge and form the United Conservative Party. The Unity Agreement between the parties states the leadership election will be held on a One Member One Vote basis.
Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche is a current provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada. The district will be one of 87 districts mandated to return a single member (MLA) to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using the first past the post method of voting. It was contested for the first time in the 2019 Alberta election.
Laila Goodridge is a Canadian politician in Alberta, Canada, who has served as the member of Parliament (MP) for Fort McMurray—Cold Lake from the Conservative Party since 2021.
Marilyn Burns is a Canadian lawyer and politician who currently serves as the leader of the Alberta Advantage Party. She was previously active in the Alberta Alliance Party and the Wildrose Party.
The 2023 Alberta general election was held on May 29, 2023. Voters elected the members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. The United Conservative Party under Danielle Smith, the incumbent Premier of Alberta, was re-elected to government with a reduced majority. Across the province, 1,763,441 valid votes were cast in this election.
The Maverick Party, formerly known as Wexit Canada, is a Canadian federal political party. It advocates for constitutional changes to benefit, or the independence of, Western Canada, which includes British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut. The party has its roots in Alberta separatism and advocates the use of grassroots politics.
The 2022 United Conservative Party leadership election was held on October 6 in Alberta to select a new leader of the United Conservative Party and Premier of Alberta. The leadership election was triggered following the May 18 leadership review in which the United Conservative Party membership voted 51.4 per cent in support of incumbent Premier Jason Kenney's leadership. In Kenney's speech following the announcement of the results, Kenney issued his resignation as leader of the United Conservative Party. Nominations for leadership of the United Conservative Party closed on July 20, with seven candidates meeting the nomination criteria. Party members selected their preference for leader using instant-runoff voting between September 2 and October 3.