UCP Calgary-Elbow History

Background

The history of the United Conservative Party is the history of the Progressive Conservative Party and the Wildrose Party, both of which played pivotal roles in shaping the current political landscape of the province.

The origins of the contemporary conservative movement in Alberta can be attributed to the establishment of the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta, a political party with center-right ideologies that was founded in 1905. This party held power in Alberta for a continuous period of 44 years, from 1971 to 2015. It first gained control under the leadership of Peter Lougheed (Calgary-Elbow) in 1971 and maintained its dominance through six subsequent leaders, two of whom hailed from Calgary-Elbow: Ralph Klein and Alison Redford. Collectively, these leaders served for a total of 17 years. Over time, a significant number of people in the PCs came to consider that the party had deviated from its commitment to fiscal conservatism.

The Alberta Alliance Party was formed in 2002. Officially registered on October 25, 2002, the Alberta Alliance aimed to provide a voice for those dissatisfied with the direction of the PCs, particularly the perceived departure from fiscal conservatism and grassroots values. The party held its founding convention on January 19, 2003, marking the beginning of a new era in Alberta politics, characterized by a renewed focus on conservative principles and increased advocacy for local governance and fiscal responsibility.

In the 2004 provincial general election, the Alberta Alliance fielded candidates across the province, including in the Calgary-Elbow constituency. This marked the party's first foray into electoral politics, laying the groundwork for future challenges to the established political order.

The party underwent a significant transformation in 2008 when it merged with the unregistered Wildrose Party of Alberta, resulting in the formation of the Wildrose Alliance Party, commonly known as Wildrose. This merger bolstered the conservative movement in Alberta, providing a unified platform for those seeking an alternative to the ruling PCs.

The party's momentum continued to build, culminating in the 2012 provincial election, where Wildrose secured a significant number of seats, forming the Official Opposition. This marked a major milestone for the party, cementing its status as a major force in Alberta politics.

In 2015, Alberta witnessed a historic political realignment when the PCs were ousted from government for the first time. The New Democratic Party (NDP) formed a majority government, while Wildrose once again assumed the role of the official opposition, consolidating its position as the primary conservative alternative in the province.

However, the conservative movement in Alberta underwent another seismic shift in 2017 when members of both the Wildrose and Progressive Conservative parties voted overwhelmingly in favour of merging into a single entity, the United Conservative Party (UCP). This merger provided a potent front against the in-power NDP by uniting various conservative movement factions under Jason Kenny's leadership. In the following election in 2019, the UCP won a majority government, with Jason Kenney becoming the Premier of Alberta. This solidified the UCP as the dominant conservative force in the province, leaving the NDP once again as the official opposition. The merger of the Wildrose and Progressive Conservative parties proved to be a strategic move that helped unite the right and shift the political landscape in Alberta.

The Calgary-Elbow UCP Constituency Association was established following the party merger, with Chris Davis, James Cole, and other former members of both the PCs and Wildrose playing key roles in setting up the new association. Doug Schweitzer was the first nominated UCP candidate for Calgary-Elbow and won the seat in the 2019 election, serving as MLA and holding various cabinet positions until his retirement in 2022. In December 2022, Chris Davis won the UCP nomination but lost the May 2023 election to the NDP candidate in spite of having more votes than Schweitzer in 2019.