With a decisive vote, the Alberta Party has moved one step closer to adopting the Progressive Conservative name, aligning itself with a campaign launched earlier this summer by independent MLAs Peter Guthrie and Scott Sinclair.
On Wednesday, August 27, party members voted overwhelmingly in favour of the name change, with 94 per cent support. The move comes in collaboration with Guthrie and Sinclair, who have been leading a campaign to revive the long-dormant Progressive Conservative (PC) Party brand.
The two MLAs first announced their effort in early July, pitching it as a home for Albertans who feel politically sidelined.
“One of the things Scott and I keep hearing is that so many people feel like they don’t have a political home,” Guthrie told The Eagle. “The United Conservative Party speaks to maybe 20 per cent of the population on the right, and the NDP appeals to a similar percentage on the left, but there’s a big swath of people in the middle who feel left out and underrepresented.”
Initially, Guthrie and Sinclair set out to collect 12,000 signatures and formally request the PC name from Elections Alberta. But the campaign faced pushback, including a cease-and-desist letter from the UCP on July 14.
“It’s a very broad scope of claim that they have in there, and their demands are quite interesting,” Guthrie said. “They’re almost implying that they own the verbiage, the speeches of past premiers.”
The setback soon turned into an opportunity when the Alberta Party expressed interest in joining forces.
“They approached us saying, ‘We have party infrastructure, and you’ve got momentum and the people. It seems like there’d be a lot of synergies here,’” Guthrie recalled. “We thought, ‘This is a good vehicle for us, and it gets us to our end months sooner.’”
Another key factor: the name Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta (PCAA) has been held in reserve with Elections Alberta since May 2023 by a Calgarian who also sits on the Alberta Party’s board. That connection provides access to the reserved name, allowing the party to use variations.
The plan was then put to Alberta Party members, with six variations of the Progressive Conservative name up for a vote. Alberta Progressive Conservative Party became the clear choice. On August 29, the Alberta Party formally submitted its request to Elections Alberta.
“We have been in communication with them to make sure we’re dotting all the i’s and crossing the t’s,” Guthrie said. “At this point, we have every indication that we’ve followed all the requests and recommendations to the letter.”
Guthrie is optimistic that approval could come by the end of September, though he acknowledged the process may take up to 60 days.
“Upon approval from Elections Alberta for that name change. Scott and I will then become members, the first two MLAs of the reinvigorated Progressive Conservatives PCs.”
