WESTLOCK - In the last provincial election, the Alberta Party had its best showing ever, collecting 10 per cent of the popular vote.
That didn’t translate into seats in the Legislature though. In fact, despite running a full slate of candidates in all 87 ridings and earning one in ten of the votes cast, the party lost the three seats it was already holding onto and many thought the Alberta Party was on its way into political obscurity.
Things are in flux though, and the reported demise of the Alberta Party in 2019 may have been premature, but it’s going to be a rebuild from the ground up.
The party held its formal constituency association founding meeting Feb. 26, upstairs at the Westlock Curling Rink which had six people in attendance, including Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock’s 2019 candidate Wayne Rufiange and party vice-president Allen Preston.
“Of course, you would always want to have more of a turn out, but at the same time we’re starting from scratch,” said Rufiange afterwards. “I think it would be called a founding meeting, just to get established.”
Rufiange had originally put his name forward for the party nomination in the Morinville-St. Albert riding, but lost out. He then stood for the nomination in Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock and was placed on the ballot, where he placed third, well behind United Conservative Party candidate and current MLA Glenn van Dijken.
“I heard a lot of great things about the party as I went around,” said Rufiange, who garnered 9.1 per cent of the votes in the last election and can’t wait to get back out on the campaign trail in 2023, presuming everything comes together for him.
He does intend on moving to Westlock in the coming months.
“It’s three years away though. A lot can happen,” said Rufiange.
Having now officially created the constituency association, members now look to forming an executive in the coming months, which could be a challenge considering the constituency’s wide area of 23,699 square kilometres that stretches from Swan Hills in the west to Ashmont in the east and can take more than three hours to drive.
Executive members can be nominated or put their own names forward. They must be a resident of the constituency and must be a member of the party in good standing for at least 10 days.
The party will also pick a new leader this spring with its AGM taking place in Calgary April 4. Two weeks ago, former long-time Strathcona County councillor Jacquie Fenske was appointed acting leader until that time.
Rufiange notes the Alberta Party is very much the only centrist option for voters in a province that is currently very divided between right and left. Members have also compiled a shadow budget to compare with the government’s 2020 budget, which was just released Feb. 27.
“We’ve got three years to prepare and I think the Alberta Party has a lot to offer in finding that middle ground and not so much in an us versus them scenario. I think there were some great things that the NDP were trying to do and I can appreciate some of the things the newly formed government is doing,” said Rufiange.
The Alberta Party does have one advantage on its side.
“They don’t see us as a threat as of yet, but we hope to change that though.”
