Canadian conservatives are often their own worst enemies. That was demonstrated in spades this week both in Alberta and B.C., where MLAs were ejected and/or resigned from their parties.
Both the UCP and the B.C. Conservative Party were created through mergers. All the involved parties had enough ideologically in common to manage a merger, but the challenge of keeping all the members in the same room is ongoing. The UCP was created in 2017 after the warring Progressive Conservative and Wildrose parties led to a vote split and an NDP victory in the most conservative province in Canada. Although the B.C. Conservative Party has been in existence for over a century, it only recently became electorally viable when the B.C. United Party folded in August 2024 and informally merged into the Conservatives under John Rustad’s leadership.
Merged parties can be tenuous creations. Members join pragmatically, and when they can stick together the results are usually positive. The new UCP formed the government in Alberta, and the B.C. Conservatives went from a meagre 3 percent support to nearly winning the 2024 election. Now, both parties are at risk of ripping themselves asunder from within.
Part of the challenge is the nature of conservative-leaning people. Conservatives inherently chafe under centralized leadership. They value outspokenness and individual rights. These are fantastic principles, but they are difficult to manage. Left-leaning people tend to instinctively maintain solidarity and follow party leadership. If they are upset, they keep their battles internal.
Rustad performed a remarkable feat in bringing disparate candidates together in time for the election. Members were highly motivated to remain united while the election was looming since running as an Independent candidate in B.C. elections rarely leads to success. Five incumbent B.C. United MLAs tried to do so and lost their seats. Now that members won’t face an election for a few years, some are feeling emboldened to shake the tree.
In Alberta, Premier Danielle Smith is leading a well-established party but her leadership could be at risk. Albertan conservatives are notorious for ousting their leaders. Not since Ralph Klein in 2004 has a provincial conservative premier managed to remain in power for two election cycles before being pushed out by their own members. Ed Stelmach, Alison Redford, and Jason Kenney all succumbed to internal quarrels. Smith can’t take the support of the party membership for granted and her majority isn’t large. If a few more MLAs depart, she could find herself in a minority government position.
Rustad and Smith both must find the balance between allowing caucus freedom and maintaining unity. In the age of social media, small outbursts from MLAs can turn into major controversies. The next elections are years away, which can be an eternity in politics. Is it possible for Conservative parties maintain unity for an entire election cycle?
The NDP in both B.C. and Alberta win when conservatives are devouring their own. David Eby and Naheed Nenshi only need to sit back and watch. As Napoleon said, “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.”
