I have long maintained, but not without wavering, that the Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta and the Wildrose Party should find some way to unite. My hope has always been that there might be a friendly way to bring about such a union. I am coming to realize that friendly solutions to our political problem may not be available.
Jason Kenney’s Unite Alberta campaign has been referred to by some as a hostile takeover. In business a 'Friendly Takeover' is "a situation in which a target company's management and board of directors agree to a merger or acquisition by another company." "A hostile takeover is the acquisition of one ‘target’ company by another company that is accomplished by going directly to the company's shareholders or fighting to replace management to get the acquisition approved." (www.investopedia.com) In the world of politics similar takeover concepts exist. Instead of shareholders, parties have members and blocks of voters. After the Alberta General Election of 2015 there was much talk of reuniting the Progressive Conservative Party with the Wildrose Party. The directors of the PC Party engaged in consultations with its membership where it explored whether it wished to engage in ‘friendly’ merger discussions. To that end they polled the membership in February 2016 and subsequently reported the following numbers:
Jason Kenney’s Unite Alberta campaign has been referred to by some as a hostile takeover. In business a 'Friendly Takeover' is "a situation in which a target company's management and board of directors agree to a merger or acquisition by another company." "A hostile takeover is the acquisition of one ‘target’ company by another company that is accomplished by going directly to the company's shareholders or fighting to replace management to get the acquisition approved." (www.investopedia.com) In the world of politics similar takeover concepts exist. Instead of shareholders, parties have members and blocks of voters. After the Alberta General Election of 2015 there was much talk of reuniting the Progressive Conservative Party with the Wildrose Party. The directors of the PC Party engaged in consultations with its membership where it explored whether it wished to engage in ‘friendly’ merger discussions. To that end they polled the membership in February 2016 and subsequently reported the following numbers:
Assessment %
|
Against
|
Neutral
|
In Favour
|
Rebuild the PC Party
|
17%
|
17%
|
68%
|
Unite the Right
|
25%
|
19%
|
56%
|
Renew/Then Assess
|
28%
|
18%
|
54%
|
Unite the Centre
|
26%
|
32%
|
42%
|
Re-brand
|
52%
|
26%
|
22%
|
It is clear from the numbers that more than half of the membership wished to ‘unite the right’ which we presume implies a union of some sort with the Wildrose membership. Since more than half also expressed a desire to rebuild the party, and to renew, then assess, it is apparent that the membership saw no contradiction among these concepts. Interestingly, at the Annual General Meeting in May 2016, members were presented with a choice between rebuilding the party and building a strategic relationship with another party. The disconnect between directors and members was beginning to surface. There also appeared to be a chasm between the membership and the 1000 or so people in leadership who had assembled at the AGM. At that meeting the party leadership chose to follow a path of rebuilding the party and the brand.
The notion of a disconnect or a chasm may appear to be a harsh indictment. That is not my intention. Under the excellent leadership of Katherine O'Neill, prior to her election as president of the party, the party sought out its grass roots. It consulted with its members and did what it could to take a penetrating look into the mirror and confront its failings. With dissenting voices having left to cast votes elsewhere, the party faithful voted to seek to put Humpty back together again.
The line in the sand had been drawn. Any union with Wildrose would now require unfriendly means. It would require turning the upcoming leadership contest into a referendum on the future of the party. It would require some form of hostile takeover for any plan to ‘Unite the Right’ to become a reality.
This is where Jason Kenney stepped in and stepped up. It would be unfair to say that he is personally unfriendly or hostile. He has won seven elections averaging 72% of the vote, has been instrumental in attracting the immigrant vote to the federal Conservative Party, was acknowledged several times by colleagues in all parties as one of the most popular MPs, has been a consensus-builder with opposition parties and provincial governments alike; and has been endorsed in this campaign by every single federal Conservative MP from Alberta with whom he has worked, with the exception of Brian Jean. The man has a record of building good and solid relationships. While all of the other leadership candidates are taking shots at his plan and at him, he has made no personal attacks against anyone.
This is where Jason Kenney stepped in and stepped up. It would be unfair to say that he is personally unfriendly or hostile. He has won seven elections averaging 72% of the vote, has been instrumental in attracting the immigrant vote to the federal Conservative Party, was acknowledged several times by colleagues in all parties as one of the most popular MPs, has been a consensus-builder with opposition parties and provincial governments alike; and has been endorsed in this campaign by every single federal Conservative MP from Alberta with whom he has worked, with the exception of Brian Jean. The man has a record of building good and solid relationships. While all of the other leadership candidates are taking shots at his plan and at him, he has made no personal attacks against anyone.
The terms hostile and unfriendly are most accurately a reflection of the feelings of those who were not included in the strategy to bring together Alberta’s two most significant free enterprise parties. In this Leadership race he has indeed been demonized, but in truth it is not the man his adversaries find offensive; it is his strategy.
Blaise Boehmer is a principal in the public affairs firm ‘Revolver Strategic’ and a spokesperson for the Kenney campaign. A perusal of his company website is informative. ‘We're here to get winning results for clients. We understand you want to get the right meeting with the key decision makers, but social media and other digital platforms have disrupted the game entirely. We can help you navigate this digital frontier so you are understood, effective and successful. We aren't afraid to whisper, awaken, instigate, provoke, or shock on your behalf.” Clearly Boehmer is one of the authors of the Kenney campaign playbook. The campaign has not been afraid to rock the boat and to work outside of the best wishes of the party directors. It is deliberately provocative. Initially I thought this was a bad thing. Now I’m not so sure.
In my position as president of a Progressive Conservative Constituency Association, I am among the people viewed suspiciously by the Kenney campaign. As I write this I am waiting to hear back from the Kenney campaign regarding an all-candidates event in my riding. I am not optimistic he will participate. Kenney prefers to organize his own events and mobilize his people outside of existing PC Alberta structures. I understand his suspicion. I am part of the machine that failed to understand it’s own polling. I am part of the party that failed to include departed members and departed voters into its understanding of the group we like to call the grassroots. The faithful Progressive Conservative remnant is unable or unwilling to understand the voter that Kenney represents.
Some see Kenney’s Unite Alberta campaign as a Wildrose takeover of the PC party. Others see it as a PC takeover of Wildrose. Still others see it as a hostile takeover of both by Kenny and his broad coalition of conservative voters. It doesn’t matter how it is perceived. His plan is the only one offered that reunites the conservative family. He has turned the leadership race into a referendum on the future of conservatism in Alberta provincial politics. That is exactly what needs to be done. That is why I am supporting Jason Kenney, even if it is unfriendly to do so.
Blaise Boehmer is a principal in the public affairs firm ‘Revolver Strategic’ and a spokesperson for the Kenney campaign. A perusal of his company website is informative. ‘We're here to get winning results for clients. We understand you want to get the right meeting with the key decision makers, but social media and other digital platforms have disrupted the game entirely. We can help you navigate this digital frontier so you are understood, effective and successful. We aren't afraid to whisper, awaken, instigate, provoke, or shock on your behalf.” Clearly Boehmer is one of the authors of the Kenney campaign playbook. The campaign has not been afraid to rock the boat and to work outside of the best wishes of the party directors. It is deliberately provocative. Initially I thought this was a bad thing. Now I’m not so sure.
In my position as president of a Progressive Conservative Constituency Association, I am among the people viewed suspiciously by the Kenney campaign. As I write this I am waiting to hear back from the Kenney campaign regarding an all-candidates event in my riding. I am not optimistic he will participate. Kenney prefers to organize his own events and mobilize his people outside of existing PC Alberta structures. I understand his suspicion. I am part of the machine that failed to understand it’s own polling. I am part of the party that failed to include departed members and departed voters into its understanding of the group we like to call the grassroots. The faithful Progressive Conservative remnant is unable or unwilling to understand the voter that Kenney represents.
Some see Kenney’s Unite Alberta campaign as a Wildrose takeover of the PC party. Others see it as a PC takeover of Wildrose. Still others see it as a hostile takeover of both by Kenny and his broad coalition of conservative voters. It doesn’t matter how it is perceived. His plan is the only one offered that reunites the conservative family. He has turned the leadership race into a referendum on the future of conservatism in Alberta provincial politics. That is exactly what needs to be done. That is why I am supporting Jason Kenney, even if it is unfriendly to do so.
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