Earlier this month, Airdrie-Cochrane MLA Peter Guthrie expressed strong optimism at his Stampede barbecue in about relaunching the Alberta PC party brand.
“The feedback has just been tremendous,” Guthrie said of the launch of the revival campaign for the once-dominant Progressive Conservative (PC) party. “We’ve had several hundred emails come into our office, all really supportive. I went door-knocking the last few nights. The reception’s been excellent for those who welcomed us. We’ve had great conversations and signed people up then and there.”
However, alongside the positive feedback and momentum have now come new challenges. Guthrie revealed that, on July 14, the United Conservative Party (UCP) issued a cease-and-desist letter regarding the campaign.
“The UCP is conflating a lot of claims that, quite frankly, are beyond the scope of their authority,” he said. “These threats are not law. Their claims are not law.”
Guthrie explained that the UCP’s claims relate to:
- the corporate name
- trademark
- official party name
“It’s a very broad scope of claim that they have in there, and their demands are quite interesting,” said Guthrie. “They’re almost implying that they own the verbiage, the speeches of past premiers.”
Guthrie noted that a Calgary resident has had the name ‘Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta’ registered in reserve with Elections Alberta since May 2023.
“They are relying on threats and intimidation, and it’s slowed us down a little bit, but we’re not quitting here.”
The campaign officially launched on July 2. The initial plan was to collect 12,000 signatures to submit to Elections Alberta, which Guthrie identified as “the ultimate authority where elections law is concerned.”
Since then, public support has been overwhelming and, perhaps surprisingly, the Alberta Party has also expressed interest in collaborating. They presented Guthrie and fellow campaigner, MLA Scott Sinclair with the option of joining their party and applying for a name change.
“The Alberta Party approached us saying, ‘Hey, 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, ‘Hey, this is a good vehicle for us and it gets us to our end months sooner.’”
The proposed collaboration comes at an ideal time. Rumours of a snap election continue to circulate, and aligning with the Alberta Party would ensure Guthrie and his team are prepared.
“Initially I was discounting it because it just didn’t seem logical to me,” he said. “But the rumours continue to persist. Going down the signature route could take us until Christmas to be ready.”
While the approach has shifted, the goal remains the same. Guthrie remains optimistic that new political backing will help get their political ducks in a row in time for the legislature’s return in October.
The Alberta Party will host a special general meeting with its members and Guthrie's PC campaign team. A vote will be held on whether to pursue a party name change. If approved, the party will work with Elections Alberta to process the change, expected to take 30 to 60 days. Guthrie is hopeful the process will conclude by the end of September.
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Guthrie seeking to renew Progressive Conservative Party brand
