Cory Morgan: The Challenges of Conservative Parties in Maintaining Unity
Commentary
Canadian conservatives face internal challenges, as demonstrated by recent events in Alberta and B.C. where MLAs were ousted or resigned from their parties.
Alberta United Conservative Party (UCP) MLA Scott Sinclair was removed from the party caucus for criticizing the provincial budget. Former cabinet minister Peter Guthrie was barred from caucus meetings for calling for the health minister’s resignation. In B.C., Conservative MLA Dallas Brodie was expelled, leading to the resignation of MLAs Tara Armstrong and Jordan Kealy, causing turmoil in both parties.
Both the UCP and B.C. Conservative Party were formed through mergers, but keeping members united has been a challenge. The UCP was established in 2017 after the merger of warring parties led to an NDP victory in Alberta, while the B.C. Conservative Party gained momentum after absorbing the B.C. United Party in 2024 under John Rustad.
Merged parties can be fragile, relying on members sharing common ideologies to stay together. However, recent events have shown that internal discord can threaten party unity.
Conservatives value individuality and vocal expression, making it difficult to maintain cohesion. In contrast, left-leaning individuals tend to prioritize solidarity and loyalty to party leadership, handling disagreements internally.
Rustad successfully united diverse candidates before the election, but with the absence of immediate electoral pressure, internal conflicts have emerged. Some members are now challenging party unity.
Rustad faced challenges from outspoken members in his party, leading to controversies and disputes within the caucus. The public airing of these disputes strained party unity and eventually led to Brodie’s removal, fracturing the coalition.
Kealy, who resigned to sit as an Independent, aims to form a new party, potentially attracting other shunned MLAs. This could create further instability in the party.
In Alberta, Premier Danielle Smith faces the risk of leadership challenges from within the party, as past conservative leaders have been ousted by their own members. Maintaining party unity is crucial for her majority government’s stability.
Rustad and Smith must navigate the balance between caucus freedom and unity, especially in an era where small incidents can escalate into major controversies due to social media scrutiny.
The NDP benefits from conservative infighting, and as election cycles loom, the ability of Conservative parties to maintain unity remains uncertain.
Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
