UCP challenger of Kenney ally says he's been unfairly disqualified in party nomination race

Article content

A candidate challenging the nomination of one of Premier Jason Kenney’s key allies said Thursday he’s been unjustly disqualified from the contest.

Eckville-area farmer Tim Hoven, who was running against Environment Minister Jason Nixon to represent the Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre riding, said he was informed by the UCP’s provincial candidate selection committee on Thursday he’s been excluded from the race.

Hoven said he’s been told it was due in part to his name being on a social media platform seven years ago known to harbour white supremacists.

“One of the issues listed was, in 2015 I was on a social platform I had since forgotten about, and only had four posts on it. You imply that because this platform can be used by racists and haters, and because I had an inactive account on it, therefore I must be one of those is ridiculous to even say out loud,” Hoven said in a statement Thursday.

“This type of creeping cancel culture is what deters most people from getting involved in politics.”

Hoven, a former Clearwater County reeve, said he will appeal the move so he can re-enter a race he said he’s been blocked from due to the threat he poses to Nixon.

Kenney is counting on Nixon’s support in the premier’s upcoming leadership review on April 9 in Red Deer.

“Let’s be clear and talk about what is really going on,” said Hoven.

“My nomination campaign against Jason Nixon is very competitive and we have strong momentum. People are standing up. That’s what spooked the status quo.”

If the disqualification is upheld, it would leave Nixon with no challenger for the nomination in a vote to be held March 23 in Sundre and Rocky Mountain House, and March 24 in Rimbey.

There was no response to a request for comment to the Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre UCP riding association.

The party’s headquarters also didn’t respond to a request for comment but Kenney said Thursday the decision was unanimous among the screening panel’s 10 members.

“The UCP is a mainstream party . . . we do not and will not tolerate extreme, hateful sentiments,” he said.

He said the party screened out about 40 candidates leading up to the 2019 provincial election to ensure views “not acceptable or reflective of the values of Albertans or our party” didn’t prevail.

The dust-up in that riding is the latest internal UCP feud, some of which have been tied to disillusion over Kenney’s leadership.

Last week, Jodie Gateman, who was challenging UCP deputy house leader Joseph Schow in the Cardston-Siksika riding, said she was unjustly disqualified.

A bitter dispute in Kenney critic and UCP MLA Leela Aheer’s Chestermere-Strathmore riding spiked late last month when the UCP board that claims it was ousted improperly on Jan. 8 sent a formal demand for dispute resolution to the central party.

Those seeking to oust Aheer are backing former federal Conservative party staffer Chantelle de Jong.

And the party has been hit by defections of once-staunch supporters to the right-wing Wildrose Independence Party, who doubt the UCP’s ability to defeat the NDP in next year’s provincial election.

Kenney foe Brian Jean, whose platform includes unseating the current premier, will run as the UCP candidate in the Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche byelection on March 15.

Anger within the UCP ranks has centred on a number of Kenney’s perceived missteps, including what many consider the premier’s wrong-headed imposition of COVID-19 public health protections that have now been almost totally lifted.

Some observers say upcoming nomination contests involving incumbent supporters of the premier are being rushed, with a limited time for possible challengers to put their names forward.

Other candidates have been disqualified for perceived ties to racists, “so some could claim this instance is legitimate,” said Mount Royal University political science professor Lori Williams.

Even so, she said the perception of an authoritarian Kenney using any levers possible to maintain his grip on the leadership is growing and threatens the party.

“Jason Kenney once stood with that grassroots pledge and there’s a wing of the party that has no patience for this kind of stuff,” said Williams.

Given the age of the social media discovery on Hoven, the UCP establishment “spent time looking for something, looking for a reason to expel him . . . (Kenney) is not going to let Nixon go down in a nomination battle,” said MRU political scientist Duane Bratt.

“Hoven comes from a prominent family and has been seen as a formidable challenger, and the party’s taken steps to remove him . . . they want to send a message to any other dissidents.”

But that will likely only add momentum to the disaffected within the party, said Bratt, who expects more high-profile desertions in the coming weeks.

Kenney said his government’s recent budget and its moves to get the province to a post-pandemic trajectory is striking a chord.

“I’m very encouraged as I get around the province to hear optimism and support for Alberta’s government with the balanced budget we’ve just tabled and standing up to Prime Minister Trudeau’s unreasonable travel requests in respect to COVID,” he said.

As of Wednesday, 4,900 UCP members had registered to vote in the April 9 leadership review, which is considered a massive number.

At the same time, a new poll conducted by Think HQ Public Affairs suggests 61 per cent of Albertans want the UCP to drop Kenney in favour of a new leader.

BKaufmann@postmedia.com

Twitter: @BillKaufmannjrn