The Wildrose on the Brink

Whispering in the Wind (WITW 55) November 26, 2014

Wildrose at a Crossroads and Taking the Wrong Turn?

The 2014 Annual General Meeting of the Wildrose Party was planned to be a spirit building, ho-hum meeting of the party faithful.  Things didn’t turn out as planned when a very telling resolution on human rights policy was defeated by 58 percent of the party faithful.  The resolution proposed that a Wildrose government would defend the rights of all Albertans “regardless of race, religious belief, color, gender, physical disability, mental disability, age, ancestry, place of origin, marital status, source of income, family status, or sexual orientation of that person or class of persons.”  The vote on November 15: 148 against the resolution, 109 in favor.  The intent of the defeated motion was to make the Wildrose Party more inclusive and the effort failed with the grass roots vote at the annual meeting.  Undaunted by the setback Danielle Smith and her caucus adopted a “binding statement” on equality rights similar to the one rejected by party representatives two weeks earlier.  What it means to me, a significant portion of Wildrose base (up to 60 percent) want to retain “traditional family values” as core elements of the Wildrose’s platform – it means blocking increased gay rights and resisting more liberal abortion policies.  But that’s not all Danielle Smith has to worry about.  Still bruised by the four by-election loses to Jim Prentice last October Danielle Smith now has to contend with three recent party defections, two of which crossed the floor to join the Progressive Conservatives.  Whether Danielle Smith can repair a fractured party is still an open question, but if the Wildrose movement is to survive she had better listen more closely to her more libertarian base.

Michael Sona Sentenced

Former Conservative Party of Canada staff member Michael Sona has been sentenced to nine months in prison and a year’s probation for misdirecting voters in the 2011 federal election.  The judge presiding over the case said Sona showed a “callous and blatant disregard for the right of people to vote”.  Judge Hearn went further and said that Sona was a major participant in this ill-conceived and disturbing plan.  Michael Sona is still considering his legal options.  Sona is the only one charged with misleading voters in the Guelph, Ontario robocall scandal.  Andrew Prescott – deputy campaign manager was given an immunity deal in exchange for evidence against Michael Sona.  Ken Morgan – Guelph Conservative Manager moved to Kuwait and has never spoken to Elections Canada investigators.  Sona has always maintained his innocence with the claim that he had been scapegoated by the Conservative Party of Canada.  Surely there must be more to the story than what has been offered – hopefully this file remains active with Elections Canada and the RCMP, and all culprits are brought to justice – or has justice been served?