Mary O’Neill did not expect to see in her mail a file containing a leadership review ballot. The ballot was addressed to her husband, Jack O’Neill. Jack was a former Alberta Deputy Minister of Culture and Multiculturalism and a former chief commissioner of the Alberta Human Rights Commission from 1993 to 1994. Mary served two terms, in 1997 and 2001, as the MLA of the Progressive Conservative Party for Equestrian St. Albert. “I thought it was weird to send a ballot to someone who is not a member,” said Mary. The ballot package contains an identity and declaration verification form, in addition to a paid return envelope, a ballot envelope envelope and the actual ballot paper itself. The form makes it clear that in order for a ballot paper to be considered valid, a statement must be signed stating that the voter is a member of the party that has paid his / her subscriptions. “I respect the political parties and I respect the challenges and the hard work that the workers pay for it,” said Mary. “But I do not like to see something that has the potential to be abused or mismanaged.” While she remained a member of the Progressive Conservative Union of Alberta until the party merged with the UCP, Mary says she is now a member of the Alberta Party and that her husband is not a member of the UCP. “I became concerned if you are not a member, something that says you should be, then how do they check to see if someone is a member,” he said. “I’m so impressed with the fact that you have to be a paid current member, and yet they send out a ballot.” Dave Prisco, communications director at UCP, told CTV News Edmonton that anyone who was a member of either the old PC or Wildrose parties joined UCP in 2017. “This was part of the merger agreement approved by the members in the merger vote,” Prisco said in a written statement. “Anyone who falsifies his party’s regime and votes in the leadership contest is committing fraud,” Prisco added. “The verification process takes place from May 11 to 17, where volunteers confirm the eligibility of each voter before their ballot box is placed,” Prisco said. “A vote counts only if one person meets all the conditions.” Auditors and an auditor will oversee the entire process, Prisco says.
‘SUSPICIOUS PROCESS’
Laurie Williams, a political science professor at Mount Royal University, said the leadership review process was already mired in controversy. “I do not know if there is anything that will convince people who are now suspicious of the process,” he said. “The problem, in this case, is that it looks like people on any list that the former Progressive Conservative, Wildrose or UCP, anyone on any of their lists could get on the ballot today. “Then the question arises who decided which of these people will receive the ballot by mail and who will not,” he added. Initially, Kenney’s leadership review was to take place before 2022. It was then supposed to take place in late 2022 before a one-day, in-person vote on April 9 in Red Deer. This was transferred from the party’s board to a mail process after more than 15,000 people registered to vote. Williams said some may now question whether determining who will receive the ballots could be based on the assumption that they are more likely to vote for Prime Minister Jason Kenny. “It’s just the kind of people that a lot of people believe the party is trying to target right now to boost Jason Kenny’s chances of winning leadership,” Williams said. “On the other hand, I do not think it helps, because in this case, people get ballots to participate in a process where they do not want to be part of the party, much less have Jason Kenney as leader and prime minister,” he added. Williams. “It could have a boomerang.” For Mary, the whole ordeal has left her “troubled”. “It’s a ballot paper that we have no right to either receive or certainly not send because (we are) non-members,” he said. “I believe that the political process should be legal, whether it is within a party – after I participated in it – or in general elections. I just want there to be integrity in the process.” The results of the leadership review are expected to be announced on May 18. The vote is due by 11 May. According to the UCP, there are approximately 60,000 members eligible to vote. If Kenney does not receive a majority share of the support, the party will have to run a contest to elect a new leader. With files from the Canadian Press
