Independent MLA Peter Guthrie says it's time for a new political option in Alberta, and for him, that means reviving an old one.
The Cochrane-based MLA confirmed that he and fellow Independent MLA Scott Sinclair are working to officially relaunch the Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta.
“We got an extension on our registration with Elections Alberta on May 27, which gives us six more months to gather enough signatures,” Guthrie explained. “We weren’t promoting it heavily until now, but after word started to get out, we made it official this weekend, and the response has been incredible.”
The PC Party governed Alberta for more than four decades before losing power in 2015 and later merging with the Wildrose Party to form the United Conservatives. Guthrie says that merger may have started with good intentions, but he now considers the UCP a “failed experiment.”
“The UCP has changed dramatically,” he said. “Moderate conservatives like me have been pushed out. Their focus now is on a small segment of the population, they’ve abandoned the principles we thought they stood for.”
Guthrie was removed from UCP caucus earlier this year after speaking out against what he calls “corruption and cronyism” in government. He says that decision ultimately pushed him to help re-establish a more centrist, accountable conservative option.
“We’re bringing the PC Party back to its original values, fiscal responsibility, smaller government, working within Canada, and restoring transparency and accountability.”
Guthrie says expenses under Premier Danielle Smith have ballooned by 23 per cent over just three budgets and claims government staff sizes are growing at an unsustainable rate. He also criticized what he calls the party's drift toward separatism, estimating that about one-third of the UCP caucus supports Alberta leaving Confederation.
Guthrie is aware that some Albertans are concerned this move could split the conservative vote and help the NDP, but he rejects the idea that vote-splitting was to blame for the 2015 election outcome.
“That defeat had little to do with vote-splitting,” Guthrie said. “It had everything to do with Albertans saying they were done with corruption. Albertans want choice, and they deserve a credible, conservative option.”
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Guthrie says using the PC name was a natural fit, despite its complicated legacy. “Scott and I both voted PC in the past. It’s a name people recognize, and it represents the values we’re trying to restore.”
To register the party, Guthrie and Sinclair need to collect roughly 8,900 wet signatures, but their goal is 12,000. Volunteers are already canvassing across the province, and the team is planning door-knocking campaigns and appearances at local events. Interested Albertans can visit mypcalberta.ca to sign up or request a petition.
“Our goal is to submit everything before session resumes at the end of October,” Guthrie said. “We want to be in the House, representing the PC Party, by that last week.”
As for his own political journey, Guthrie says he came to politics later in life, after years in engineering, farming, and small business.
“I got involved after the NDP won in 2015,” he said. “I stopped just talking about politics and started doing something about it.”
Now, Guthrie says he’s more motivated than ever.
“This isn’t about going back in time. It’s about restoring balance and trust in government,” he said. “And I think a lot of Albertans are ready for that.”