On Tuesday, two candidates for the leadership of the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party withdrew from the race.
Just before 4 p.m., statements sent out from current PC MLA for Calgary-North West Sandra Jansen and former MLA Donna Kennedy-Glans announced both candidates were withdrawing from the race.
In Jansen’s announcement, the MLA said she was left “shaken” following the previous weekend’s convention in Red Deer.
Jansen said she had experienced harassment leading up to and including the convention.
“My social media has been filled with filth, my domain name purchased to direct people to smear pieces on me and finally, this past weekend in Red Deer, the final straw. Insults were scrawled on my nomination forms. Volunteers from another campaign chased me up and down the hall, attacking me for protecting women’s reproductive rights and my team jeered for supporting children’s rights to a safe school environment.”
In her response to Jansen’s statement, PC Party President Katherine O’Neill said the party would take her allegations seriously, and she was “disappointed” a candidate had withdrawn from the race under those circumstances.
“Open, respectful and civil dialogue is paramount to the integrity of democracy and of this race.
“As the chair of the Leadership Election Committee, I am deeply concerned and I will be referring this matter and allegations of harassment to the committee to be reviewed.”
Kennedy-Glans’ statement said at this time “politics in Alberta is polarizing and there is limited opportunity for centrist voices to be heard. For that reason, based on consultation with my volunteer team, I am withdrawing from the PC leadership race.”
With those two candidates dropping out, four men remain: MP Jason Kenney, MLA Richard Starke, former PC MLA Stephen Khan and Calgary lawyer Byron Nelsen.
Kenney released a statement in the wake of the news, and said he was “disappointed” the two candidates would not seek the leadership anymore.
“Both are passionate advocates for their values and it is important to have a range of views and choices in a leadership election such as this one. There must be room in any free-enterprise coalition for the ideas championed by both Sandra and Donna.”
O’Neill also thanked Jansen and Kennedy-Glans for their “contributions to the leadership race and policy discussions over the last several months.”
The leadership election will take place March 18, 2017 in Calgary.
