UCP 'unpopularity' hurt Conservative candidates: MP Cooper
The “unpopularity” of Alberta’s UCP government hurt conservative candidates in Monday’s election, according to an experienced Edmonton-area MP.
Conservative Party candidate Michael Cooper held onto his seat in St. Albert but acknowledged he heard a lot of anger from voters about the UCP and Premier Jason Kenney while he was door knocking.
The UCP has trailed the NDP in numerous Alberta polls for much of 2021.
“It had an impact. We have seen a little bit of a drop in the capital region and I think that’s attributable to, frankly, the unpopularity of the provincial government,” Cooper said in an election night interview with CTV Edmonton.
“That was expected. I heard it at the doors. We also had a little bit of bleeding to the PPC.”
CPC vote share in the province fell by about 10 per cent, and the party lost one seat in Calgary and is at risk of losing two more in close Edmonton races.
Federal conservatives still dominated the province they usually win though - capturing at least 30 seats and about 55 per cent of votes in Alberta.
Cooper secured his third straight election victory, defeating the NDP’s Kathleen Mpulubusi by about 11,000 votes.
Kenney - a supporter of Erin O’Toole - was quiet on social media Monday, not posting anything about the election.
Cooper said Albertans will get a chance to address their provincial concerns in 2023, the next scheduled election.
As for his party leader - Cooper dodged a direct question about whether O’Toole should stay on, or resign.
“We’ve got to look at the results across the country, but I think we ran a good national campaign and had a good national result,” Cooper said.
Races involving incumbent Conservative MPs James Cummings and Kerry Diotte were still undecided Monday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
Humanist group threatening to sue Vancouver over council prayers
The B.C. Humanist Association has threatened legal action against the City of Vancouver for allowing prayers at council, following a similar warning issued earlier this month to a smaller community on Vancouver Island.
LHSC performs a Canadian first in robot-assisted direct lateral spine surgery
Spine surgery may never be the same for people with chronic back pain and other physical ailments.