'Taking back' constituency associations: UCP MLA says he's excited to work with overhauled board
Despite two family members being voted off of his riding's board, the MLA for Innisfail-Sylvan Lake says he's looking forward to working with his new-look constituency association.
Alberta's minister of transportation Devin Dreeshen was asked about the massive changes during a press conference Friday.
The vote made headlines in late February after an extended battle in the riding appears to have tipped the group in a more politically right-leaning direction. It's believed the newly-elected board -- 27 directors and one president -- is largely comprised of members of the group Take Back Alberta.
Dreeshen's mother and uncle both lost their positions in the vote.
"I'm excited to work with them," Dreeshen told CTV News. "They view the same views as I have when it comes to the NDP."
'TAKING' ANOTHER BOARD
Innisfail-Sylvan Lake looks to be the second UCP-led constituency board taken over by Take Back Alberta (TBA).
The Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre riding also saw major turnover in January.
When asked about TBA Friday, Dreeshen didn't deny that its members now make up the majority of his new board.
"There's a lot of them across the province," he said. "To me, politics is all about people, and people that want to get engaged at any level just makes our democracy stronger."
Take Back Alberta's ability to organize and fundraise has been very apparent since its creation last year.
Nine of the 16 UCP Board candidates it endorsed were elected, which means TBA holds some sway within the party.
Devin Dreeshen (Photo: Twitter@DevinDVote)
Regardless, last week, that's something leader David Parker denied.
"There's lots of claims and rumours running around, but there's not actually any direct connection with the government," he said. "We just encourage people to get involved."
The conservative group is expected to put forth its own right-leaning candidates in Alberta's next election, with some speculating they'll push for more privately-delivered health care and education.
Parker wouldn't specify when asked before a Calgary meeting.
CTV News reached out to both the constituency association and TBA on Friday for comment. We didn't receive an answer.
PLANS TBA
Take Back Alberta is a registered third-party advertiser and bills itself as a way to get people involved in democracy.
Right-wing activist Parker is the executive director and began the group as a way to push back against COVID-19 measures.
It has since drastically grown, recently taking credit for removing Jason Kenney from his post as premier and electing Danielle Smith.
Members have ties to the Coutts border blockade and the Ottawa convoy.
It's unknown exactly how many followers it has, but it could be as high as tens of thousands: the majority believed to be rural.
Its financials -- which can't be used to advertise but can indirectly help right-leaning campaigns -- are also unknown.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.