UCP leadership hopefuls wait for party candidacy approval

**UPDATE: UCP officials confirmed Thursday night that Rajan Sawhney's leadership candidacy application had been accepted**

The race for the UCP's top job is heating up, and it's expected to get even hotter as the summer goes on. 

The application deadline for potential candidates came and went Wednesday evening, and as many as eight candidates could be on party member ballots in October. 

That may come as a surprise to those tracking the race after some strict applications rules forced all potential candidates to submit 1,000 signatures and $175,000 to even be considered. 

"It's going to make for a very interesting race," University of Lethbridge political scientist Trevor Harrison said. "You have people from right across the spectrum -- at least as far as kind of centrist Tories who are running versus kind of Wild Rose people and the even wilder roses out there."

The party tells CTV News it should have a complete list of candidates by Monday at the very latest. 

As it stands, five people say they have submit their required forms and are waiting for approval: Rajan Sawhney (editor's note: The UCP announced Sawhney's application had been accepted Thursday night), Rebecca Schulz, Todd Loewen, Raj Sherman and Leela Aheer. 

Three others have officially been accepted: Brian Jean, Danielle Smith and Travis Toews. 

The latter group is seen by pundits as the early three frontrunners.

TRAVIS TOEWS

Toews stepped down as finance minister in late May in order to run for the party's top spot.

"It's been a high bar in terms of the amount of funding that's required to participate in the leadership officially, as well as to get signatures from right across the province," Toews said Thursday. "So I'm encouraged when so many talented individuals are interested in seeking the leadership of this party and this movement."

Alberta Finance Minister Travis Toews.

Toews, like many of his competitors, has his eyes set towards Ottawa. Like Jason Kenney did when he ran, the capital and federal funding have been targeted throughout the campaign. 

"Many Albertans feel like they haven't been heard or had the voice that they would've wanted the last two years," he said. "So it's important now that they're able to share their perspectives. I've got a plan to strengthen Alberta within confederation and it's a plan that's assertive and strategic."

Toews says he will push a provincial pension plan if elected, and would aim to lessen equalization payments to instead invest in health care.

BRIAN JEAN

Jean is currently the UCP legislature member for Fort McMurray-Lac la Biche. He was the last leader of the Wildrose Party before its merger. 

"Good ideas are brought about as a result of good debate and good discussion," he told CTV News Thursday. "So the more people we have in the field that come from different perspectives of the conservative movement in Alberta, the better."

Brian Jean is one of the three early frontrunners in the race to succeed Jason Kenney as leader of the UCP

Jean believes he can drastically reduce inflation by cutting fuel costs by 30-cents-a-litre. That would be done, according to Jean, by introducing legislation to allow for caps on retailer margins for fuel. 

"I want to focus on the things that really matter to Albertans, and that's keeping money in their pockets so they can spend it on the things they want to spend it on, rather than the government doing it for them," he said. "I plead to Albertans to get involved. Even if you don't vote for me, get involved in politics to have your say in picking the best person."

DANIELLE SMITH

Smith is also a former leader of Alberta’s Wildrose Party. She's a new addition to the UCP and believes she could unite the factions within caucus. 

"It's so important for a growing party to make sure that there's enthusiasm and excitement," she said. "I'm very familiar with dealing with different opinions because I was a talk radio host for six years, talking to different people from different perspectives. My whole approach was to make sure that I heard from a broad variety of viewpoints."

Smith made headlines this week after promising legislation, if elected, that would help ignore federal laws. She's previously backed plans to create a provincial police force and tax-collection agency. 

Party members -- including the UCP House Leader -- have pushed back against the plausibility of some of those promises. 

"(We should) tell Ottawa to stay in their own lane and adopt an Alberta Sovereignty Act to make sure that they do," she told CTV News. "That's the approach that I want to take to assert our rights under the constitution and to protect the charter rights of Alberta citizens."

Smith would also like to see all Albertans receive a health spending account and has vowed there will be no more provincial COVID-19-related "lockdowns" if she is chosen to lead the party. 

THE VOTE

Leadership debates in Medicine Hat and Edmonton have been scheduled for July and August, respectively. The vote takes place on Oct. 6. 

Those hoping to cast a ballot can still purchase a United Conservative party membership until Aug. 12.