UCP members say party needs to 'pull together' following leadership vote
The mail-in ballots are in and the doors were open other party members seeking to vote in-person, but this evening, the UCP and Alberta will have a new leader.
All seven candidates – Leela Aheer, Todd Loewen, Rebecca Schulz, Rajan Sawhney, Brian Jean, Danielle Smith and Travis Toews – are listed on each ballot with voters tasked with listing their top choices.
In many polls leading up to Thursday's event, Smith, the former Wildrose Party leader, was considered the front runner.
Some Conservative voters at Calgary's BMO Centre say that, no matter who is chosen, the new leader needs to bring the UCP back together.
"The party is a strong party," said one voter. "It's a party that has strong roots in the people and believes in fundamental rights and freedoms of the people."
"They're going to need to pull together under one banner – that's going to be the challenge," said another.
As for the performance of Jason Kenney as UCP leader and premier, voters had a mixed reaction.
"I think he tried to play too many people," one woman said. "I think he generally had the right place in mind when trying to do things, but tried to please too many people and look like a 'flip-flopper.'
"I thought he was a great candidate – went through a hard time with COVID, a hard time with a lot of different things."
Nearly 124,000 party members were eligible to cast a ballot, with the majority having been submitted by mail.
The event begins at 5:30 p.m. at the BMO Centre.
You can watch live coverage of the UCP leadership vote on TV and online starting at 6 p.m. on CTV Calgary.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.