The United Conservative Party is pushing back against a bid by two former MLAs to resurrect the Progressive Conservative brand, claiming the move violates Alberta’s election laws.
Independent MLAs Peter Guthrie and Scott Sinclair—both expelled from the UCP caucus—have pledged to revive the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta, which governed the province between 1971 and 2015 until its merger with the Wildrose Party to form the UCP.
True North asked Elections Alberta whether Guthrie and Sinclair could proceed under the PC name and banner.
The office replied that the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta name is currently only reserved, and that reserving a name does not guarantee it will be accepted for registration.
“The only restrictions at this stage are that the desired party name is not in use and the acronym is not the same or similar to an existing registered party,” said a spokesperson for Elections Alberta.
But a spokesperson for the UCP insists the law is clear: the PC name is off-limits.
“Alberta elections law is clear that new parties may not use the name of the former legacy parties of the UCP. This is to avoid confusion for voters,” said the spokesperson. “We expect that law to be followed and will follow up with Elections Alberta accordingly.”
The Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act says that no political party can be registered if the applying party’s name resembles the name or abbreviation of any other registered party and is likely to confuse voters.
The Alberta UCP referred True North to section 7(3) of the Act, which states in part that the Chief Electoral Officer “shall not register a political party if… the proposed name was the name of any registered predecessor party or so nearly resembles the name or the abbreviation of the name of any registered predecessor party as to be likely to be confused with the name or the abbreviation of the name of that registered predecessor party.”
The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta (PCAA) name is currently listed on Elections Alberta’s website as reserved until Nov. 26, 2025.
Independent MLAs Peter Guthrie and Scott Sinclair recently announced they intend to organize a new party under the PCAA banner.
Guthrie and Sinclair, both former members of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s caucus, said the plan is to offer a conservative alternative to the UCP. Guthrie resigned from cabinet earlier this year over concerns about procurement practices and was later removed from caucus. Sinclair was expelled after opposing the government’s budget.
Guthrie told the Globe and Mail that the Alberta NDP will win the next provincial election if a conservative alternative is not on the ballot.
But that claim is undermined by recent polling. Smith recently posted the largest approval gain among premiers nationwide. Conversely, Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi is polling poorly, even lower than Rachel Notley in her final months, when it comes to electoral support and favourability.
Despite the party name being reserved, to become a registered political party officially, it must either hold three seats in the Legislative Assembly, endorse candidates in at least half of Alberta’s electoral districts, or complete a petition containing at least 8,819 names and signatures of eligible electors.