U of C Progressive Conservative club prepares for change after provincial merger

By Sean Willett, July 28 2017 —

The University of Calgary Progressive Conservative Association (UCPCA) will undergo major changes this fall to reflect the merger of the Alberta Progressive Conservative and Wildrose parties.

Members from both parties voted to merge on July 22, creating the United Conservative Party (UCP). With the PCs and Wildrose dissolving in the process, campus clubs representing Alberta’s right-wing parties will now begin mergers of their own.

UCPCA president Emily Lundy said that clubs across the province will undergo these mergers starting this fall. While the UCPCA may be able to simply change its name and mandate, clubs on other campuses may need to take more drastic steps.

“For U of C it won’t be too difficult because there is no Wildrose on Campus (WROC) club anymore,” Lundy explained. “But for other campus clubs it will be a little bit more complicated, they’ll probably have to deregister and register a new club because there will be two clubs coming together.”

The U of C’s WROC club garnered controversy earlier this year after an email was sent to members that said “feminism is cancer,” leading to the resignation of several executives and the dissolution of the club.

The newly formed UCP club may draw in ex-WROC members and Lundy wants to make sure they will feel represented by the club’s executive team.

“We’ll have WROC members likely coming in and joining our club as well and we’ll be holding another election to ensure that everyone will have an opportunity to join the executive board,” she said.

Lundy said that she isn’t worried about the potential impact of former WROC members in this new election.

“When people stand up and say what they have to say about themselves, the party and their values, I think that will reflect who they are as a person,” she said. “So I think that the members of the club will be able to discern who is best to sit on that executive team.”

The UCPCA is planning to hold the UCP club executive election before October 18. Lundy, who was elected as UCPCA president in April, intends to run for her position again after the new club is formed.

“I didn’t really get to have a go at being president of the club yet, so I think I’d like to try that out,” Lundy said. “But it’s about the will of the members. So if I don’t get elected, that’s just the way it is.”