The Progressive Conservative (PC) party's volunteer engagement committee has been travelling the province since September and met up with the Drumheller-Stettler Constituency Association (CA) and other surrounding CAs in a meeting at the Stettler Legion on Saturday, Jan. 30.
"The plan is to meet with all our 87 constituency associations and we expect to wrap up these meetings by the end of February," said the party VP for Outreach Katherine O'Neill. "These grassroots strategy sessions are a chance for members to voice their opinions about why they thought the PC party lost last May and what direction they want the party to take in the coming months and years."
According to O'Neill, everything is discussed in these sessions, including rebuilding, rebranding or uniting with another political party.
"We also ask members if we need to update our statement of principles," added O'Neill. "During today's meeting, the possibility of merging with the Wildrose Party was briefly discussed but the majority of participants told our committee that they want the party to first rebuild and 'get our house in order' before pursuing an option like that."
At the meeting, the committee was told that the party had stopped listening to its grassroots over the years and it needs to dramatically change how it operates if it hopes to rebuild and attract back disillusioned members and Alberta voters.
"Meeting our members face-to-face is key for our party right now," said O'Neill. "We need to hear the good, bad and the ugly if we are to learn from our mistakes."
Also present at the meeting was Mark Nikota, president for Drumheller-Stettler CA for the PC party, who said, "As a CA, we need to start at square one and listen to people in our riding and what they are looking for in a representative."
"We need to do that by engaging them in conversation and more than anything, listening to what they have to say," added Nikota. "As a party we lost touch with the people we were supposed to be serving and that message was received loud and clear at the last election."
According to Nikota, as a CA they have been unsuccessful for the past two elections in sending a representative to the legislature so obviously, they "have lost touch with people".
"We need to regain the respect and trust of people in our riding and the only way to do that is to make a connection and listen to what people have to say," explained Nikota. "We're going to do that by having meetings throughout the constituency and trying to bring people together to discuss where we're at and what they think we need to do to be successful moving forward."
Nikota said the meeting was good because it brought together people from PC Alberta, current and former MLAs and people from the Drumheller-Stettler area and surrounding ridings.
"We know that rebuilding the party will take a lot of hard work so it was great to see so many people rolling up their sleeves and getting to work today," said O'Neill. "Thanks to Jack Hayden, Mark Nikota and others for having us out."
The party's interim leader Ric McIver, a Calgary PC MLA and fellow PC MLA Dr. Richard Starke also attended the strategy session.
O'Neill said any Drumheller-Stettler PC members who couldn't attend Saturday's meeting but would still want to voice their opinions about the party's future could contact her at katherine@katherineoneill.ca or 780-952-2869.
At the PC AGM to be held in Red Deer on Saturday, May 7, party members will vote whether to launch a leadership race.