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The fifth candidate to enter the race for UCP leader says he’s running to represent rural Albertans.
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On Thursday, Amisk Mayor Bill Rock filed his paperwork with Elections Alberta. Rock ran in Wetaskiwin-Camrose in 2015 for the Wildrose, pulling in 21.5 per cent of the vote and coming in third place. The village of Amisk is about 220 km southeast of Edmonton.
Rock joins former UCP finance minister Travis Toews, independent MLA for Central Peace-Notley Todd Loewen, and former Wildrose party leaders Danielle Smith and Brian Jean, in registering. Jean is now the UCP MLA for Fort McMurray Lac-La Biche.
In an interview with Postmedia Friday, Rock said he wants to be a loud voice for rural Albertans, highlighting their concerns about rural crime, hospital and ambulance services, public school funding, and infrastructure deficits.
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He said Smith and Jean had a shot at leading a political party, but it’s time for somebody new to bring to light the problems Albertans are facing.
“I’m the wildcard … I wanted to take people by a little bit of surprise,” said Rock, adding he’s not in the race for another candidate’s benefit.
“I’m not a kamikaze candidate, I’m true to believing in rural Alberta.”
He said he’s discussed the option of creating a party focused only on rural seatssomething floated by independent MLA for Cypress-Medicine Hat Drew Barnes, but wants to work on rebuilding the UCP instead.
Rock, who’s been on the village council for more than eight years, said he hasn’t yet filed paperwork to run for a UCP seat in the next provincial general election. “That is to wait and see.”
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In 2015, he became the Wildrose candidate after Smith crossed the floor to the PCs, and the previous Wildrose candidate for Wetaskiwin-Camrose withdrew.
“I wasn’t a very happy person about the floor-crossing debacle,” he said Friday.
Registering their intent with Elections Alberta means leadership hopefuls can begin fundraising.
While the rules and entrance fees for the upcoming race haven’t yet been released by the UCP, in the 2017 leadership contestcandidates needed to put up $75,000, along with a $20,000 good conduct charge to be refunded if a campaign followed the rules.
Rock said he anticipates a similar entrance fee in this race, but he’s “pretty confident” he’s got the support to raise the cash.
Of the opponents registered so far, Rock said “they’ve got big names but I’m hoping that I have a better plan,” he said, adding he has resigned as a volunteer for the UCP constituency association in MLA Nate Horner’s riding, Drumheller-Stettler.
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“If nothing else, I’m going to get the conversation started on rural Alberta. I want to make sure rural Alberta is heard during this leadership contest,” he said, adding he believes the UCP fell short on following through with the recommendations of its Fair Deal Panel.
Toews is expected to officially launch his campaign Saturday in Calgary, while Loewen is expected to make a formal announcement in his hometown of Valleyview early next week.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, Premier Jason Kenney announced Environment and Parks Minister Jason Nixon will act as treasury board president and finance minister after Toews resigned from cabinet to run in the party’s leadership race.
