Alberta First Party
Alberta First Party | |
|---|---|
| Active provincial party | |
 | |
| Leader | Bart Hampton |
| Founded | July 13, 1999 |
| Ideology | Conservatism |
| Colours | Yellow & Black |
The Alberta First Party is a minor right-wing political party that has operated in Alberta, Canada since 1999. It used the Alberta First name from 1999 to 2004 and the Separation Party name from 2004 to 2013, after which it reverted to the Alberta First name.[1]
Early history
The party was incorporated under the society act under the legal name The Society for the Advancement of the Alberta First Party on July 13, 1999.[2] It gained registration with Elections Alberta on November 2, 1999. The first permanent party leader was John Reil, who was elected its first leader at a convention in Edmonton on January 22, 2000. in Edmonton.[3] Reil defeated Neil Wiltzen from Calgary. At the time of the convention the party had more than 500 members.[3]
The party initially pushed policies including free votes in the legislature, regular referendums on contentious social issues and privatizing Alberta health care.[3]
After the leadership election, the party contested two by-elections and made a poor showing. Reil ran his first time in Edmonton-Highlands and was soundly defeated.[4] The party contested a second by-election in Red Deer which it fared better.[5]
In the 2001 provincial election, Alberta First nominated 16 candidates, who won a total of 8,851 votes, or 0.87% of the provincial total. No candidates were elected. The party's best result came in Cardston-Taber-Warner, where leader John Riel picked up 2,500 votes, to the 5,000 by then incumbent Broyce Jacobs.
The party contested its last election under the Alberta First name in the electoral district of Wainwright on April 8, 2002, when Jerry Barber won 1,659 votes, 25.9% of the total, for a strong second-place finish in the by-election.[6]
Reil vacated the leadership and ran for leadership of the Alberta Liberal Party on March 27, 2004. He was defeated, finishing a distant second to Kevin Taft.
His departure left the leadership of the party vacant. It was temporarily de-registered by Elections Alberta after the party failed to file its 2003 financial statements by the March 31, 2004 deadline.[7] It filed past the deadline and the registration was reactivated by Elections Alberta. Shortly after the party was granted a name change to the Separation Party of Alberta on May 1, 2004.[7]
Separation Party
The renamed party ran 12 candidates in the 2004 general election under the leadership of Bruce Hutton and had mild electoral success in some rural constituencies.
After the election the party stagnated and only filed one candidate which was Hutton in 2008. Sometime in 2012 the party changed leaders when Bart Hampton took over the party prior to the 2012 general election. Again the party only ran a single candidate which was the party president. The party was granted approval to return itself to the Alberta First Party name on May 14, 2013.
Election results
General elections
| Election | Banner | Candidates | Seats | Votes | % | Standing | Leader | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Alberta First | 16/83 | 0 | 8,851 | 0.87% | 4th | John Reil | |
| [8] | 2004 | Separation | 12/83 | 0 | 4,680 | 0.5% | 7th | Bruce Hutton |
| 2008 | 1/83 | 0 | 119 | 0.01% | 7th | |||
| 2012 | 1/87 | 0 | 68 | 0.00527% | 9th | Bart Hampton | ||
| 2015 | Alberta First | 1/87 | 0 | 72[9] | 0.00486% | 10th | Bart Hampton |
By-elections
| Date | Banner | Candidate | Constituency | Votes | % | Place | Leader | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [4] | June 12, 2000 | Alberta First | John Reil | Edmonton-Highlands | 270 | 3.30% | 4th | John Reil |
| [5] | September 25, 2000 | Patti Argent | Red Deer-North | 338 | 8.15% | 3rd | ||
| [6] | April 8, 2002 | Jerry Barber | Wainwright | 1,695 | 25.9% | 2nd |
Leaders
| Name | Banner | Date | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mladen Djekic | Alberta First | 1999-2000 | Interim leader | |
| John Reil | 2000-2004 | Elected at convention in Edmonton | ||
| Bruce Hutton | 2004-2012 | Changed party name to Separation Party | ||
| Separation | ||||
| Bart Hampton | 2012–present | |||
| Alberta First |
See also
References
- ↑ Elections Alberta
- ↑ "Part 1. Proclamation". Alberta Gazette. August 14, 1999.
- 1 2 3 "Reil chosen to lead Alberta First Party". CBC News. January 22, 2000.
- 1 2 "Edmonton-Highlands By-election". Elections Alberta.
- 1 2 "Red Deer-North By-election". Elections Alberta.
- 1 2 "Wainwright By-election". Elections Alberta.
- 1 2 "28th Annual Report of the Chief Electoral Officer" (PDF). Elections Alberta. 2004. p. 2.
- ↑ "2004 General election report". Elections Alberta. Retrieved March 19, 2012.
- ↑ Elections Alberta 2015 General Election unofficial results
External links
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