Mike Derry’s choice as candidate has upset a couple of apple carts for the UCP; the Opposition NDP demands he state his position on separation

When Mike Derry beat the United Conservative Party’s apparent preferred candidate for the nomination in Rebecca Schulz’s old Calgary-Shaw riding on June 24, the Opposition New Democratic Party immediately branded him an extremist and demanded he state clearly if he supports Alberta separation.

“Smith had a favourite candidate who lost to forces of the extremist far-right in her party,” the NDP said in a sharply worded news release published on June 25. “Derry is certainly an extremist and voters need to know if he’s a separatist.

“Derry’s campaign was managed by long-time activist of the far-right, Craig Chandler and received prominent public support from leaders in Alberta’s separatist, anti-Canada movement,” the news release continued, noting that the successful candidate was endorsed by Darrell Komick, who ran unsuccessfully in 2023 to be the party’s president on a pro-independence slate.

“If he chose to campaign alongside one of the leading advocates for Alberta separatism within today’s UCP, Calgary-Shaw voters deserve to know whether he shares those views,” the release said, reasonably enough. 

Mr. Derry’s resume describes him as a talent management consultant. As for evidence of extremism, the NDP release didn’t say, but a party spokesperson cited his stances on “matters like separation, banning books, and restricting access to vaccines.” 

“Mr. Derry’s endorsement list is a Who’s Who of separatists and far-right extremists,” she added. “Mr. Derry has also bragged about his group getting nine policies passed at a recent UCP AGM, and voters have a right to know what each of those are.”

Certainly Mr. Chandler, an experienced campaign manager and a frequent unsuccessful election candidate himself over the years, is well-known for his highly controversial opinions, which got him tossed as a Progressive Conservative Party Candidate by then premier Ed Stelmach in 2007 and told in a tweet by Ms. Smith in 2014 that “Your views & how you express them are wrong for Wildrose and Alberta. I would never let you be a candidate for #wrp.”

Like the NDP, seasoned observers of Alberta politics suggested that Mr. Derry’s election in a constituency association membership vote of 286 to 221 upset a couple of apple carts for the UCP strategic brain trust. 

First, presumed Smith favourite Dan McLean is a sitting Calgary city councillor, and therefore almost by definition an “establishment candidate” more likely to be acceptable to voters who like most Calgarians are opposed to separation but may not be quite ready to vote in NDP in a riding that usually votes Conservative. 

The UCP had already skidded Stewart Jeanes, a nomination candidate backed by some of the big kahunas of the Alberta separation crowd, on the grounds his nomination form was late and short the required number of party members. 

If this was supposed to ease the way to nomination victory for Mr. McLean, though, it didn’t work. According to veteran Postmedia political columnist Don Braid, the plan was to set up former councillor Sonya Sharp to run in the civic by-election that would have followed. 

Ms. Sharp was the UCP favourite in last fall’s Calgary mayoral election who narrowly lost to Mayor Jeremy Farkas, also a conservative but a far too independent minded one for UCP tastes, as the recent Stampede sound-stage stupidity has made obvious.

Thanks to the rebellious party members of the southwest Calgary riding’s UCP constituency association, Ms. Sharp won’t have nearly as convenient a stage from which to undermine and snipe at Mr. Farkas, who is now definitely high on the Premier’s Office Enemies List.

Mr. Braid gave some of the credit for this to Mr. Chandler’s clever lawn sign campaign urging Mr. McLean not to waste taxpayers’ money by quitting less than a year after he was elected. That was amusing, but I’m inclined to think the real reason is that a majority of the people left in UCP constituency associations willing to turn up for a nomination vote are in fact extremists and separatists. 

Ms. Schulz, almost forgotten at this point in the saga, was a credible former UCP leadership candidate who warned against the dangers of choosing Danielle Smith as leader and a disappointing senior minister who enthusiastically toed Ms. Smith’s line. Still, her departure on May 15 suggests that she may have enough sense to realize that the UCP might be a good political party to stay away from in the not-so-distant future. 

Regardless, her departure date means a by-election must be held by mid-November, soon after the Oct. 19 referendum votes on which Ms. Smith appears to be betting the farm. 

Meanwhile, on Friday the NDP announced the nomination Kyle Campbell as its candidate in the by-election. Mr. Campbell, an employee benefits manager with a Calgary-based financial services company who studied at Brigham Young University in Utah, lives in the riding. 

“I’m not a career politician. I’m a dad, a coach, and a neighbour,” he said in the NDP’s press release. “I’m stepping up because people here deserve someone who understands their lives and will fight to improve affordability, fix health care, and strengthen our schools.”

“Three years ago, I was told I had Stage Four cancer, and in that moment I saw firsthand what’s at stake when our system isn’t working the way it should,” he said in the release. “What matters in a moment like that is being able to count on getting timely health care and having a government that cares about affordability for all families. I’m running because I know Albertans deserve so much better than what the UCP government is providing.”