Exclusive insider perspective: MLA Drew Barnes talks UCP leadership

Alberta Member of the Legislative Assembly for Cypress-Medicine Hat Drew Barnes, who you will likely recall was ejected from the United Conservative Party for questioning Jason Kenney’s leadership and Covid-19 response, was very much vindicated by Kenney’s resignation with many pointing to the concerns raised by Barnes as central to the end of the Premiere’s reign.

As an MLA, and particularly as one so deeply embroiled in some of the action that saw Kenney’s grip on the UCP and popularity fade, Barnes has a unique and insider perspective of the political landscape of both Alberta and particularly the UCP itself. As an independent, Drew Barnes continues to be very popular among his constituents and has even been named as a potential candidate for leadership by many, including Danielle Smith.

I joined Barnes to talk about the UCP culture and whether it could return to its pro-freedom and grassroots origins, and whether some of the key lockdown MLAs need to be shown the door, or if new leadership will suffice to steady the ship. We also talked about the declared candidates, including Danielle Smith and MLA Todd Loewen, who was ejected from the UCP at the same time as Barnes and effectively for the same reasons, and some of the undeclared but expected leadership hopefuls like Brian Jean.

I also asked Barnes whether his constituents could expect to see him back with the UCP, and whether there was any possibility that it could be as leader.

We are covering the race for the leadership of the UCP like no one else can, with exclusive interviews and insider perspectives, to catch it all go to UCPLeadership.com.