The diversity of the Alberta United Conservative Party

With the Alberta election only two weeks away, attack ads and blatant mischaracterizations remain a prevalent part of the NDP’s re-election strategy.

In particular, prior comments made suggesting the United Conservative Party fostered white supremacist tendencies couldn’t be further from the truth.

Below, are a list of three exceptional candidates who espouse values indicative of Albertan conservatism and not far-right collectivism or any form of identity politics.

Jasraj Singh Hallan

As a family man, businessman, and philanthropist, Jasraj Singh Hallan, 34, is a man of good stock. From humble beginnings, Hallan has never let adversity wear him down, nor change him into someone he’s not.

“I grew up in North East Calgary [where] I live, work and worship,” he tells Kenney during his candidate interview. As the United Conservative Candidate for Calgary-McCall, he has seen first-hand how the NDP’s policies have hurt everyday Albertans.

“We would get our tradespeople to work evenings and some weekends,” he says. They’d have anywhere from 10-20 employees, and they’ve had to cut down to 2 or 3. We can’t get work for them past 5 pm, or on the weekends anymore.”

From the job-killing carbon tax to higher business taxes and a subpar housing market, Hallan has seen the demand for housing decline in the face of greater economic uncertainty.

“We’re all hurting right now…with the way the economy is going,” he says. “In a good year, we’d be building 40 homes. Now, more like 10 or less.”

He credits his run for office to getting Calgarians back to work, reviving the Alberta Advantage he and his family experienced years ago as immigrants.

Hallan is part of “this new generation of leadership…[with] practical, real-world skills, and the aspirational spirit of [his] immigrant parents,” according to Kenney.

Indeed, the pioneer spirit of his family lives on to inspire countless within Calgary-McCall. Even the youth have gotten involved in droves out of love for the person he is and the message he stands for.

At the grand opening of his constituency office on March 3rd, he states “enough of the divisive politics,” to a crowd of some few hundred supporters.

He vehemently opposes the use of ‘divide and conquer’ tactics to mobilize support on the grounds of religion and ethnicity.

“We are all Albertans at the end of the day, and that is a message the United Conservatives have proudly demonstrated through their diverse coalition of candidates.”

That is a message that unifies Albertans, and it couldn’t come any sooner. Alberta’s NDP has devoted much of their re-election strategy on airing attack ads and dividing people by socioeconomic class at the expense of taxpayers.

Unfortunately, not all parties involved see it that way. A Twitter troll account has taken it upon themselves to mock Hallan for wanting to better life for the residents of McCall. It’s classless acts like this that divide Albertans needlessly, but Hallan pays no attention to the said negativity.

He prides himself in running a positive campaign that he acknowledges would not be possible without the support of his wife and two daughters.

“My parents came here [seeking] a better future for us. We came to live out the Canadian Dream, and this province and country have given us the opportunity to live that dream. I’m hoping to bring back that Alberta Advantage we grew up in.”

Josephine Pon

Hailed by Kenney as an “inspiring, strong woman who will make a brilliant MLA for Calgary-Beddington,” Josephine Pon underwent shoulder surgery last week to repair a dislocated shoulder; caused by slipping on ice while out door knocking.

That didn’t keep her down for long as she recovered enough from surgery to attend the grand opening of her campaign office just some 48 hours after the fact.

Pon has experience in the financial industry, and volunteer sector, and is concerned by the damage both have seen under the disastrous NDP policies.

As V.P. of the Taste of Asia restaurant group, Pon has seen firsthand how the increased business taxes have pinched struggling families.

Having spent time in mortgage insurance, international trade and the assisted housing departments of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Pon is a strong proponent of small government, free enterprise, and fiscal responsibility.

She has over 20 years experience in the volunteer sector, most notably serving on the Mayor’s Task Force to Eliminate Poverty and the Chair of Immigrant Services Canada.

Kaycee Madu

Kaycee Madu has been vocal in his support for the UCP, firing back at NDP Environment Minister Shannon Phillips’ comments painting the UCP as full of racists and white supremacists.

“Minister Phillips’ comment is shameful and shows how desperate she and her party is,” United Conservative Party Candidate Madu said.

“Since coming to Alberta from Nigeria, I have dedicated my time and abilities as a lawyer providing legal assistance to other newcomers to Canada. I am running for the United Conservatives because I am proud of our open, welcoming, and diverse party, where people are judged not by the colour of their skin, religion or ethnicity, but on how hard they work.”

“Yet the Minister has painted a party of over 150,000 members which has consistently polled over 50% as racist and white supremacists. This is beyond the pale,” said Madu.

As a staunch defender of free enterprise, fewer taxes, and the protection of fundamental freedoms, Madu has worked intensely to reflect that over his time shaping public policy and working in government issues management.

He is hardly the product of tokenism as some would dare to suggest, he is the culmination of the hard work and patriotic devotion to his country that we see in those who serve the community over the self.

The pioneer spirit lives on in Madu that is undeniable. To suggest otherwise on partisan grounds is inexcusable.

NDP desperate to cling onto a false narrative

Albertans are gearing up for the upcoming election, as they head to the polls and have their voices heard on April 16th. Premier Rachel Notley, Leader of the NDP, has taken numerous jabs at the UCP over its past claims of discrimination and racism. In speaking out against the party’s alleged racism and homophobia, she remained critical of the UCP throughout the past few years. As of late, it’s been more overt.

In researching the UCP’s 2019 Candidates, it has shown the party has 22 ethnic minorities, male and female; meanwhile the NDP falls short.

The labels from the NDP have shown they are no better to lay judgment against the whole United Conservative Party.

Characterizing the entirety of a party over the off-colour comments of a few individuals is not grounded in reality, especially when the party has taken the appropriate courses of action as of late.

Currently, the candidates have been vigorously visiting the doors and been engaging with residents in their ridings and hearing everyone’s concerns.

The bulk of which have taken precedence on the economy, rather than inter-party squabbles on former-now-resigned candidates.