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The PC party fined Kenney’s campaign $5,000 two weeks ago over its conduct at the first delegate selection meeting, in Edmonton-Ellerslie, which included hosting a hospitality suite on-site and Kenney entering the building where the meeting was held. The former MP’s campaign organizers accepted the ruling but groused that the rules were vague.

O’Neill said Kenney’s campaign had asked to meet with the party to clarify the rules and she decided to invite Kenney and the other candidates, so everyone would have a chance to raise any concerns they had so far with the contest, which will be decided at a delegated convention next March.

Kenney was not made available to comment Monday, but campaign spokesman Blaise Boehmer said in a statement that there wasn’t enough time between the 8 p.m. Friday notification and the 1 p.m. Sunday meeting to change plans, noting that “it would be very disrespectful to the grassroots to cancel on attendees.”

Boehmer said the campaign also sent two senior representatives to the meeting and Kenney had also offered to take part through teleconference — options that were turned down by the party.

“We sincerely hope that the party will establish a process wherein campaigns receive meeting invites much earlier in the future,” he said. “This is only fair given that all campaigns – not just ours – are dealing with busy campaign schedules.”

O’Neill said Kenney’s campaign representatives weren’t allowed to take part because it would have been unfair to the candidates who did make it to the meeting.

The party president demurred when asked whether Kenney’s campaign would face sanctions for missing the meeting but said it would be referred to the party’s leadership election committee.

“It will be definitely put into the record of what’s going on here,” she said.

jwood@postmedia.com