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“Giving the NDP a chance to surge in the polls because we did not deal with a problem that we know is coming would be a disaster.”

In his email, Gill made a point of appealing to UCP MLAs not running in 2019.

“Push the hardest and be the bravest on demanding honour. You are not seeking re-election, Jason Kenney can’t do anything to you,” he wrote.

“You have the chance to end your political careers in service to higher ideals. Wayne (Drysdale), Wes (Taylor), Scott (Cyr), Dave (Schneider), Pat (Stier) when the history of 2019 is written will you be proud of everything you did?”

Issues will haunt party: Gill

Speaking with Postmedia, Gill said if the UCP doesn’t address the issues, they will “haunt” the party.

The letter to his former colleagues isn’t the first time Gill has criticized Kenney and party brass since he was turfed from the UCP caucus following ballot-stuffing allegations.

In December, he used a rare point of privilege in the legislature to blast the UCP over what he labelled “crooked and racist nomination politics.”

But Gill dismissed any suggestion his complaints are sour grapes.

If that were the case, he said, why has former MLA Rick Strankman quit the UCP to sit as an independent and former MLA and UCP constituency association board member Ian Donovan quit — both citing complaints of top-down party control?

“Why is there chaos in the party? This isn’t sour grapes, the party is in crisis because of the leadership,” Gill said.