Jason Kenney is, without a doubt, the hardest working man in Canadian politics. As Stephen Harper’s point man on outreach to new Canadians, he earned the nickname “curry-in-a-hurry” for his ability to attend multiple cultural events in a single evening.

He’s tapping that work ethic again in his ‘Unite Alberta’ pickup truck tour of the province. Go to his website and you can track the stops he and his pickup truck have made; little blue truck icons dot the map of Alberta like pushpins, from High Level in the north to Cardston and Magrath in the south. The wannabe uniter of Alberta’s right is putting in the miles.

Will it matter? Kenney’s strategy is simple and, so far, effective: Get out early, establish a lead (perceived or real), raise money and, in the process, deter other tire-kickers from challenging. He’s meeting people in coffee shops and diners, garages, golf courses and at backyard barbecues. The crowds aren’t always large; media coverage tends to be local papers or nothing at all. But in the battle for the hearts and minds of Alberta conservatives, he’s leading … in part because he’s the only candidate. But no one can claim he hasn’t been working his butt off.

In a race that won’t be launched officially until October 1, Kenney is campaigning the only way he can — one stop at a time, one potential delegate at a time. He knows he has his work cut out for him — that the Progressive Conservative party he hopes to lead won’t make it easy for him.

At its annual convention last May, PC Alberta delegates voted to return to delegated conventions, something the party hasn’t seen since 1986. Problems with the so-called “two-minute Tories” — those who bought memberships to support, for example, Alison Redford, then disappeared — led the party brass to dust off the old process.

So this time, the win won’t go to the candidate able to sell enough memberships under a one-member-one-vote system. The winner will have to sell a ton of memberships, then get those supporters out to 87 delegate selection meetings to support the right applicants.

The party released its official rules for the leadership race on the weekend. If I were a cynic, I might conclude that the fix is in against the man in the pickup truck.

If the powers-that-be in PC circles block Kenney’s candidacy, they’ll be seen as undemocratic, authoritarian and insecure. The party could be taking a great risk here. If the powers-that-be in PC circles block Kenney’s candidacy, they’ll be seen as undemocratic, authoritarian and insecure. The party could be taking a great risk here.

Each of the 87 riding associations will elect 15 delegates to the convention. However, five of those spots are reserved for those serving as directors of the boards at those riding associations on Oct. 1, the date the race officially begins. Three of the delegates must be youth delegates (under age 26).

That means over half of the delegate spots are already reserved, in whole or in part. And all current directors of the provincial PC board, and all former PC MLAs, are automatically delegates to the convention.

Those who backed Bernie Sanders for the Democratic nomination for president of the United States argued that it was these so-called “super delegates” who made the math so difficult for an outsider like the socialist senator from Vermont. The Progressive Conservatives have won strong majority governments dating back to 1971, so there are several hundred former PC MLAs out there. If they all decide to show up in Calgary next March 18, they’ll form a big block of votes that can be expected to stick to the ‘establishment’ line — and to be broadly opposed to a merger with Alberta Wildrose.

(The party also decided to mandate financial disclosure for all candidates, retroactive to June 30. Kenney is the only person running. He announced in early July. Coincidence?)

But the party rule posing the clearest threat to Kenney’s candidacy is the one that states that no candidate may do ‘damage’ to the PC party or its brand. The exact wording describes a fiduciary duty to “avoid causing harm or disrepute to the PCAA and its brand through any detrimental action or conduct, whether intentional or unintentional”. All candidates will have to post a $20,000 performance bond — refundable if they comply with all the rules — in addition to the $30,000 non-refundable entrance fee.

Kenney is running on a pledge to wind down the party and build a conservative coalition in its place. Hard to see how that wouldn’t qualify as damaging the party or its “brand”.

You could argue, I suppose, that the clause is simply meant to mandate good behaviour — to ensure that candidates don’t embarrass the party. But remember: At their May convention, the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta voted to rebuild the party rather than wind it down or merge it with Wildrose. Anyone who supported that resolution could make the argument that any leadership hopeful bent on a merger would be intentionally doing damage to the party.

Resolutions come and go, and those not written down in constitutions are easily repealed or amended. If the powers-that-be in PC circles block Kenney’s candidacy, they’ll be seen as undemocratic, authoritarian and insecure. His supporters will see it as proof the party brass aren’t convinced that the will of the convention in May is still the will of the membership today.

The party could be taking a great risk here. After 44 years in power, Albertans grew tired of the PCs in large part because they saw them as an elitist, entitled and out-of-touch.

By reserving so many delegate spots for establishment Tories, PC Alberta is doing more than simply overcompensating for the irregularities of the last two leadership contests. If the PC brass won’t let the rank-and-file choose their next leader in an open contest, they’ll be the ones causing brand damage — “whether intentional or unintentional.”

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