Progressive Tory Party meets nearly 100 voters at Sherwood Park barbecue

The Progressive Tory Party of Alberta, led by MLA Peter Guthrie for Airdrie-Cochrane, held a barbecue in Sherwood Park on Saturday, July 25, meeting nearly 100 voters as the new party moves through its early organizing phase.

Guthrie, a former United Conservative Party MLA removed from the UCP caucus in April 2025 after raising concerns about government procurement and decision-making, described the party as advocating for "fiscally and socially responsible" governance. "It was a wide range of people and views, which is exactly what we speak to. We speak to reasoned decisions, evidence-based decisions," he said.

Guthrie has already made his first campaign promise: a bill focused on fairness, transparency, and accountability. He argued that the current UCP government operates on populism and ideology rather than evidence. "We don't have a conservative government right now; we have a populist government," Guthrie said. He criticized both the NDP and UCP for using emotion as a political tactic, describing it as "one of the key threats to Alberta today."

Guthrie served as infrastructure minister under Premier Danielle Smith before his removal. He cited experiences with sole-source contracts and procurement practices lacking transparency — from healthcare to recovery centres — as motivations for launching the new party. He said when he approached Smith about creating a financial oversight committee to prevent costly errors, he was "strung along" but saw no real changes made.

The party is continuing to host events across Alberta to meet voters and build recognition.