Progressive Tory Party nominates first candidate as Guthrie eyes full slate for 2027 Alberta election

Alberta's Progressive Tory Party has nominated its first candidate as it ramps up efforts to field candidates across all 91 provincial ridings ahead of the 2027 election.

Bonnie Critchley, a retired Canadian Armed Forces member, is the Progressive Tory nominee in the Camrose riding. Critchley previously ran against Pierre Poilievre in the August 2025 federal byelection in Battle River-Crowfoot, where Poilievre won 81 per cent of the vote while Critchley placed second with 9.8 per cent.

In an interview, Critchley said she initially had no plans to seek office again after running in that federal race. That changed when the UCP government passed legislation invoking the notwithstanding clause to end a teachers' strike — the first of several bills using the constitutional override to shield laws from court challenges.

"The UCP gave themselves the ability to make and get royal assent for a bill in a single day that removed rights of Albertans," Critchley said. "Suddenly Canadians' rights are under fire and that's unconscionable. It's unacceptable and something needs to be done."

Critchley said a Progressive Tory government would enact accountability legislation as its first order of business to ensure politicians face real consequences for corruption. "I would much rather be out riding my horse and doing retired veteran things," she added.

The party, led by Airdrie-Cochrane MLA Peter Guthrie, adopted its current name late last year after Guthrie took over the dormant Alberta Party. Guthrie, a former UCP MLA and cabinet minister, now sits as a Progressive Tory in the provincial legislature after being expelled from the UCP caucus for publicly advocating for a public inquiry into Alberta Health Services procurement.

Premier Danielle Smith's UCP government passed legislation last fall banning words like "conservative" from new political party names, prompting Guthrie to use "tory" instead. He has been building political infrastructure since January and now has 30 constituency associations with plans to nominate more candidates in coming weeks.

"It's very heartening to see the high quality and calibre of people coming forward," Guthrie said. "It's our intention to compete all across the province in all 91 constituencies. It's a big task, but we're up for it."

Guthrie also plans to run a candidate in the upcoming Calgary-Shaw byelection to replace former UCP cabinet minister Rebecca Schulz, who resigned in May. Provincial law requires the byelection to be called within six months of the vacancy, meaning the writ must be issued by mid-November.