The UCP dropped Nadine Wellwood, a potential candidate in the southern Alberta riding of Livingstone-Macleod, earlier this week. She appealed the decision, writing that the party had told her it had concerns with her previous social media posts. “I believe the party elite has overstepped its authority and this very action threatens the integrity of the UCP,” he wrote in a statement posted on Monday. On Thursday, Wellwood lost its final appeal with the board. UCP’s director of communications confirmed on Saturday that the appeal had been rejected, but declined to comment further. Wellwood, who previously ran in the federal election as a candidate for the People’s Party of Canada, did not respond to a request for comment. Nadine Wellwood, a potential candidate in the southern Alberta riding of Livingstone-Macleod, was kicked out of the United Conservative Party earlier this week. She was previously a candidate in the federal election for the People’s Party of Canada. (YouTube) David Parker, who founded the replacement group Take Back Alberta in late December 2021, said he believes the board made the right decision and said the group does not support it. He said some members of Take Back Alberta voted against Wellwood. “I think a lot of the views she espouses would be very damaging to our re-election hopes,” she said, referring specifically to her past comments about Russian President Vladimir Putin. In March, Wellwood speculated on social media that Putin could be fighting a “globalist agenda” following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “No matter how we feel about our own governments, we can’t start praising dictators,” Parker said. Late last month, Take Back Alberta channeled its grassroots to elect like-minded party board candidates closely aligned with similar sentiments espoused by those who blocked the border in Coutts, Alta. earlier this year. They got nine out of nine candidates, meaning half the board is now made up of those supported by the organization. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has a vote on the board. Wellwood and Smith were photographed together in the Take Back Alberta hospitality suite at the UCP conference in October. Wellwood had also expressed her strong support for the new prime minister shortly after the celebration ended, posting a video in which she wrote that she “couldn’t be happier with the outcome”. I couldn’t be happier with the result. Congratulations Premier Danielle Smith. pic.twitter.com/0PEZqgzXmj —@NadineWellwood
“No apologies for having strong opinions”
In a statement released earlier this week, Wellwood said it “did not apologize for strong opinions” but would try to provide “more context when commenting or sharing information in the future.” “I will take steps to ensure that I better articulate our shared Conservative values and ensure that members of Livingstone-Macleod’s views and opinions are represented,” he wrote. In January 2021, Wellwood released a video responding to a Nanos Research survey that showed a majority of Canadians would support banning those without proof of vaccination from places where people have close contact. I will be appealing against the decision of the Executive Director, Provincial Nomination Committee to cancel my nomination for Livingstone-Macleod. I will side with the grassroots who want to decide for themselves who their candidate should be.https://t.co/BKHWmwL2aJ —@NadineWellwood Wellwood said such a move seemed no different to banning ethnic and racial minorities from accessing businesses, suggesting it could lead to something akin to Nazi Germany. Over the past year, he has also advocated jailing those who “coerced and coerced” vaccinations into the general population and has spread misinformation about the health effects of vaccines on numerous occasions.
The Premier’s view on unvaccinated people
In a March 2021 Calgary Herald op-ed, Smith wrote that there was a “national debate” about whether people should be forced to get mRNA vaccines, which she suggested would be against the Nuremberg Code, a set of principles established after World War II that states that people must choose whether they want to receive experimental medical treatment. Among Smith’s first concerns after taking office was her claim that the unvaccinated were “the most discriminated group I’ve ever seen in my life.” He would try to retract those comments after widespread backlash. During her campaign, Smith pushed back against “cancellation culture” and barriers to free speech. Wellwood’s exclusion leaves Livingstone-Macleod without a UCP candidate for the 2023 Alberta election after MLA Roger Reid announced he would not seek a second term. Reed previously told The Globe and Mail that he did not want to run against Wellwood and would not support her. Kevin Van Tighem, a former Banff National Park superintendent, is running for the opposition NDP in the riding. A spokesman for the prime minister’s office said the party had a process for dealing with insider dealings. “We will leave the party issues to them,” Rebecca Pollack said in an email. Wellwood lives in Cochrane, an hour’s drive north of Livingstone-Macleod. Smith lives in the constituency but is now the MLA for Brooks, a two-hour drive east.
