Calgary lawyer Doug Schweitzer will run to lead united Alberta party

Alberta’s two right-centre parties have yet to complete a merger, but a third candidate has already announced he wants to be leader.

Calgary lawyer Doug Schweitzer says he will seek the leadership of the new United Conservative Party if it is created after a vote in July.

“Take a look at this timeline,” Schweitzer said on the Rob Breakenridge Show on NewsTalk 770 Thursday. “October 28 is the timeline for the vote for the new leadership. That’s five months from now, really. So, when you take a look at that, that’s a really short leadership race. If you want to get into this race and you want to compete with Brian Jean and Jason Kenney, you’ve got to get in now if you want to compete.”

READ MORE: Alberta PCs, Wildrose unveil plans to merge, create United Conservative Party 

Schweitzer says Premier Rachel Notley’s policies are making a bad economy worse for Alberta families.

“I’m a restructuring lawyer, so I deal with companies that are in financial distress and I deal with so many people… they’ve lost their jobs, been unemployed for 12 to 18 months, severance packages are running out, they’re struggling to pay their bills, and they’re wondering if there’s a future for them in Alberta, and that’s just not good enough.

“We’re going to be putting forward a plan to help turn this around,” Schweitzer said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We're going to be putting forward a plan to help turn this around," Schweitzer said.

“A lot of people are now taking a look at where Alberta is and realizing, ‘You know what? We need to get this done because it’s in Alberta’s best interest and let’s find a way to make it work.”

LISTEN: Doug Schweitzer talks to Rob Breakenridge Thursday afternoon

“I talked to a lot of Albertans and came back with two bits of advice for me. Number one, we want the NDP gone in 2019 and number two, we want to make sure we have one strong alternative to beat the NDP, so bring these two parties together. So, since the fall, I’ve been campaigning to get unification done.”

Schweitzer once ran the Manitoba Progressive Conservative race and helped in the leadership race for former Alberta PC premier Jim Prentice.

READ MORE: What an Alberta PC-Wildrose merger could mean for Rachel Notley’s NDP

He had been expected to run in the most recent race for Alberta’s Tory leadership, but dropped out last fall.

Jason Kenney won the race, and he and Wildrose Leader Brian Jean have already announced they will seek the top job of a united party.

— With files from News Talk 770