Priority ALBERTA:
Restoring Trust, Together
Leadership Roles, Selection and Review
Authorized under Article 10 of the Priority Alberta Party Constitution.
I. Role and Authority
A. The Leader carries an exceptional mantle, and is often viewed by the public as both the face
and voice of the Party. This perception must always be tempered by the reality that the Leader is
accountable to the Members, the Board, Caucus and, if also an MLA, to their constituents.
B. The Leader must always recognize and differentiate among their often disparate roles, and
exercise their appropriate fiduciary duties to each.
1. Within the Party the Leader is primarily responsible to the Members, who have the sole
authority to elect a Leader, doing so in a manner prescribed by the Leadership Selection
Committee (LSC) appointed by the Board.
2. Within the Caucus the Leader is primarily responsible to the Caucus members, who
individually and corporately have a duty to hold the Leader accountable.
3. To the public, and in particular through public media, the Leader must always prioritize
and promote the Party, its Principles, objects and policies and ensure that the Leader’s
public messaging is consistent with the Party’s.
4. As an MLA the Leader must exercise his or her fiduciary duty to all Albertans living
within the constituency he or she represents.
5. If the Leader is also Premier he or she must, in addition to all the above, effectively
represent the interests of all Albertans at home, within Canada, and abroad.
C. Leaders shall exercise their duties consistently, responsibly, with appropriate transparency,
and fully accountable to their various constituents.
D. The Leader shall report to the Members at every AGM and to the Board at every Board
meeting, always providing the opportunity to answer questions arising from their report.
E. The Leader shares joint and equal responsibility with Caucus and the Board or agents of the
Board, for planning and executing general election strategies within a budget set by the Board.
F. The Leader’s tenure may be reviewed by:
1. the Members;
2. the Board; and
3. the Party Caucus
at such times, and in the manner prescribed herein.
II. Definitions
A. In this Leadership Roles, Selection and Review Governance Document the following terms
have these definitions:
1. “Deputy Leader” means a Member who is elected by the Members or appointed by the
Board in the manner prescribed herein, to be the deputy Leader of the Party.
2. “Founding Leader” means the person, or any of a succession of persons appointed by the
Founding Board to serve as interim Leader until the Party’s first leadership contest, when
this definition shall be deleted and the remainder renumbered as required;
3. “Interim Leader” means a Member who is elected, acclaimed or appointed by the
Members at a general meeting, or the Board as the case may be, to fulfill the role of
Leader when the office of Leader becomes vacant. The Deputy Leader may also be the
interim Leader.
4. “Leader” means the leader of the Party elected by the Members and includes, unless the
context prohibits, a Deputy Leader and an Interim Leader.
5.
B. Terms not otherwise defined herein shall have the meaning assigned to them in Applicable
Laws, the Bylaws, or the Constitution as each of them may apply.
III Leadership Selection
A. Promptly upon a vacancy in the office of Leader, or in anticipation of its imminent vacancy,
the Board shall appoint a Leadership Selection Committee (LSC) empowered to:
1. devise, implement and conduct a Leadership Contest, with authority to add to the rules
and procedures set forth herein as required, but always in conformity with this Document
and Applicable Laws;
2. define supplemental criteria, if any, for accepting and/or rejecting prospective Leadership
Contestants;
3. approve or reject Leadership Contestants in accordance with these Rules and defined
supplemental criteria, if any;
4. prescribe fees and deposits required to be paid by Leadership Contestants;
5. be the primary arbiter of Leadership Contest disputes, and impartially adjudicate disputes
as they arise and without delay;
6. establish protocols and content for Leadership Contestant interviews and debates that will
ensure transparency and accountability to the Members, and fairness and equity for all
Leadership Contestants;
7. notify Members of, and post, or cause to be posted on the Party website all relevant
details of the Leadership Contest in a timely fashion;
8. appoint a Returning Officer (RO) and Deputy Returning Officers as needed to oversee
the credentialing of voting Members, advise the LSC as requested, and if paper ballots
are used, supervise the vote counting, secure the completed ballots, and destroy them
upon instructions from the LSC;
9. ensure all Members with voting rights have a reasonable opportunity to vote; and
10. protect and ensure the integrity of the voting system used.
B. The LSC will consist of seven (7) members, each having experience in leadership and/or
candidate selection for political parties, or professional competence with electronic voting
systems and procedures, and:
i. no more than two (2) of whom may be Board members;
ii. at least five (5) of whom shall be appointed from among names submitted by Regional
Councils in such a way as to ensure as broad a representation across Alberta as possible.
C. LSC members will select a Chair from among their number at their first committee meeting.
d. LSC members must remain neutral throughout the Leadership Contest, sign and comply with
the terms of a confidentiality and nondisclosure agreement, and disclose any potential conflicts
of interest affecting their roles on the committee. The Board may replace committee members at
any time for violating any of these conditions.
D. A Leadership Contestant shall:
1. be a Provincial Member as defined in the Constitution on the date he or she files
nomination papers;
2. be of the full age of eighteen years;
3. meet all qualification requirements set forth herein and under Applicable Laws;
4. not be the Interim Leader;
5. agree to abide by the leadership selection rules and procedures specified by the LSC;
6. not hold any positions on the Board, any CA board, or Party staff on the date they submit
their application to become a Leadership Contestant;
7. complete and submit an application form as specified by the LSC, which form shall
include a clause whereby the Leadership Contestant agrees to his or her immediate
disqualification as a Leadership Contestant upon receipt by the LSC or the Returning
Officer, of credible evidence that he or she, or his or her agents have, in any way,
contravened the leadership selection rules, abused the procedures established by the LSC,
or violated the trust stated or implied in their use of the Members list;
8. pay all fees prescribed by the LSC which may include a refundable good conduct bond;
9. provide a nomination petition signed by at least five hundred (500) Members relatively
uniformly distributed throughout Alberta.
E. Disputes arising during the conduct of a Leadership Contest that the LSC is unable to resolve
must be referred to the Arbitration Committee without delay. All parties to the dispute shall be
allowed to make representation to the Arbitration Committee, which shall be empowered to
extend the date or dates of the leadership vote for up to seven (7) days if necessary in order to
ensure a fair and equitable decision.
F. Deputy Leader
IV Leadership Voting
A. All Members with voting rights who were Members on the day the position of Leader became
vacant, and whose memberships have been continuous since are eligible to vote in a Leadership
Contest.
B. A Leadership Vote shall be determined by secret preferential ballot –either paper or electronic
or both as determined by the LSC. In the event there is only a single Leadership Contestant, the
individual must gain majority approval of the voting Members on a yes/no ballot in order to be
declared the Leader. Failure to do so will trigger a re-launch of the Leadership Contest.
C. If electronic voting is chosen, the LSC shall select an arm’s length third party with proven
experience in secure electronic voting, validate its security measures, monitor its protocols to
ensure the integrity and security of the voting system, and ensure destruction of the electronic
results once the limitation period for appeals has expired.
D. The Chair of the LSC shall not vote except to break a tie during a Leadership Vote.
E. A Leadership Contestant may appeal the outcome of a Leadership Vote to the Chair of the
Arbitration Committee within seven (7) days of the announcement to the Members of voting
results. The decision of the Arbitration Committee is final and binding, and is not subject to
further appeal.
F. The LSC or the Board may prescribe a reasonable fee and/or deposit to be paid to the Party by
the Leadership Contestant filing an appeal.
V Leadership Review
A. The Members shall review the Leader’s tenure:
i. by means of an electronic vote open to all voting Members to be held within six (6)
months following a general election in which the Party did not form government, or any
election in which the Leader failed to secure a seat in the Legislature;
ii. at the Party’s second AGM following a general election in which the Party formed the
government;
iii. following the Board passing a motion to do so by a secret ballot two-thirds vote of the
total number of its members;
iv. at an SGM held within sixty (60) days of receipt of a request to call an SGM for the
purpose of leadership review by the requisite number of CAs specified in the
Foundations’s Bylaws.
Voting shall be by secret ballot. The question shall be, “Do you approve of the current Leader?”
The voting options shall be “Yes” or “No”. A “Yes” vote of less than two-thirds of the total
valid votes cast shall automatically trigger a Leadership Contest.
B. The Caucus may, by a secret ballot two-thirds vote of the total number of Caucus members,
request the Board to commence a Leadership Contest, which the Board shall do forthwith.
C. Notwithstanding the above, the Board may initiate a leadership review when both the Board
AND Caucus pass motions to do so by a secret ballot majority vote of the total number of their
respective members, such motions to be held within thirty (30) days of each other.
V Interpretation and Amendment
A. This Document shall be interpreted and read in accordance with Applicable Laws, the Bylaws
and the Party Constitution. Unless they are otherwise defined herein or the context requires
otherwise, capitalized words and phrases used in these Rules have the same meanings as in
Applicable Laws, the Bylaws and the Constitution.
B. To the extent there is any conflict between this Document and the Constitution, the
Constitution shall prevail unless otherwise prescribed therein.
C. The Board or the LSC may at any time, prepare appendices, manuals, forms, form templates,
print and electronic instructional materials, and any other supplemental procedures or tools that
may be useful in exercising the mandate of this Document, provided that such procedures and
tools are consistent with the Constitution and this Document. In the event of a conflict between
the Board and the LSC over the usefulness, format or content of such procedures or tools, the
LSC shall prevail.
D. Amendment
1. The Party Board may temporarily add to or amend this Document to ensure it complies
with Applicable Laws, the Bylaws, the Constitution, or to address unforeseen,
unexpected or unusual circumstances affecting leadership matters. Such amendments
shall have effect and be binding upon the Leader and the Party from the time determined
by the Board until either their expiry or the next AGM, whichever is shorter. The factor
causing the addition or amendment must be addressed by the Members no later than the
next AGM. In no case shall any such temporary addition or amendment be binding upon
the Party or the Leader until clearly communicated to the Leader, Regional Councils and
Members, and posted on the Party website.
2. This Document may be added to, rescinded or revised by a two-thirds vote of the
Members present and voting at a general meeting.