Canada's conservative party fears being taken over by far-right 'lunatics'

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The Alberta Province's premier, Jason Kenney, has called conservatives within his party "lunatics", attempting to "take over the asylum" as a wave of populism in the conservative party of Canada paints a grim image of the future.

In a leaked recording of a meeting with staff, Kenney warned of a far-right element – skeptical of coronavirus measures and obsessed with conspiracy theories – seizing control of the party in the coming weeks as the United Conservatives conduct a leadership review.

“I will not let this mainstream conservative party become an agent for extreme, hateful, intolerant, bigoted, and crazy views. Sorry to be so blunt with you but you need to understand what the stakes are here,” Kenney said.

Referring to a QAnon conspiracy theory, he added that “people who think I am involved in a global conspiracy to traffic children” may attempt to vote for his removal.

Lori Turnbull, director of Dalhousie University’s School of Public Administration, discussed the "deep-seated" differences within the conservative party that tend to arise every couple of years and described Conservatives as having an "existential crisis, where they break apart and come together and break again."

“The federal candidates are definitely looking to see what happens in Alberta because that’s going to be a big part of the game for whoever ends up winning the leadership race," Turnbull said.

Kenney has headed a party divided on public health measures for the past two years, with the more anti-government faction opposing lockdowns.

Alberta had one of the highest infection rates in North America at one point, which may be due to the internal divisions within the party.

Recent polls show Kenney's response to the crisis led to one of the lowest approval ratings in the country.

According to the premier, “[Prominent Alberta conservative] Preston Manning used to say that a bright light attracts a few bugs, well, there’s more than a few bugs attracted to us, this party, right now."

The Premier claimed that stress over his position made him consider resigning, saying, "What's the easiest path for me? Just to take a walk. I don't need this job. I could go o the private sector, have my evenings, weekends off."

The party was rocked again last week when the party's leadership announced a last-minute decision to mail-in votes, claiming a record spike in party registration. The abrupt move has prompted charges of dishonesty from party members, some of whom have called for Kenney's resignation.

The results will be released on May 18, and Kenney will need just a simple majority to retain his position as leader.