More than a decade ago, American conservative politics were fundamentally altered thanks to a small but effective group of activists who didn’t see their values represented in the Republican Party.
They were an eclectic mix of libertarians, right-wing populists and Christian fundamentalists who believed in the power of God, lower taxes and smaller government. They earned a catchy moniker: the Tea Party movement, after a watershed event of the American Revolution.
Soon, the small but influential group was taking over factions of the Republican Party. Candidates sought their endorsement. To be on the wrong side of the Tea Partiers was to hurt your chances of getting the nomination to run for the GOP in certain parts of the country. To be endorsed by these same folks was a big leg up.
It’s now generally accepted that the movement radicalized the Republican Party, which, in turn, gave rise to Donald Trump. The Tea Party morphed into MAGA: Make America Great Again.
Which, oddly enough, brings me to Alberta and a group that is having a Tea Party-like effect on conservative politics in that province: Take Back Alberta.
The organization has been in the news, with recent profiles by both The Globe and Mail and the CBC. The pieces have largely focused on one man – leader David Parker.
Mr. Parker is not shy about sharing his views on any number of subjects, or reluctant to tell reporters just how influential he is. He brags about being the driving force behind the demise of former Alberta premier Jason Kenney. He takes credit for undermining the leadership of former federal Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer, leading to his ouster from the job.
His message seems to be: you don’t want to get on the wrong side of TBA, whose overarching mantra seems to be: freedom. Stay out of people’s lives.
Mr. Kenney seemed to breach that coda by introducing COVID restrictions, which is why Mr. Parker put out a political hit on him.
It is recognized that TBA now exercises enormous influence and control over Alberta’s ruling United Conservative Party. It doesn’t hurt that Mr. Parker and Premier Danielle Smith are close friends. She attended his wedding earlier this year.
That is deeply concerning, especially when you hear some of the stuff coming out of Mr. Parker’s mouth.
The CBC obtained a video of a meeting he recently held in Grande Prairie, Alta., with about 100 people interested in the group’s mission to exert greater sway over conservative politics in the province. Mr. Parker didn’t hold back when talking about what was at stake.
He said there was a war going on in the world between “pro-humans and anti-humans.” “Most women my age [34] think the worst thing that can happen to them is to get pregnant,” he told the crowd. “Their careers are more important – more important than the continuation of the human race.”
“We are being taught an ideology of anti-humanism,” he declared.
He said whether “you’re pro-life or pro-choice, we are slaughtering our children in the womb. We are living in an anti-human society that literally teaches our children that they are a disease on this planet … You are the carbon they are trying to reduce.”
These are deeply troubling views, to put it mildly. To single out women for putting their careers ahead of having children is so distasteful it’s hard to even comment on. I mean, who, in 2023, even talks in those terms? And children in Alberta are being taught they are a disease on the planet? Seriously?
I get there are conservatives in Alberta who may not like the NDP, but holy smokes, can they defend this type of ideology? Who wants to be associated with a party, or a government, being influenced behind the scenes by someone like this?
This video has been in wide circulation for a few days now. It almost certainly has been brought to the attention of Ms. Smith. How has she not denounced the absolute vileness of these remarks? In one sense, it partly explains the many bizarre and offensive comments Ms. Smith has made herself. Maybe it has something to do with the company she keeps.
Mr. Parker wanted to impress upon his conscripts in Grande Prairie how important it was to defeat the NDP. A victory by the New Democrats, he suggested, could have far-reaching and troubling consequences.
“You can vote your way into socialism,” Mr. Parker said. “You almost always have to shoot your way out.”
Alberta now has its own Tea Party crusade. It’s called Take Back Alberta, and its potential to reshape politics in the province should concern everyone.