A motion at the United Conservative Party AGM to increase the number of ridings needed to force a leadership review of Premier Jason Kenney from 22 to 29 has been defeated..Delegate Becky Lee, from Drayton Valley-Devon, blasted the proposal and said there “was a “ton of unethical” happenings surrounding the AGM..She noted there were dozens of empty seats in the room as people from the northern part of the province were still making their way to the conference..She also said delegates were being hampered from getting in by anti-Kenney protesters outside..But George Clark, of Calgary East, countered 22 seats was too low a threshold..This week, it was announced the current threshold of having 22 constituency associations calling for a review of Kenney’s leadership had been met..But the constituency of Edmonton-Northwest has managed to get a motion approved for debate calling for the bar to be raised for a leadership review from 22 constituency associations to 29..The motion to expand the requisite number of constituency associations would require an amendment to the party bylaws in order for it to pass. That would take the approval of 75% of delegates at the AGM to vote in support..Of the 670 votes cast, 385 vote yes but 285 said no, only 58%, failing to meet the 75% threshold..Earlier, Kenney called the motion at this weekend’s UCP AGM calling for the number of ridings needed to call a leadership review increase by 32% is nothing “but a minor change to party bylaws.”.“(The motion) is certainly worth debate, it’s a minor change in party bylaws. That’s what happens, that’s the process, it’s a democratic process, a fully transparent process.”.Before the convention started, a group of 50 protesters, led by Calgary street preacher Artur Pawlowski demonstrated for Kenney’s arrest outside the Grey Eagle Event Centre..Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.,dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com,.Twitter.com/nobby7694
