(Screenshot from assembly.ab.ca/Peter Guthrie Facebook page)

By Rob Drinkwater, The Canadian Press

Provincial Politics

Former UCP member announces new ‘Progressive Tory Party of Alberta’

Dec 19, 2025 | 2:20 PM

A former member of Premier Danielle Smith’s government caucus says Elections Alberta has approved the name for a new political party, after the government banned a list of monikers it could use, including “conservative.”

Airdrie-Cochrane MLA Peter Guthrie announced in a social media post on Thursday evening that the new party will be known as the Progressive Tory Party of Alberta.

Earlier this month the governing United Conservative Party passed legislation that restricts names of new parties after Guthrie and fellow Independent MLA Scott Sinclair wanted to establish a new iteration of the Progressive Conservative Party.

The legislation lists distinctive words and phrases that new parties are prohibited from using, including communist, conservative, democratic, green, independent, liberal, reform, republican and wildrose.

Justice Minister Mickey Amery said it was a non-partisan change being done to avoid confusing voters, and he alleged that some are purposely trying to deceive voters.

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Guthrie says in his social media post that more information on the new party will be coming in the new year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 19, 2025.