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Former UCP member announces new 'Progressive Tory Party of Alberta'

  • Rob Drinkwater

    Rob Drinkwater

  • Canadian Press

  • December 19, 2025

Minister of Infrastructure Pete Guthrie is sworn into cabinet, in Edmonton, Friday, June 9, 2023. One day after quitting cabinet and calling out his own government, Peter Guthrie returned to the house Wednesday, sat in the back row and looked at his phone while the Opposition NDP used his words to attack his colleagues. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

EDMONTON -- 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.

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.