UCP’s swift removal of controversial candidate Torry Tanner seen as a good first step

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Torry Tanner lasted two weeks as the United Conservative Party of Alberta’s candidate in Lethbridge West before stepping down, after claiming, without evidence, that children are being exposed to pornography in schools and teachers are helping students change genders without input from parents.

Ms. Tanner’s missteps, circulated last week, echoed a controversy that defined the 2012 provincial election: Danielle Smith, then the leader of the Wildrose Party, defended a candidate who wrote that gay people would burn in a lake of eternal fire. Ms. Smith’s party lost the election, and observers largely attributed the result to her decision to defend the candidate’s statements in the name of free speech in the days before the vote.

This time, however, Ms. Tanner’s short foray into politics could favour the party she failed. Her comments, contained in a video produced as part of her nomination campaign in the southern Alberta riding, circulated early last week, and the UCP on Thursday released Ms. Tanner’s resignation statement. Steven Outhouse, the UCP’s campaign manager, called a short meeting for candidates and campaign managers Thursday afternoon, reasserting the need for discipline as Alberta’s general election approaches.

The UCP wants to avoid a campaign of culture wars and instead focus on affordability, the economy and, to a lesser extent, health care. Ms. Tanner’s swift downfall rids the party of a problematic nominee before the official start of the campaign, and could serve as a baseline for candidate expectations.

“The fact this candidate was nominated is a problem, but I do think handling it quickly is to the credit of the party,” according to long-time conservative political operative Kelley Charlebois. “They said: ‘This is unacceptable, this person can not be a candidate, they need to go.’”

Mr. Charlebois recently resigned from the UCP’s vetting committee, and does not recall whether he examined Ms. Tanner’s qualifications. He said he stepped down not because he was concerned with vetting standards or the quality of UCP candidates, but because the process had largely run its course. Only a handful of UCP nomination contests remain outstanding.

On Saturday, another UCP candidate, Tunde Obasan of Edmonton-South, announced his resignation. He cited “personal reasons” for the decision, without providing specifics.

Ms. Smith, who became Alberta Premier after winning the UCP’s leadership contest in October, said in a Thursday statement that she will work with local constituency officials to appoint Ms. Tanner’s replacement.

The governing UCP is expected to shed seats after the spring contest, which will likely be decided in Calgary and suburban Edmonton; the UCP must keep social conservatives in check in order to retain urban support. Ms. Tanner’s comments, contained in a video that was part of her nomination campaign, runs counter to that strategy.

“Alarmingly, we are seeing increasing instances where kids, even those attending kindergarten, are being exposed to pornographic materials,” Ms. Tanner said in the video. “Or worse yet, having teachers help them change their gender identity with absolutely no parental consent or knowledge whatsoever. This needs to be stopped immediately.”

The former candidate said she made the video during her effort to secure the UCP’s nomination in Lethbridge West, a riding currently represented by the New Democratic Party’s Shannon Phillips. Ms. Tanner did not apologize for her comments.

“During the nomination process I made a video that, at its core, spoke to my commitment to protecting children,” Ms. Tanner said in her resignation statement. “However, it’s clear that my choice of words have distracted not only from the issue I was trying to discuss, but are being used by my political opponents to hurt our chances of winning across the province.”

Ms. Tanner did not return a message seeking comment.

UCP spokesperson Dave Prisco did not respond to a message asking whether the dismissed candidate had been vetted.