TJ SCHMIDT · UCP BOARD ELECTION 2026
TJ Schmidt for VP, Policy & Governance
United Conservative Party of Alberta
A NOTE FROM TJ
Hi, I’m TJ.
I believe in the UCP. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished. And I think we can do even better.
We’ve got the people, the ideas, and the know-how. I want to listen to our members, borrow the best ideas from conservative parties around the world, and build a UCP that makes the rest of them a little jealous.
Ambitious? Absolutely. But we have what it takes. Now we need the vision and the hard work to make it happen.
I’m ready to roll up my sleeves. Are you with me?
HAVE YOUR SAY · A TWO-MINUTE SURVEY
Tell me what you want from your next UCP VP, Policy & Governance. I’m listening.
EXPERIENCE IN ACTION
Through the UCP’s Provincial Policy & Governance Committee, I’ve worked with members across Alberta to improve how our party runs. As Governance Subcommittee Chair, I’ve learned where our processes work—and where the rules need to catch up with reality.
My legal training helps me spot jurisdictional issues in policy and understand how our party’s rules fit with sound corporate governance and the law.
Ray Strom, the UCP’s former VP, Policy & Governance, chose me to serve on the Provincial Policy & Governance Committee and mentored me in that work. He taught me to stay curious, always put members first, and push back against the party establishment when needed in a constructive, collaborative way.
I’ve been part of the team that has helped deliver:
IN MY OWN WORDS
A personal introduction to my background, my ideas, and why I’m running for VP, Policy & Governance.
Explore my five prioritiesTHE PLATFORM
A party that develops serious ideas, respects its members, and has the discipline to put both to work. These are my five priorities as VP, Policy & Governance.
Make our different views and styles a source of strength, and bring conservatives together to win.
Alberta’s conservatives have always held a wide range of views and brought different styles to politics. We should put those differences to work for us, not let them divide us and make Naheed Nenshi our premier. A united party should make room for serious debate while keeping our shared purpose in view.
It is not my job to dictate the future of this party. In my role on the Board, I will always seek to bring conservatives together rather than pit them against each other. I will work for fair processes, respectful disagreement and a party strong enough to turn our shared convictions into lasting success.
Give members the time and support to turn bold ideas into serious, long-term policy.
The Party should be a place where serious new ideas are developed. I would support a policy process that goes beyond simply allowing members to submit resolutions for consideration.
I want to build a system that encourages members to work with their communities to develop bold, original and long-term proposals, gives promising ideas the time and support to mature, and keeps the UCP intellectually ambitious no matter how long it has been in government.
An ambitious party makes time for ideas. I’ll push for a dedicated annual policy convention where members can turn bold thinking into well-developed proposals, while leaving the AGM room to fulfil its other important responsibilities.
Great ideas deserve a wider audience. I’ll champion a PPGC research group to build an accessible library of policy and governance ideas from conservative thinkers and parties worldwide. Members would be free to use, challenge or leave those ideas aside. Research would inform our member-driven process, never direct it.
Put members in control through clear participation, transparent decisions, and rules that are respected.
Grassroots governance should mean more than voting at an AGM. Members should have clear, accessible ways to develop policy, participate in governance, understand how decisions are made, and see the rules they adopted respected in practice.
The process should be transparent, well-communicated and well-coordinated. The party should remain an instrument through which members advance their principles to the Legislative Assembly—not the other way around.
Make the rules clear, responsibilities understood, and the Party’s institutions work.
Good governance should be simple, predictable, and understandable. Rules should be clear, authority should be clearly assigned, procedures should work smoothly, and governing documents should be kept internally consistent and well-enforced.
The goal should not be more rules and bureaucracy, but fewer ambiguities, fewer unnecessary disputes, and better functioning institutions.
Turn members’ ideas, energy, and resources into a party that can win and govern effectively.
A political party should be more than an organization that holds meetings and passes resolutions. It should turn the ideas, energy and resources of its members into something capable of winning elections and governing effectively.
That requires directors who protect the institution, spend members’ money responsibly, insist on ethical and professional management, and respect the rules members have created.
It also requires institutional discipline: the Board should govern, party management should manage, and elected representatives should have the freedom to exercise the judgment voters elected them to use.
ABOUT ME
I’m TJ Schmidt. My background spans rural Alberta, legal work, corporate life, and 15 years of volunteering in conservative politics.
I was raised on a fifth-generation mixed cow-calf and grain farm in Kneehill County. After many years in Calgary, I now live on an acreage near Didsbury with my wife and our two young daughters.
My working life has included farming, meat processing, construction, corporate security, health and life safety management, and law. Those experiences shape the practical perspective I bring to policy and governance.
I received my law degree from the University of Calgary in June 2026. I am practising as a student-at-law in Central Alberta and expect to be called to the bar in summer 2027.
I also hold a political science degree with distinction and a history degree with distinction from the University of Calgary.
Ray Strom, the UCP’s former VP, Policy & Governance, chose me to serve on the UCP’s Provincial Policy & Governance Committee. My years on the PPGC are part of 15 years of volunteer involvement in provincial and federal conservative parties.
I have also been involved in the Catholic Church, Lions International, the Didsbury and District Historical Society, and student-led organizations such as the Runnymede Society.
THE 2026 UCP AGM
Join me at the BMO Centre in Calgary, November 27–29, 2026. Make sure your membership is current, then register for the AGM.
MEMBERSHIP DEADLINE
You must be a current member and have purchased or renewed your membership by the deadline to vote at the AGM.
Join or renew membershipAGM OPENING CEREMONIES
The AGM runs November 27–29. Board election voting is listed for Saturday, November 28 in the Party’s draft schedule.
Register for the AGMGET INVOLVED
Lend a hand with the campaign, hear more about my priorities, or both. I would be glad to have you involved.
CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS
Contributions support TJ's campaign for the UCP Board of Directors. They are not contributions to the United Conservative Party of Alberta and are not eligible for a political contribution tax credit or charitable tax receipt. Funds will be used only for expenses associated with the Board campaign.
CONTACT TJ
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