Key Influencer Profile - Paul Hinman

Interim Leader of the Wildrose Independence Party of Alberta

A born and raised Albertan, Paul Hinman was born in Edmonton and soon after moved to Calgary where he was raised in the neighborhood of Haysboro. Hinman attended the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Pharmacy which he left before graduating, later working in the agriculture industry as a small business entrepreneur and farmer.

At age 14, Hinman began his involvement in politics. He would attend Alberta Social Credit Party AGMs with his grandfather, Ted Himan who was the former MLA for Cardston, serving as Finance Minister and Municipal Affairs Minister under Premier Ernest Manning. Paul Hinman served as the youth representative on the provincial board and as VP Policy. Hinman was involved in the founding of the Alberta Alliance, serving as VP Policy until being elected as an MLA in 2004.

In 2004, he was elected as the MLA for Cardston-Taber-Warner as the first Alberta Alliance MLA and later becoming party leader. Towards the end of his term, he led the party through its merger with the Wildrose and subsequently was the leader of the new Wildrose Alliance for a year as they went through the 2008 election. Hinman would step down as party leader after failing to retain his seat in the Legislature. Hinman was able to return to the Legislature after running in the 2009 Calgary-Glenmore by-election for the Wildrose. In 2012, Hinman once again was without a seat and became a personal advisor to then-Wildrose leader, Danielle Smith.

Hinman was a candidate for the United Conservative Party’s leadership race; however, he ultimately was forced to withdraw his candidacy after being unable to meet the minimum fundraising requirements – instead endorsing Jason Kenney for leader.

Members of the Freedom Conservative Party and the Wexit Alberta Party merged their parties in June of 2020 to become the Wildrose Independence Party of Alberta (WIPA), naming Paul Hinman their interim leader. Nominations for the party’s leadership race closed on May 14th, with Hinman running as the sole candidate. Despite this, the party is continuing with a leadership vote in July on the basis of being a member driven party that does not allow candidates to be acclaimed.