Wednesday, May 05, 2021

Jean rips Kenney for ‘new base’ comment, says premier has ‘failed’

POOR KENNEY GETS ATTACKED FROM HIS RIGHT WING BASE 

“When a politician rejects the people whose votes he campaigned for, it is always his fault and never theirs,” said Brian Jean.


May 4, 2021
By Dave Naylor
WESTERN STANDARD


Former Wildrose Leader and UCP co-founder Brian Jean tore a strip off of Alberta Premier Jason Kenney for telling the UCP caucus that “If they are our base, I want a new base.”

“You might want a ‘new base.’ Albertans want better leadership,” Jean said in a Tuesday night Facebook post.

“When a politician rejects the people whose votes he campaigned for, it is always his fault and never theirs.”

“The UCP was created to unite a wide variety of Albertans,” Jean continued. “They were attracted to the thought of Alberta being governed by a common-sense party that listened to them, that answered their questions and that was straight with them. Premier, if many Albertans have stopped doing what you want, that is on you.”


Jean was referring to a Sunday incident when Kenney told a closed-door UCP caucus meeting “I want a new base” as he slammed the rogue anti-lockdown rodeo in Bowden.

Kenney used the meeting to rail against the ‘No More Lockdowns Rodeo’, which attracted approximately 4,000-5,000 attendees over the weekend.

Three UCP MLAs, who spoke to the Western Standard on the condition of anonymity, said another MLA spoke up and reminded Kenney that the people who went to the rodeo were the “base” of the UCP’s support.

“If they are our base, I want a new base,” Kenney told the meeting, according to the three MLAs.


Kenney called the story “false.”

But it didn’t sit to well with Jean, who also blasted Kenney for his latest COVID-19 lockdown tightening and restrictions.

“You have failed to answer their questions. You have failed to give them the data and information they were looking for. You have failed to keep them persuaded,” Jean wrote.

“Leaders bring people together. Leaders listen and explain and convince. Leaders answer questions and provide the information that people need to understand things. A leader is sometimes in the hot seat – take it. It is your job.


“A few weeks ago, I wrote about how AHS is hiding critical health data from Albertans – you have done nothing about that. I wrote about how the CMOH wasn’t being asked the right questions and how to fix that. You ignored that too. I made suggestions on how you could reach across the political aisle and unify Albertans. Your response was to arrogantly reject even those Albertans who voted for you.

The mayor of Alberta's COVID-19 hotspot says Kenney government won't share modelling data


“Premier, Albertans have lost confidence in you. Those who didn’t vote for you have concluded that you are even worse than they feared. Those who did vote for you, know that you are not governing as they would have hoped.”

Jean was first elected as a Tory MP in a Fort McMurray-area riding in 2004. He was re-elected in 2008 and 2011. He resigned in 2014, and the next year become the leader of Alberta’s Wildrose Party.

After the party merged with the UCP, Jean ran to become leader but lost to Kenney.

Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard


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