SCAPEGOAT
Braid: Kenney kicks out MLA while sending a wider message to his careless caucusDon Braid, Calgary Herald
An MLA named Pat Rehn is now ejected from the UCP fold, a deserving sacrifice to Premier Jason Kenney’s new clampdown on caucus discipline.
© Provided by Calgary Herald Pat Rehn was one of several government MLAs caught travelling abroad over the Christmas holidays. Rehn had posted a photo on Facebook on Christmas Eve that appeared to show he was in Mexico.
Kenney was surely looking for somebody to symbolically sack following the travel scandal that showed, as Kenney himself admits, a very lax caucus attitude toward the government’s reputation.
Pat Rehn walked into this chin first. It’s quite a story that goes well beyond his holiday trip to Mexico.
Rehn is a guy with “charisma,” according to Slave Lake Mayor Tyler Warman. He’s said to be a friendly fellow with allies in the government caucus.
Kenney was certainly high on him as the election loomed in 2019. A YouTube video of Kenney talking to Rehn shows no detectable charisma, but Rehn talked a good game with his enthusiastic party leader.
After the election, the Slave Lake town council came to believe Rehn put more effort into the campaign than the job of being an MLA.
Kenney was surely looking for somebody to symbolically sack following the travel scandal that showed, as Kenney himself admits, a very lax caucus attitude toward the government’s reputation.
Pat Rehn walked into this chin first. It’s quite a story that goes well beyond his holiday trip to Mexico.
Rehn is a guy with “charisma,” according to Slave Lake Mayor Tyler Warman. He’s said to be a friendly fellow with allies in the government caucus.
Kenney was certainly high on him as the election loomed in 2019. A YouTube video of Kenney talking to Rehn shows no detectable charisma, but Rehn talked a good game with his enthusiastic party leader.
After the election, the Slave Lake town council came to believe Rehn put more effort into the campaign than the job of being an MLA.
On Jan. 5, after the travel scandal broke, the entire council put out a statement saying that Rehn just wasn’t doing the work .
He was absent from key meetings, they said. He failed to press local issues with the government. Council was even unsure about where he actually lives.
Local councils sometimes complain about absentee MLAs, but rarely in public and hardly ever with such force.
Rehn responded on Facebook and Twitter, saying he did a fine job although he made “some poor choices around travel, for which I take full responsibility.
“It’s disappointing to see some municipal officials seizing on this to sow political division at this difficult time.”
Warman says politics has nothing to do with it. The council is strongly UCP, he told me. A couple of councillors are on the local riding association.
He was absent from key meetings, they said. He failed to press local issues with the government. Council was even unsure about where he actually lives.
Local councils sometimes complain about absentee MLAs, but rarely in public and hardly ever with such force.
Rehn responded on Facebook and Twitter, saying he did a fine job although he made “some poor choices around travel, for which I take full responsibility.
“It’s disappointing to see some municipal officials seizing on this to sow political division at this difficult time.”
Warman says politics has nothing to do with it. The council is strongly UCP, he told me. A couple of councillors are on the local riding association.
© Facebook The photo posted by UCP MLA Pat Rehn on Facebook Dec. 24.
On Jan. 4, Kenney stripped Rehn of his committee memberships. He was one of six travellers who were similarly punished with internal demotion.
There were many demands to kick the travelling miscreants out of caucus as well. But Kenney didn’t do that to any of them — until he ejected Rehn on Thursday.
Why wait so long after the Slave Lake council had given him a second reason?
The trigger may have been a Twitter post Wednesday by @Tony__Clark of the Alberta Federation of Labour.
Clark put up Rehn’s publicly disclosed expense claims, which show that from April to July 2020 he booked meals in Edmonton nearly every day — a total of $4,713.45.
Besides showing a very healthy appetite, this suggests the MLA wasn’t spending much time in his riding — exactly as the town council claims.
On Jan. 4, Kenney stripped Rehn of his committee memberships. He was one of six travellers who were similarly punished with internal demotion.
There were many demands to kick the travelling miscreants out of caucus as well. But Kenney didn’t do that to any of them — until he ejected Rehn on Thursday.
Why wait so long after the Slave Lake council had given him a second reason?
The trigger may have been a Twitter post Wednesday by @Tony__Clark of the Alberta Federation of Labour.
Clark put up Rehn’s publicly disclosed expense claims, which show that from April to July 2020 he booked meals in Edmonton nearly every day — a total of $4,713.45.
Besides showing a very healthy appetite, this suggests the MLA wasn’t spending much time in his riding — exactly as the town council claims.
Suddenly, the irritants escalated beyond Mexico and the town’s disapproval.
In a statement, the premier said: “He (Rehn) has made no meaningful effort to work in his constituency, or properly to represent his hard-working constituents.
“I have repeatedly asked Mr. Rehn to be more present in his constituency. He has ignored calls from me, UCP caucus leadership and his constituents to do so.”
The much larger issue is the cluelessness of many MLAs, including a minister, who infuriated Albertans with their travels while most people were staying home.
On Jan. 7, Kenney said it points to “a breakdown of discipline in this caucus that has to change and that will change.
“I’m ultimately responsible for creating a culture in our caucus that has not been one of sufficient oversight on what people are doing. That simply has to change.”
Pat Rehn got the memo Thursday. Any UCP member who didn’t pay attention during the travel uproar certainly will now.
It remains true, of course, that even though Rehn is fired from Kenney’s caucus he is still an Independent MLA with full $120,000 salary. There is a political afterlife.
Don Braid’s column appears regularly in the Herald
dbraid@postmedia.com
Twitter: @DonBraid
Facebook: Don Braid Politics
Premier Jason Kenney removes Lesser Slave Lake MLA from UCP caucus
Premier Jason Kenney has removed embattled MLA Pat Rehn from the UCP caucus saying he has failed to represent his constituents.
The Lesser Slave Lake MLA has faced allegations of absenteeism and a lack of preparedness from multiple municipal councils within his riding. The mayor and council of Slave Lake issued an open letter Jan. 5 calling on him to resign.
The letter said Rehn — who will now sit as an independent MLA and not be permitted to run for future UCP nominations — has hardly been in the area since he was elected in 2019, has missed meetings and isn’t prepared for the meetings he does attend.
On Thursday, the premier issued a statement on Twitter saying Rehn has ignored calls from the UCP caucus, his constituents and from Kenney himself to be more present in his riding.
“The most important job of an MLA is to represent his or her constituents,” wrote Kenney. “It has become clear that Lesser Slave Lake MLA Pat Rehn has failed to do so. He has made no meaningful effort to work in his constituency, or properly to represent his hard-working constituents.”
‘He’s lost the support of the people’
Slave Lake Mayor Tyler Warman said Rehn being removed from caucus is good news for the residents but Warman still believes Rehn should resign as MLA all together.
“That’s something that because of the way the democratic process currently exists, he has to decide on his own. But at this point, he’s lost the support of the people of this region that he represents and now he’s lost the support of the party in the government that he works with,” he said.
“At this point, you have to ask yourself, what are you holding on to? He said repeatedly that he wants to work hard for this region, and do what’s best for this region, and represent this region. If he really, truly cares, he’ll let somebody that the people have the confidence in take that position and make sure that we get the representation that we need.”
Slave Lake Mayor Tyler Warman said Rehn being removed from caucus is good news for the residents but Warman still believes Rehn should resign as MLA all together.
“That’s something that because of the way the democratic process currently exists, he has to decide on his own. But at this point, he’s lost the support of the people of this region that he represents and now he’s lost the support of the party in the government that he works with,” he said.
“At this point, you have to ask yourself, what are you holding on to? He said repeatedly that he wants to work hard for this region, and do what’s best for this region, and represent this region. If he really, truly cares, he’ll let somebody that the people have the confidence in take that position and make sure that we get the representation that we need.”
© Ian Kucerak Slave Lake Mayor Tyler Warman gives an update on the wildfires raging near the town outside the Slave Lake fire hall on June 1, 2019.
Warman said removing Rehn from caucus shows that the government recognizes Slave Lake has poor representation.
“This isn’t just about some media stuff. This is about the fact that our residents deserve to be looked after and we deserve to have an MLA that does their job and it’s not just us saying that anymore,” he said.
The council for High Prairie sent Rehn a letter the day before Kenney removed him from caucus. Similar to Slave Lake, the letter raised concerns about Rehn’s absence from the riding and lack of preparedness at meetings, said Mayor Brian Panasiuk Thursday. It stopped short of asking for his resignation.
Panasiuk said Rehn has been putting in more effort in the last week since news of community concerns was made public.
“If he’s willing to keep following through like he has been we’re fine with working with him,” Panasiuk said,
Publicly available financial records suggest Rehn spent the majority of his time in Edmonton. Records show he expensed three meals a day in Edmonton almost every day in April, May , June and July 2020.
The NDP Opposition has also called for Rehn to resign and a byelection be held for his seat.
“(Rehn) clearly doesn’t want the job. He no longer has the support of the Albertans who elected him, and there is simply no way that we can expect he will do better as a representative when he’s sitting by himself,” NDP Leader Rachel Notley said Thursday.
Multiple attempts to reach Rehn Thursday, through his constituency office and social media, were unsuccessful.
Holiday travel
Rehn was among six UCP MLAs involved in scandal over the holidays after he was found to have travelled to Mexico , despite there being a provincial guideline to avoid all non-essential travel. Kenney eventually stripped him of his committee roles.
The open letter from Slave Lake asking Rehn to resign was published shortly after.
Rehn issued a statement at the time saying he has worked hard on a number of policy items presented by the UCP including the scrapping of the provincial carbon tax and cutting red tape.
Kenney said government ministers will be meeting with Lesser Slave Lake constituents in the weeks to come to ensure they have direct access to the government.
Warman said he has already heard from “senior members of the provincial government” though he wouldn’t specify who.
Becoming an independent MLA means that Rehn will be moved out of the UCP caucus office space to elsewhere in the Federal Building. His salary is unchanged.
Warman said removing Rehn from caucus shows that the government recognizes Slave Lake has poor representation.
“This isn’t just about some media stuff. This is about the fact that our residents deserve to be looked after and we deserve to have an MLA that does their job and it’s not just us saying that anymore,” he said.
The council for High Prairie sent Rehn a letter the day before Kenney removed him from caucus. Similar to Slave Lake, the letter raised concerns about Rehn’s absence from the riding and lack of preparedness at meetings, said Mayor Brian Panasiuk Thursday. It stopped short of asking for his resignation.
Panasiuk said Rehn has been putting in more effort in the last week since news of community concerns was made public.
“If he’s willing to keep following through like he has been we’re fine with working with him,” Panasiuk said,
Publicly available financial records suggest Rehn spent the majority of his time in Edmonton. Records show he expensed three meals a day in Edmonton almost every day in April, May , June and July 2020.
The NDP Opposition has also called for Rehn to resign and a byelection be held for his seat.
“(Rehn) clearly doesn’t want the job. He no longer has the support of the Albertans who elected him, and there is simply no way that we can expect he will do better as a representative when he’s sitting by himself,” NDP Leader Rachel Notley said Thursday.
Multiple attempts to reach Rehn Thursday, through his constituency office and social media, were unsuccessful.
Holiday travel
Rehn was among six UCP MLAs involved in scandal over the holidays after he was found to have travelled to Mexico , despite there being a provincial guideline to avoid all non-essential travel. Kenney eventually stripped him of his committee roles.
The open letter from Slave Lake asking Rehn to resign was published shortly after.
Rehn issued a statement at the time saying he has worked hard on a number of policy items presented by the UCP including the scrapping of the provincial carbon tax and cutting red tape.
Kenney said government ministers will be meeting with Lesser Slave Lake constituents in the weeks to come to ensure they have direct access to the government.
Warman said he has already heard from “senior members of the provincial government” though he wouldn’t specify who.
Becoming an independent MLA means that Rehn will be moved out of the UCP caucus office space to elsewhere in the Federal Building. His salary is unchanged.
No comments:
Post a Comment