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Friday, May 20, 2022

 “plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose” 

Kenney stays on as leader, media invited to watch cabinet deliver standing ovation

TRUMP LIKE

1h ago

EDMONTON — Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says he will stay in the top job to maintain continuity and stability in government until a new United Conservative Party leader is chosen.

Kenney says it’s important to remain focused on public priorities, including reducing wait times in the health system and growing the economy.

He made the comments to reporters who were invited in to watch, take photos, and shoot video of his cabinet ministers giving him a standing ovation before the start of their meeting at McDougall Centre in Calgary.

He says the media opportunity was organized to demonstrate his government remains on the job, focused on public priorities.

Kenney did not take questions and has not done so since announcing earlier this week he was quitting as party leader after receiving just 51 per cent support in a party leadership review.

The party has not delivered any details or a timeline on the leadership race, and party rules do not prohibit Kenney from running again.


This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 20, 2022

PRIVATIZING HEALTH CARE WILL CONTINUE

'Eye on the ball': Kenney says he's focused on health care, economy

Lisa Johnson - 1h ago
Edmonton Journal


Premier Jason Kenney is aiming to portray a government still focused on public priorities in his first comments since caucus announced Thursday he will remain in power until a new leader can be chosen.



© Provided by Edmonton JournalJason Kenney speaks at an event at Spruce Meadows in Calgary on Wednesday, May 18, 2022. During the speech, he announced that he was stepping down as leader of the Alberta UCP party.


On Wednesday Kenney said he intends to resign after a narrow leadership review win, saying 51.4 per cent support was not “adequate.”

Before a Friday morning cabinet meeting that saw ministers offer Kenney a standing ovation, the premier said staying on for the time being will allow for continuity, stability and for his government to focus on the people’s priorities, including revamping the health care system and growing the economy.

“For me, that’s the most important thing. This is a critical time in Alberta’s history. We are determined to keep our eye on the ball,” said Kenney. The premier also reiterated much of his pitch to keep his job from April, touting his government’s progress in passing legislation and continued promotion of the province’s energy sector abroad.

“This is a demonstration that Alberta’s government continues to do the people’s business, continues to fight for this province, to work for a strong economy, to make life better for Albertans,” said Kenney, who has not appeared at a news conference to take questions from reporters since before the results of his leadership review were announced Wednesday night.

The premier’s office did not immediately respond to an inquiry from Postmedia about whether Kenney intends to run in the upcoming leadership race, which is yet to be scheduled by the party.

Kenney has been facing criticism from both inside and outside his party over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and allegations that he has been ignoring the grassroots of the party.

Before entering Thursday’s marathon six-hour caucus meeting , a number of his critics called for Kenney to step aside immediately and allow for an interim leader to step in. Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche UCP MLA Brian Jean, who won a byelection on a campaign to take over Kenney’s job, told reporters he hoped for a new interim leader to be appointed immediately.

“The healing process can’t start until Jason Kenney leaves. He knows that, we know that and we need to start the renewal process of the UCP,” said Jean.

-With files from Dylan Short

More to come…

lijohnson@postmedia.com


Bell: What the hell? Kenney is sticking around until God knows when

Rick Bell - 6h ago
Calgary Sun

Elvis has not left the building.


© Provided by Calgary Sun
Jason Kenney speaks at an event at Spruce Meadows in Calgary on Wednesday, May 18, 2022.

In fact, no one knows when Elvis is leaving the building.

For that matter, no one will tell us if Elvis will be leaving the building.

The show is not over.

Maybe you are one of those folks who thought Premier Jason Kenney was headed out the door.

Maybe you thought the UCP MLAs would choose an interim leader and that interim leader would serve as premier until a permanent leader was chosen and the UCP would get on with the job of digging themselves out of the political ditch.

Maybe you are one of those folks who actually truly believed the premier was stepping down sooner rather than later and he would no longer be the story and this would benefit the UCP because they could get a fresh start with only a year before the next election.

On the morning after the Wednesday night when only 51% of party members supported Kenney , UCP MLAs descended upon Calgary’s McDougall Centre, the premier’s southern Alberta HQ.

The MLAs were scheduled to figure out their next moves.

The Kenney folks had hoped the gabfest would be about arm-twisting UCP MLAs to follow the leader or else.

That didn’t happen because Kenney had only half the party on his side.

Instead, there was Kenney supposedly bound for the exit and talk of which individual could stand in as premier until a new leader took over. There were UCP MLAs actively seeking the gig.

There was some talk of how the UCP had to get their act together after Kenney.

Alas, in most cases, what the UCP MLAs coughed up as their ideas wasn’t worth the oxygen.

It was as if Kenney’s loyal soldiers were still waiting for the premier and his devoted minions to provide the officially-approved empty-calorie talking points suitable for regurgitation.

Outside, the mercury dropped, the clouds gathered, the rain fell, the winds blew.

Were they the winds of change? We could hope.

Inside the building, the UCP politicians talked and talked and talked and talked.

It was clear there was a push for the premier to stay until a new leader was elected.

There were those who still support Kenney.

There were those who don’t want to shake things up. They’ve got it good under Kenney.

They enjoy things the way they are. They’re looking out for number one.

One or two who might have plans to succeed Kenney did the suck-up Thursday, no doubt trying to curry favour with the premier’s loyalists.

Of course, there were others who believed kicking Kenney’s departure down the road would do more harm than good.

The show would go on. Kenney would remain a distraction. It would be the same old song and dance.

Someone on the outside looking in said Kenney couldn’t even resign without stepping on a rake.

People in the outside world, beyond the UCP circus, would be puzzled.

What the hell? Isn’t Kenney supposed to be gone?

Besides, Kenney did not have the backing of half his party.

But those who are on the premier’s team have a hell of a lot of skin in the game and they assemble their arguments.

Kenney passed the leadership review. Sure it was only 51%. Sure it wasn’t the 70% the out-of-touch inhabitants of the Kenney cocoon figured.

But 51% is technically a win. He doesn’t have to leave. He can leave when he wants. He is still the boss.

Rewind to Wednesday night.

When the 51% Yes vote is announced, Kenney speaks to his diehard supporters.

Cheers! Applause! Whistles! Yahoos!

Kenney tells his fervent followers he will respect the decision of the members.

Cheers! Applause! Yells!

They think he is staying on with 51%!

Kenney says he expects all UCP members to respect the result.

More Cheers! More Applause!

They REALLY think he is staying on with 51%!

And when he tells them he intends to step down as UCP leader and premier …

You can hear them. No! No!

Some cry. Some hang their heads. Someone calls the press “vultures,” because they do not embrace the exalted leader.

The Kenney love-in is reportedly in shock. They think Kenney is gone just like that. Poof! From hero to zero.

Fast forward to the next afternoon.

The wheels in motion.

The vote on Kenney staying on for a yet-to-be-determined time is by secret ballot.

He wins.

The UCP MLAs leave McDougall Centre the back way, avoiding the waiting microphones where questions would be asked and answers would not pass the smell test.

A short statement announcing Kenney’s latest victory goes out from the guy who chairs the UCP MLA chinwags, a guy by the name of Nathan Neudorf.

Kenney writes a letter to the party. He advises them of his intention to resign as leader when there’s a new leader elected.

From now to an unknown when, who knows what will happen?

By the way, the rain stopped. The sun came out briefly. The winds died out.

There was no wind of change.

rbell@postmedia.com

UCP leadership hopefuls jockey for position, disagree over interim head




SO LONG AND THANKS FOR ALL THE FISH

Jason Kenney to remain Alberta premier until new UCP leader chosen by party

Yesterday 7:05 p.m.
 The Canadian Press


Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, one day after announcing he was stepping down for the good of his United Conservative Party, will stay on until a new leader is chosen.

UCP caucus chair Nathan Neudorf said members met Thursday and decided that Kenney should remain in the top job for now.

“The United Conservative caucus had a vigorous discussion and debate about the future of our party and our government,” Neudorf said in a statement following an all-day meeting at McDougall Centre in Calgary.

“We agreed that we must remain united, focused on the best interests of Albertans and committed to doing the job Albertans elected us to do.

“In that spirit, we have affirmed Premier Jason Kenney’s continued leadership of our caucus and government until such time as a new leader is chosen, the timing of which will be determined by the United Conservative Party.”

Kenney did not issue a statement or speak to reporters but tweeted out a letter he sent to the UCP stating he will step down once a new leader is picked.

No caucus members came out to talk to the media after the meeting.

Earlier Thursday, some of Kenney’s caucus critics called for him to step down immediately to help heal divisions wracking the party.

“The healing process can’t start until Jason Kenney leaves. He knows that. We know that and we need to start the renewal process of the UCP," said backbencher Brian Jean.

Leela Aheer, who was kicked out of Kenney’s cabinet last year after criticizing him for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, said: “You need a team player who is going to bring folks together, because there has obviously been a lot of division.”

Todd Loewen, a former UCP backbencher voted out of caucus a year ago for openly demanding Kenney resign, said the decision to keep Kenney on is a slap in the face to the thousands of party members who voted for party renewal in the leadership review.

“This is the Jason Kenney Party. This is the JKP,” said Loewen.

“He remains in control of the party even though members rejected him.”

Kenney announced his departure Wednesday night after receiving 51 per cent support in a mail-in ballot of party members. The total was enough for him to technically stay in the job, but Kenney said it was not enough to maintain confidence and quell disharmony in the ranks.

His press secretary, Justin Brattinga, said shortly after that Kenney would remain as party boss until an interim leader was chosen.

Opposition NDP Leader Rachel Notley said Kenney is now officially a caretaker leader, further delaying crucial work on issues that matter to Albertans, such as health care and long waiting lists in hospitals.

“The drama and the infighting that has plagued this UCP is not over,” said Notley. “(Kenney’s resignation) is the starting gun for more chaos and more distraction.”

Kenney is the fourth conservative Alberta premier in the last 16 years to step down following a low endorsement vote from party members.

Former Progressive Conservative premiers Ralph Klein and Ed Stelmach stayed on as caretaker premiers until new leaders were picked. Alison Redford quit immediately, and caucus chose Dave Hancock as interim leader until Jim Prentice was selected as a permanent replacement.

Kenney has said anger from party and caucus members over decisions he made to limit personal liberties during the COVID-19 pandemic ignited the anger against him and led to the underwhelming vote of support in the review.

Opponents have said the dissatisfaction was not just over COVID-19 policies but also over Kenney's management style, which they deemed to be top-down, dismissive and undemocratic.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 19, 2022.

Dean Bennett and Colette Derworiz, The Canadian Press

Wednesday, May 18, 2022

DIS-UNITED CONSERVATIVE PARTY
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney intends to step down as UCP leader

globalnewsdigital - 


© THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney provides details on sustainable helicopter air ambulance funding in Calgary, Alta., Friday, March 25, 2022.

Premier Jason Kenney announced his intention to step down as leader of the United Conservative Party on Wednesday night.

He announced the move even though his leadership still maintains approval from just over half of the members of his party, the UCP announced in a livestream Wednesday night.

READ MORE: Kenney dismisses need for big number in UCP leadership review

When asked if they approve of Kenney as leader, 51.4 per cent said yes while 48.6 per cent said no.

In all, 34,298 votes were passed.

Kenney said that while the results would not automatically trigger a leadership election, they were not what he hoped for nor expected.

"It is clearly not adequate support to continue on as leader," he said.

READ MORE: Kenney seriously considered leaving his post before deciding to fight for his job: audio recording

Kenney said the vote shows he doesn't have enough support as leader. He said he will push for a leadership vote to be held in a timely fashion.

"It's clear that the past two years were deeply divisive for our province, our party and our caucus."

More to come...

Video: Why all Albertans should be paying attention to the UCP leadership review

Jason Kenney stepping down as leader of UCP after narrowly surviving leadership review

Ashley Joannou , Lisa Johnson -

© Provided by Edmonton JournalJason Kenney meets supporters after speaking at Spruce Meadows in Calgary on Wednesday, May 18, 2022.

Jason Kenney is stepping down as leader of the United Conservative Party and will serve as premier of Alberta until a new leader is sworn in.

Only 51.4 per cent of the more than 34,000 mail-in ballots cast in the leadership review voted to keep Kenney in charge of the UCP he helped form, party president Cynthia Moore and chief returning officer Rick Orman announced via livestream Wednesday.

Kenney said even though that meets the party’s threshold of a majority, it’s “clearly” not enough support for him to continue as leader.

“The result is not what I hoped for, or frankly expected,” Kenney told supporters at a gathering in Calgary after the results were announced. With just over a year before the next election, he said he has asked party executives to schedule a leadership contest as early as possible.

“I’m sorry, but friends, I truly believe that we need to move forward united, we need to put the past behind us, and our members — a large number of our members — have asked for an opportunity to clear the air through a leadership election,” he said.

“It’s clear that the past two years were deeply divisive for our province, our party and our caucus, but it is my fervent hope that in the months to come we all move on past the division of COVID,” Kenney said.

Kenney’s ousting comes after more than a year of infighting including very open and public dissent from party members and his own caucus as the government managed a global pandemic coupled with a period of plummeting oil prices.

Party rules say the UCP caucus is required to name an interim leader “at the earliest possible opportunity.” The next caucus meeting is scheduled for Thursday in Calgary.

The party will then form a formal leadership election committee to set out the rules for finding a new leader. The interim leader cannot run for leader in that election.

Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche MLA and former Wildrose leader Brian Jean, who campaigned in a byelection on a platform to get Kenney out of office, has expressed interest in the premier’s job, as has another former Wildrose leader, Danielle Smith.


© Provided by Edmonton JournalJason Kenney speaks at an event at Spruce Meadows in Calgary on Wednesday, May 18, 2022.

In a statement Wednesday, Jean thanked Kenney for his service and confirmed he will run for leader. He said his campaign “will demonstrate how we can do things differently, together, to recapture the enthusiastic support of the over one million Albertans who elected us in 2019.”

In a statement of her own, Smith also thanked Kenney.

“The result we have witnessed today is a truly grassroots resolution. The membership of the United Conservative Party is hungry for a leader that will be responsive and fight for the interests of Alberta,” she said.

It’s believed that there are others who will throw their hats into the ring given the opportunity.

NDP Opposition Leader Rachel Notley thanked Kenney for his service to the province.

“There are obviously many things about which we don’t agree, but that doesn’t negate the time and sacrifice that goes into taking on the role of premier,” Notley said on Twitter. “The work is never easy. The days are long and often difficult, as I’m sure today is. I wish Jason the best.”
Lori Williams, political scientist at Mount Royal University, said she was surprised by the announcement, and did not expect Kenney to voluntarily resign with more than 50 per cent of the vote.

“He looked like he was going to tenaciously cling to this, no matter what, into the next election because he seemed convinced he was the only person who could lead the party to victory. He saw it as his party,” said Williams.

“Jason Kenney managed something remarkable in persuading (the PC’s and the Wildrose) to come together, but he made a lot of promises that he couldn’t keep,” said Williams, referring to opposition from party members who valued grassroots democracy.

“I think his political career is at an end,” said Williams.

Kenney arrived on the Alberta political scene in 2016, already well known as a former federal cabinet minister under prime minister Stephen Harper.

Kenney’s political legacy in the province was cemented when he helped orchestrate the merger of the Progressive Conservative and Wildrose parties, effectively uniting the right in Alberta.

He campaigned for and won the leadership of the PC party in 2017 on the platform to merge with the then-opposition Wildrose.

Kenney argued that multiple right-leaning parties were to blame for splitting the vote and giving Notley’s NDP a majority in 2015 after decades of conservative governments.

Kenney would go on to beat Jean and current Jobs, Economy and Innovation Minister Doug Schweitzer to become leader of the newly-formed United Conservative Party that would win a sizeable majority in the 2019 provincial election on a promise of “jobs, the economy and pipelines.”

By early 2020 Alberta was dealing with the global COVID-19 pandemic at the same time as oil prices turned negative. Kenney has faced criticism from both those who believe he did not do enough to slow the spread of COVID-19 and those who believed the restrictions went too far.

In early 2021, 16 UCP MLAs, representing mostly rural ridings, signed a public letter arguing that closing dine-in service in restaurants and lowering capacity for retail stores and gyms is the “wrong decision,” even as COVID-19 variant cases surged in Alberta.

Months later a now-former vice president of the party would call for Kenney’s resignation claiming that he had become a threat to the party after losing the public’s trust during the pandemic.

The infighting was enough to push Kenney to promise an early leadership review but when more than 15,000 people registered to vote at the in-person event scheduled for April in Red Deer, the party changed that to a mail-in ballot system.

That led to accusations of the rules being torqued in Kenney’s favour and suggestions it opened the door to cheating.

Correspondence obtained by The Canadian Press indicates Elections Alberta is investigating allegations of possible illegal bulk buying of party memberships.

As Alberta’s economy began to recover and oil prices climbed high enough to help the province project a balanced budget this year, Kenney pushed back against his critics, framing himself as an experienced leader who knows how to win elections.

He unapologetically called some of his opponents “lunatics” and warned that without him the United Conservative Party risks becoming home for those with extreme and intolerant views.

Alberta’s MLAs are currently on a constituency break and will not return to sit in the legislature until May 24.

Carson Jerema: Jason Kenney quits as Alberta's conservative movement eats itself

Alberta’s governing United Conservative Party has eaten itself.



Alberta Premier Jason Kenney responds to the results of the United Conservative Party leadership review in Calgary on May 18, 2022.

The dismal 51.4 per cent approval rating that led Premier Jason Kenney to step down Wednesday night is a victory for a long-percolating revolt, mostly coming from the party’s right wing. But this is no win for conservative politics in Alberta and could signal the movement’s shift further away from where voters are comfortable.

Kenney’s handling of the COVID pandemic irritated the more conservative elements of his caucus, who had been publicly criticizing him and calling for his resignation for months. While some of the dissent came from corners that thought Kenney wasn’t doing enough to quell the spread of COVID-19, it was driven chiefly by those who thought he was doing too much.

This is a faction that demands nothing less than ideological purity, with any deviation dismissed as unforgivable, even traitorous, socialism.

Despite the malcontents, Kenney ran among the most consistently conservative governments in Canada in years. Whereas Ontario’s Doug Ford has been accused of governing from the centre even though he campaigned on the right, Kenney has more or less stuck to his principles.

This has included cutting corporate taxes by a third, taking a machete to red tape, reforming union rules so members have to opt in to contribute dues to political campaigning, expanding charter schools and a planned return to a flat tax. His government flattened spending and brought in Alberta’s first balanced budget in 14 years. Many of these policies have been controversial, no more so than the government’s overhaul of the school curriculum to place a heavy emphasis on facts and memorization. But the controversy was often confined to the left, to the Opposition NDP and its supporters.

By any measure, Kenney was a stridently conservative premier. As former Harper advisor Sean Speer argued in the Post recently, “the Kenney government has effectively turned Alberta into Canada’s conservative policy laboratory and in so doing is expanding the country’s other centre-right governments’ sense of what is possible.”



Even under COVID, Kenney attempted, often clumsily, to follow his libertarian instincts and lean first on guidance and encouraging personal responsibility, before bringing in restrictions. This led to multiple embarrassing comedowns, most prominently when the complete lifting of restrictions last summer led directly into some of the harshest pandemic rules the province had seen.

For the most part, however, Alberta used a light touch to control the spread of the virus. Those whose main complaint was that Kenney wasn’t pure enough may soon regret forcing him out of the premier’s office.

All last year, Kenney tolerated open dissent from critics, waiting weeks, or months, before turfing the most vocal of them from caucus. Those close to Kenney told me at the time that he was following his genuine belief that caucus should be free to speak. He hoped by offering an outlet for dissent, it would serve as a pressure valve.

Instead of endearing his critics to him, this approach to caucus management only emboldened them. In the fall, a group of angry MLAs were expected to bring a vote of non-confidence, but they lost their nerve when it was clear they didn’t have the votes. But after a group of riding associations requested it, a planned fall leadership review was moved to the spring.

Somewhat controversially, the party executive altered the rules to make it a mail in ballot, which prompted howls the change was made for Kenney’s benefit. Whether that was true or not, it clearly didn’t matter. The unhappiness the party membership had with the premier was evident.

With Kenney gone, there is no guarantee a more idealogical conservative leader will take over. A more moderate leader could force a split, while someone too far to the right may be unappealing to the average voter.

If it was a good night for anyone, it was Opposition Leader Rachel Notley.

Braid: After epic political success, Kenney is defeated by his own party

Don Braid, Calgary Herald -

© Provided by Calgary Herald
Jason Kenney speaks at an event at Spruce Meadows in Calgary on Wednesday, May 18, 2022.

There was only one way to upstage the hockey Battle of Alberta. Premier Jason Kenney found it, to his sorrow, by saying he will step off the stage entirely.

Despite predictions of a solid victory, only 51.4 per cent of more than 34,000 UCP members who voted in the leadership review said they approved of him.

Kenney had previously said that “50 per cent plus one” is the majority in a democracy, implying that was enough for him to continue.

To many observers it seemed he was quitting cold. But late Wednesday, it was confirmed that he intends to stay on as party leader until the next leader is chosen.

It’s even possible that he could run for the job again. That possibility did not get a denial from his staff Wednesday night.

In 2006, Ralph Klein stayed on for months after scoring 55 per cent approval. But those were different times. Despite problems with the party, Klein remained popular with the public.

Kenney’s effort to stay on will draw bitter opposition from his opponents in caucus and beyond. It will likely start Thursday, when many of them are expecting to vote on a caretaker leaders and premier.

Technically, Kenney has a case for staying on the job. He wasn’t actually defeated. He can argue that his resignation as party leader is voluntary and, like Klein, he gets to time it.

Kenney asnnopunced his intention to resign in a dramatic way , first saying he had his majority but suddenly adding: “It is clearly not adequate support to carry on as leader . . . I truly believe we need to move forward together, we need to put the past behind us.”

The small gathering of his strongest loyalists, an invited group that didn’t include many UCP ministers and MLAs, was shocked both by the result and the resignation.

Kenney asked the UCP board to set a date for a new leadership election.

On Thursday at least some UCP MLAs were expecting to carry out will carry out one of the most serious functions a government caucus ever exercises, choosing a new leader and premier.

That’s what happened in 2014 when Premier Alison Redford quit immediately as both leader and premier. Vetern Minister Dave Hancock became the caretaker premier.

On Tuesday I named several UCP members whose names were already being mentioned for the caretaker role.

They include Nate Glubish (Service Alberta); Demetrios Nicolaides (Advanced Education), Rajan Sawhney (Transportation); Ric McIver (Municipal Affairs); Nathan Neudorf (UCP caucus chair); and Sonya Savage (Energy).

The person who gets the caretaker job will have the critical task of running the party and government while restoring an image of sensible competence and unity.

But now, it appears that Kenney prevent that from happening, or try to. There will be furious backlash from MLA who think he needs to leave immediately for the good of the party.

Clearly, there will be a leadership election. Kenney said it’s necessary. What he did not say is whether or not he’ll be a candidate. Nothing in the UCP rules would prevent him from resigning, and then running.

There will be a struggle over whether the UCP edges more to the centre, or veers sharply to the right. Many of the MLAs who opposed Kenney prefer the latter.

New MLA Brian Jean will run. Danielle Smith will likely join in, too. They’re well-known voices from the party’s past, but many members will want to move beyond the old merger struggles.


© Provided by Calgary Herald
Brian Jean and Jason Kenney shake hands after Kenney’s leadership victory on Oct. 28, 2017.

Jobs Minister Doug Schweitzer’s name often comes up. So does Finance Minister Travis Toews. Other campaigns will take shape very quickly.

Whoever wins, this remains a dangerous moment for the UCP.

The Progressive Conservatives never regained winning form after Premier Alison Redford quit in 2014. Dave Hancock became the caretaker and Jim Prentice the premier. But the NDP won the 2015 election, partly because of the long years of PC division.

Kenney’s biggest mistake, I think, was to preach party unity even as he attacked people on the fringe as lunatics and radicals.

He wasn’t talking about moderate UCP members who might disagree with him, but a lot of those people thought he was. That might have been the difference between 51.4 per cent and a survivable number.

Kenney’s political accomplishments have been remarkable. With ex-prime minister Stephen Harper’s backing, he launched a drive to unify the PCs and Wildrose, which led him to first win the PC leadership.

That was an awkward fit — Kenney owed far more to Social Credit than the PCs — but it led him directly to the negotiated union with Wildrose.

Then came the UCP leadership, followed by the 2019 election and premier’s office. Nobody had ever done anything like it in Alberta politics.

On Wednesday, Kenney suffered a setback he considered serious enough to leave the party leadership, eventually.

But that does not mean he’s done with governing for many more months, and even trying a comeback.

Don Braid’s column appears regularly in the Herald.
Twitter: @DonBraid

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

ENDLESS NIGHT OF THE LONG KNIVES
Jason Kenney has asked UCP for leadership review at party’s Spring convention

The issue of Kenney’s leadership came up at a meeting of the UCP caucus on Wednesday, but members did not proceed with a no confidence vote

Author of the article:
Tyler Dawson
Publishing date:Sep 22, 2021 • 

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney during a news conference regarding the surging COVID cases in the province on Sept. 15. PHOTO BY AL CHAREST / POSTMEDIA
Article content

EDMONTON – Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has requested that a review of his leadership take place at the party’s Spring convention, according to an email viewed by the National Post.

“I have spoken with the Premier who specifically asked that we make this change so that we could deal with any leadership issues well in advance of the next election,” says the letter, sent from Ryan Becker, president of the UCP, to the party’s constituency association presidents. “We are all aware that recent government decisions on responding to the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic have caused anger and frustration among some party members and there is a growing desire to hold a leadership review.”

The news comes on the heels of a meeting of the United Conservative caucus, held Wednesday in Calgary, where the issue of Kenney’s leadership came up, but members did not proceed with a no confidence vote against the premier.

Kenney has faced increasing pressure within his party in recent weeks as case counts climbed; 20,000 Albertans currently have COVID, with more than 1,000 in hospital and 230 in intensive care.

Some critics in the party believe that the public health measures have gone on too long, while others have spoken out saying the government was too slow to act on the fourth wave.

There has been much speculation in political circles recently about whether or not caucus would have attempted to force Kenney out on Wednesday. Several prior Alberta premiers, including Ralph Klein, Ed Stelmach and Alison Redford, were hounded by caucus infighting.

Outside of the caucus, party grassroots have also been agitating, calling for a review of Kenney’s leadership, including the party’s Vice President of policy, Joel Mullan, in a piece in the Western Standard magazine.

“Until last week, I was one of Jason Kenney’s most vocal supporters. I campaigned for him in both leadership races and the Wildrose-PC unity vote. In light of the choices he has made last week I can no longer support him, and indeed believe he must resign,” he wrote, referring to the premier’s implementation of COVID-19 measures and a vaccine passport.

Speaking to the Edmonton Journal, Mullan said “I do admire Jason Kenney – I think he’s brilliant. I just don’t think this is the job for him anymore.”

That review of Kenney’s leadership, according to the Wednesday letter, will happen at the party’s 2022 annual general meeting.

Becker’s letter says “the best way for members to be heard at this time and for our party to uphold our member-driven, grassroots tradition is for the 2022 AGM and leadership review to take place in the Spring.”

“Our board will work to secure the necessary date and venue to make this a reality.”



Kenney, asked on Tuesday night about his leadership, said he was focused on the pandemic response and not what he suggested was a “political sideshow.”

“I’ve invited a review, there’s a review that will take place, but … right now, 100 per cent of my attention and that of my team and the whole government, has to be focused on a life and death crisis that we are facing,” Kenney said

— Additional reporting by the Edmonton Journal


Jason Kenney's Job Is in Danger. So He's Firing People

The Alberta premier replaced his minister of health amid calls for Kenney, himself, to resign. It's all happening as the province sinks deeper into the fourth COVID wave.


By Anya Zoledziowski
TORONTO, CA
22.9.21

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney is ignoring calls to step down following a federal election outcome that’s especially devastating for his United Conservative Party, all while the province suffers from a preventable fourth wave of COVID-19 driven by the Delta variant.

On Monday, Canadians reelected Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to lead a minority government—again—after Conservative Party Leader Erin O’Toole failed to secure more support for his party. For weeks leading up to voting day, many pundits speculated that Kenney’s COVID-19 track record would result in fewer votes for the federal Conservatives, and O’Toole even tried to distance himself from Kenney during his campaign’s final days.
ANYA ZOLEDZIOWSKI  16.9.21

In the end, the federal conservatives did lose votes in Alberta, and now, calls for Kenney’s resignation are growing.

“I can no longer support him, and indeed believe he must resign,” Joel Mullan, a United Conservative Party vice-president and former Kenney fan, wrote in an op-ed.

Alberta, typically a slam dunk for Conservatives, remains blue, but the federal Conservatives lost more than 14 percent of voters who voted for them during the last election in 2019. Across the province, at least three previous Conservative seats were forfeited to the Liberals and the left-leaning NDP, and there’s still a battle in Edmonton-Centre, where the Liberal and incumbent Conservative candidates are neck and neck. The far-right People’s Party of Canada also enjoyed a boost from Albertans after successfully courting the anti-lockdown and anti-vax crowd. (Alberta has one of the lowest vaccination rates in Canada.)

Kenney decided to keep his job and instead replaced his government’s Minister of Health on Tuesday. The post, previously held by Tyler Shandro, a man known for evading questions from reporters and berating a physician at his family home, will now be held by Jason Copping, the former minister of labour and immigration.

“It is time for a fresh start, and a new set of eyes on the largest department in the government, especially at a time such as this,” Kenney told reporters.




It’s unclear, however, whether the move will improve Kenney’s tenure as party leader. Two UCP MLAs told the Globe and Mail that Kenney may face a vote of confidence on Wednesday. UCP constituency groups are also thinking about pushing for an early UCP leadership review.

To understand why, turn to Alberta's frightening COVID-19 backdrop: As of Tuesday there were nearly 21,000 active cases in Alberta—nearly half of all total cases in Canada—and 2,574 deaths. (Since vaccines become more accessible, most deaths are among the unvaccinated.) The situation is so bad hundreds of surgeries, including cancer-related surgeries, have been cancelled, and Alberta’s ICUs have a record-breaking number of patients. Ontario has said it will step in and take some of Alberta’s ICU patients, if needed.

The fourth wave could have been mitigated with a more proactive approach to the pandemic and vaccines. But Kenney had declared the pandemic over at the start of the summer and announced the end to all COVID-related restrictions. Mask and physical distancing mandates were gone, and Kenney repeatedly promised the “best summer ever.” He also promised to not implement vaccine passports, something the anti-vax and anti-lockdown chunk of his base eschews.

Unsurprisingly, in the face of Alberta’s health care system collapsing, Kenney has had to walk back those promises and bring back masks and other strict public health measures. As of Monday, Albertans need to show proof of vaccination to frequent many businesses. It’s a decision that likely harmed O’Toole, who had previously praised Alberta’s pandemic response.

“Kenney’s communications has been disastrous. His planning in the pandemic is without a clear vision or flexibility. Time and again he appears unwilling to plan for more than one possibility with the virus… Instead he has chosen to paint himself into a corner on several occasions where the only way out is to make a liar out of himself,” Mullan wrote.

Oops. Canadian Province That Acted Like COVID Was Over Just Realized It Isn’t
ANYA ZOLEDZIOWSKI  13.8.21


Kenney is a career politician who was serving as a high-profile federal MP until 2016, when he decided to return to Alberta and unite the province’s fragmented Conservative parties. Today, internal division within his party is as strong as ever, with some representatives mad over Kenney’s reluctance to do whatever it takes to combat COVID-19, while others are angry he ultimately implemented vaccine passports and other COVID rules after saying he wouldn’t.

University of Calgary political science professor Lisa Young told CBC News she doesn’t see things getting better for Kenney.

"I think the damage is too great… I think that his personal brand is ruined. The current situation is really quite disastrous and it's going to get worse before it gets better," Young said.

Follow Anya Zoledziowski on Twitter.



Alberta Premier Jason Kenney faces down restive UCP caucus over COVID-19 crisis

By Alanna Smith The Canadian Press
Posted September 22, 2021


WATCH ABOVE: As COVID-19 rages through Alberta, intensive care units there are filling up with patients like never before, fuelling more calls for Premier Jason Kenney to step down over how he handled the crisis. As Heather Yourex-West explains, there are concerns a political shakeup would only make things worse.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney faced down a restive and divided United Conservative Party caucus Wednesday, focusing on COVID-19 while managing to avoid a straw vote on his leadership.

UCP backbencher Searle Turton said it was a wide-ranging caucus meeting, but there was no vote of confidence on Kenney’s leadership.

He said the focus of the debate was the pandemic.

“There was discussion about the party, about unity, about how we got here, about COVID.

“Caucus is a robust place to do discussion in a confidential setting,” said Turton, who represents Spruce Grove-Stony Plain.

“There were no votes by caucus. There was lots of robust discussion about the pandemic.”



A look at the political challenges facing Premier Jason Kenney


READ MORE: Alberta health-care workers desperate for COVID-19 help: ‘We are treading water as furiously as we can’

Kenney has been challenged by some of his legislature members for decisions on COVID, which has escalated into a crisis that has overwhelmed the provincial health system and forced Alberta to seek outside help.

Some of Kenney’s caucus members have criticized his health measures as being too little too late, while others say he has gone too far and violated individual rights by imposing a form of voluntary vaccine passports.

3:56 Political scientist says Kenney played ‘politics with Alberta’s COVID response’Political scientist says Kenney played ‘politics with Alberta’s COVID response’

Joel Mullan, the party’s vice-president of policy, has already called for Kenney to resign and says enough constituency associations have signed on to force an early party review and vote on Kenney’s leadership.

Kenney isn’t slated to face a mandatory leadership review until late next year.

But Mullan has said 30 constituency associations have promised to pass resolutions to call for an earlier review. If that happens, Kenney could face a vote by the membership in about three months and would lose the top job unless he wins at least a simple majority.

1:34 Premier Jason Kenney shuffles cabinet as calls for his resignation grow louderPremier Jason Kenney shuffles cabinet as calls for his resignation grow louder

Kenney has dismissed accusations of party infighting and calls to resign, saying Tuesday he’s focused on the COVID crisis.

Alberta has more than 20,000 active cases of COVID-19 and its critical care facilities have already been pushed well past normal capacity.

There were 1,040 people in hospital Wednesday with the illness, including 230 in intensive care. There were 20 more deaths reported, for a total of 2,594. The province also announced its first COVID-19 death of a person under 20.

Kenney’s government is looking to other provinces for critical care staff, particularly intensive care nurses and respiratory therapists. It is also working with the federal government to potentially have the military airlift some patients to other provinces.

Other medical procedures have virtually ground to a halt, with non-urgent surgeries cancelled to free up staff for COVID care. Doctors are being briefed on the criteria to use if resources run short and they must decide which critically ill patients get help and which do not.

The province has pinned its hopes on getting vaccination numbers up. Those numbers have improved since last Wednesday, when Kenney introduced a vaccine passport for non-essential businesses.

More than 81 per cent of eligible Albertans, those over age 12, are now fully vaccinated and almost 73 per cent of those eligible have had at least one shot.

Businesses that stick to the new passport can operate with almost no restrictions but must make sure patrons are double vaccinated.

Kenney’s government has been criticized for leaving that decision up to businesses because it causes confusion and forces compliant businesses to face the wrath of anti-vaccination customers.

Other provinces have made it mandatory.

3:23 Calgary city council makes Alberta vaccine passport program mandatory at eligible businesses 

Calgary city council took matters into its own hands Wednesday, voting to make the passport — known in Alberta as a “restrictions exemption” — binding on non-essential businesses, with fines for violators. That new rule begins Thursday.

Elsewhere in Alberta, the passport is voluntary but non-essential businesses that do not comply face other restrictions, such as maximum one-third customer occupancy or, in the case of restaurants, outdoor seating only.

Also Wednesday, Alberta’s Opposition NDP called for the reinstatement of contact tracing in schools and an early warning system for potential school closures.

NDP education critic Sarah Hoffman says action is needed immediately given that there are nearly 5,000 active cases among students, staff and families.


— With files from Dean Bennett in Edmonton

© 2021 The Canadian Press


 Calgary

Jason Kenney survives caucus meeting with leadership review to come

Alberta premier is facing down caucus revolt as fourth wave of COVID-19 pandemic batters province

CBC News understands from sources with knowledge of the meeting that government MLAs introduced a motion challenging Alberta Premier Jason Kenney's leadership at some point in Wednesday's meeting, but later withdrew it. (Todd Korol/The Canadian Press)

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney faced down a caucus revolt on Wednesday, as factions within his United Conservative Party coalesced in opposition to his leadership — but a reckoning has been put off to another day. 

There had been some expectations of a confidence vote. MLA Searle Turton says there was no such vote at the meeting.

Dave Prisco, UCP director of communications, said Kenney requested that the 2022 UCP AGM take place in the spring and that the scheduled leadership review occur at that time. Prisco said the party is working to confirm a date and venue.

Ryan Becker, UCP president, said in a letter to the party's constituency association presidents that he spoke with Kenney and the premier asked for the change to deal with any leadership issues well in advance of the next election.

"We are all aware that recent government decisions on responding to the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic have caused anger and frustration among some party members and there is a growing desire to hold a leadership review," Becker wrote. 

CBC News understands from sources with knowledge of the meeting that government MLAs introduced a motion challenging Kenney's leadership at some point in the meeting, but later withdrew it.

Turton said the focus of the discussion was on the government's handling of the COVID-19 crisis.

"I mean, obviously it's a brute and bashing group of MLAs, but that's what caucus is for, having those frank conversations, and I'm thankful that we had that ability," he said. 

"Most of caucus spoke up and, like I said, our focus is on the province, COVID-19, making sure that families and communities are protected."

He said caucus is more united than when they entered the room earlier Wednesday. 

Calls for resignation

Kenney is facing open threats to his leadership within the UCP, with MLAs and the vice-president of policy, Joel Mullan, openly calling for his resignation.

Some in the caucus are angry that Kenney introduced vaccine passports in an effort to stem the tide of the crushing fourth wave of COVID-19, while others say the government waited too long to take action. 

The province has the highest active case counts in the country by a wide margin, with hospitals and intensive care units (ICUs) straining under the pressure. 

Alberta Health Services said on Wednesday that the province's ICUs are at 87 per cent of capacity, including added surge beds. Triage of care kicks in at 90 per cent of capacity. 

Wednesday's meeting comes the day after Alberta Health Minister Tyler Shandro resigned and swapped his portfolio with Jason Copping to become the minister of labour and immigration. 

Critics said the swap was an attempt by the premier to deflect criticism as threats mounted against him. 

Constituencies consider moving up leadership review

Before the caucus meeting Wednesday, some UCP constituency associations were considering passing motions to move up the date, according to media reports. 

Speaking on the Calgary Eyeopener Wednesday morning, Mullan said the UCP remained a grassroots party and he hoped any decisions on a leadership review would be left to the constituencies rather than have it handed down from caucus.

Despite the controversies and conflict, Turton said the caucus meeting was productive. 

"I think there's always going to be differences of opinion, and when it comes to many of the issues before us, that's what makes for healthy, robust debates."

Corbella: UCP members are already trying to

 find a replacement for Premier Kenney

According to government insiders who spoke on the

 condition of anonymity, Kenney is beginning to realize

 that he cannot hold onto his job as premier


Author of the article: Licia Corbella
Publishing date:Sep 22, 2021 • 

Premier Jason Kenney answering questions on the cabinet shuffle appointing Jason Copping as the new Minister of Health during a news conference in Edmonton, September 21, 2021. 
PHOTO BY ED KAISER/POSTMEDIA

Already, speculation is swirling about who will replace Jason Kenney as premier of Alberta.

Government MLAs are being approached by party officials to test their appetite to lead a fractious United Conservative Party that is splitting not so much into left or right divisions — red or blue teams — but into maskers and anti-maskers, those in favour of vaccine passports and those who are militant against them. Never has the urban-rural divide been more stark, and many of the rural MLAs who are in favour of vaccines and vaccine passports are not in line with their own constituents regarding their antipathy against vaccine passports.
According to government insiders who spoke on the condition of anonymity, Kenney is beginning to realize that he cannot hold onto his job as premier, but wants to hold off making any political moves that leads to an expedited leadership review for fear of who will gain control of the party he worked so hard to form and lead.

Tuesday’s mini cabinet shuffle — basically a job swap — moved Tyler Shandro out of Alberta’s troubled health portfolio into Labour and Immigration. Calgary Varsity MLA, Jason Copping, who was viewed as a competent labour and immigration minister, has been moved into the health portfolio, “because he doesn’t have any leadership hopes going forward. It’s recognized,” said the source, “that whoever moves into the health portfolio in Alberta is really a sacrificial lamb,” said a government source.


“People with future political ambitions don’t want to touch the health portfolio because they see the divisions in the caucus and the province and how fraught it all is,” said the source. “It’s a minefield.”

Mount Royal University political science professor Duane Bratt says this job swap — that occurred in Edmonton in a low-key ceremony in which Alberta Lt.-Gov. Salma Lakhani oversaw the new ministers’ oaths of office — will not quell the anger against Kenney, who is viewed as being responsible for the dire situation facing our hospitals. Had the province not increased the number of ICU beds in the province, Kenney said Tuesday our hospitals would be at 169 per cent of capacity. The province is also making contingency arrangements to airlift sick patients out of province in the days and weeks to come.

Another government source said that ironically, a couple of UCP riding officials are in hospital battling for their lives over COVID-19 — a disease that they had denied even existed — though he refused to say who they are.

“If they weren’t in hospital fighting for their lives, they’d be calling on Jason to step down for bringing in vaccine passports,” said the source.

Currently, Alberta’s expanded ICUs are at 87 per cent of capacity and most non-urgent surgeries in the province have been cancelled.

“It’s a cliche, but this is rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic,” said Bratt of the cabinet shuffle.

“This is a power move by Kenney. It’s clear, he was waiting until after the federal election to make this announcement and it’s not going to save him,” said Bratt.

“I think we’re sitting with a situation where the caucus is so divided and the cabinet is so divided, but the one thing that they all do agree on is that the premier has to go,” said Bratt. “But don’t underestimate the political infighting skills of Jason Kenney.”

Premier Jason Kenney standing in front of Jason Copping, the newly appointed Minister of Health, during a news conference in Edmonton, September 21, 2021.
 PHOTO BY ED KAISER/POSTMEDIA

Brian Jean, who along with Kenney, worked to unite the Wildrose and the Progressive Conservative parties to form the UCP, bizarrely asked his Twitter followers in a string of 23 tweets, whether a new political party fashioned after the Saskatchewan Party should be formed.

Various names of possible contenders were bandied about but they couldn’t be reached so their names will not be mentioned here.

Another government source said Kenney is holding his cards close to his vest but did confide that if there was a leadership contest during this fourth wave, it would revolve around whether someone was pro-mask or anti-mask, pro-vaccine or anti-vaccine, and that would destroy the party’s chances going forward in a general election.

“Timing, as they say in politics, is everything,” added yet another source. “(Kenney) is doing everything he can to protect this party to ensure the economic future of this province and to ensure that an anti-vax crazy doesn’t have a mobilized base that sells more memberships than anyone else and takes down the party.”



The premier says he accepted Shandro’s resignation, mutually recognizing it was time for “a fresh start and new set of eyes” on the largest department in the government.

“When I asked Tyler to serve as health minister in April of 2019, nobody, nobody could have predicted the crisis that he would be tasked with taking on,” Kenney said Tuesday at a 5 p.m. media conference.

Another government insider who asked to remain anonymous says Shandro had had enough of “being public enemy No. 1, where his wife and children are even sometimes accosted because of government decisions.”

Shandro famously tore up the contract for Alberta physicians in February 2020, just one month before Alberta and the rest of the country entered into its first COVID-19 lockdown. It’s acknowledged and recognized that his move came at the behest of Kenney, who was following the recommendations made by the panel led by former Saskatchewan finance minister Janice MacKinnon. Many rural physicians left or considered leaving the province for greener pastures, and bitterness still remains.

Kenney says Shandro offered his resignation and they both came to the same conclusion that the time was right for a change. “It has been a gruelling two-plus years for Tyler. I was there myself and saw he and his family being chased and assaulted by anti-vaccine protesters, and all of that has taken a real toll on Minister Shandro,” said Kenney, referring to the Canada Day event when Shandro, his wife and their young children were accosted by supporters of fringe mayoral candidate Kevin J. Johnston, who was in jail at the time for uttering threats to health officials.

Another government source, who only spoke on the condition of anonymity, said he has already been approached to consider running for the leadership of the party, something he is going to discuss with his family.

The leadership train is leaving a station that just two years ago looked like it was going to be parked for a very long time.

Licia Corbella is a Postmedia columnist in Calgary.
Braid: Kenney heads off caucus revolt but agrees to leadership review


In the caucus meeting, MLAs were asked what they planned to do if they actually managed to unseat the premier. Nobody had a good answer for that one

Author of the article: Don Braid • Calgary Herald

Publishing date: Sep 22, 2021 • 

The party revolt against Premier Jason Kenney fizzled Wednesday, after UCP members of the legislature first presented a motion of non-confidence in his leadership, then dropped it like a hot brick.

The rebel move at the private caucus meeting came from Highwood member R.J. Sigurdson, who had considerable backing, or seemed to.

The response from the pro-Kenney side was a classic bluff.

Let’s vote, they said — right now, on the spot — and the ballot will not be secret.

The resolution was pulled, the revolution postponed. Nobody gets a statue or the premier’s job.

“People tend to forget that Kenney is a tough guy,” says one insider, who was not present at this meeting. “He’s experienced, knows all the angles and he isn’t afraid of a fight.”

And so, Canada’s most beleaguered premier of the COVID-19 era wins this round.

There is an olive branch, though — his agreement to have a party leadership review early next year.

Late Wednesday afternoon, Kenney spoke to party president Ryan Becker, asking for a spring annual general meeting and leadership review. An email went out to all riding presidents immediately.

Kenney’s party executive had earlier ruled that the review would be held in fall, about six months before the next election in spring of 2023. The people who oppose him wanted a vote much earlier.

Kenney’s agreement now seems to spike a motion circulating among the ridings, requiring a review vote no later than March 1, 2022.

In the caucus meeting, MLAs were asked what they planned to do if they actually managed to unseat the premier.

Nobody had a good answer for that one. The UCP bench is decidedly devoid of obvious contenders for the job, although a couple of ministers are quietly forming campaigns.

There’s a far more important question for the vast majority of Albertans who believe in vaccination and reasonable measures to contain the province’s raging wave of COVID-19, by far the worst in Canada.

What happens if Kenney is kicked out and his successor comes from the wing of caucus that is opposed to measures, and even to vaccination?

Some of these people think their premier is crushing their freedoms. A like-minded premier could turn Alberta into Florida overnight.

Kenney, after taking their views into account for far too long (that’s how we got into this mess after the infamous Open for Summer campaign), now places himself squarely on the side of current measures, including a vaccination passport.

He has a reprieve. But his deft handling of the caucus showdown does not get him out of trouble with the public.



The reaction to Kenney’s summer holiday, and the sneering dismissal of the looming fourth wave, is still causing widespread public fury.


The whole health system is in genuine crisis, with 1,040 people hospitalized, 230 in ICUs, hospital wings and wards shut down, surgeries cancelled — even in a children’s hospital — and Kenney’s government begging other provinces and Ottawa for help.


The latest Leger Research poll on premiers’ approval, completed just before the uproar over new Alberta measures, shows Kenney with only 23 per cent support for his handling of the pandemic. Seventy-two per cent are dissatisfied.

The next least popular premier on this issue, Saskatchewan’s Scott Moe, is far ahead of Kenney at 39 per cent.

Surely galling to Kenney is the 75 per cent rating of the NDP premier next door, John Horgan of B.C. In Quebec, Francois Legault is at 76 per cent.

Those premiers have had their own severe COVID-19 crises, but they have usually been consistent. Kenney, eternally plagued by his implacable freedom caucus, has not.

And as a result, his biggest problem is not the fractious caucus. It’s the voters.


Don Braid’s column appears regularly in the Herald