Kenney now telling newspaper columnists how to write

Bell has been harshly critical of Kenney lately as the premier deals with a pandemic, a splintering caucus and allegations this week his office is using third parties to work against dissenting MLA at this weekend’s UCP AGM.

“Last week, I don’t know if you wrote a column about this, Rick, because maybe it’s too fun and easy just to write about people who are angry with the government over COVID policy,” Kenney scolded Bell.

“I know you’ve been doing that for a couple of years, good for you.

“I would challenge you, maybe, to find space, I don’t know a paragraph, about one of the biggest weeks in the history of the Alberta economy.

“I know it’s a small deal,” he ended, sarcastically.

Kenney was referring to deals signed in the province the last week that will see the investment of $7 billion.

In his column Thursday, Bell retorted: “But the premier surely is not saying he cannot work on his government files and, at the same time, figure out how much he is to blame for his dismal unpopularity and come up with a plan on how he can fix it.

“Alas, it’s clear Kenney doesn’t see a problem. He doesn’t want to focus on ‘internal political disputes.'”