When a postal code triggers widespread suspicion, you know United Conservative Party (UCP) members’ faith has been sorely tested and bruised..Understandable, considering the string of abrupt changes to Premier Jason Kenney’s drawn-out leadership review process that coincidentally lasts exactly as many days as a regular 39-day Survivor season..Mail-in ballots deciding if Kenney stays on as leader will be accepted until May 11, with results announced May 18..Confusion prevails because the postal code on the ballot envelopes mailed to Deloitte Canada differs from the postal code for Deloitte on the UCP website..“I am now not sure if this ballot will be counted and what shenanigans this government is trying to pull, but it’s fishy,” said one of many readers who contacted Western Standard expressing this concern..“I’m asking what happens to these ballots if the address is not accurate?” said Constance Hansen..The different postal codes aren’t a ruse, assure even the most vocal critics of Kenney’s leadership skills and the helter-skelter review process. .A unique postal code was assigned to keep 60,000 potential ballots separate from Deloitte’s regular mail..The issue was discussed on The Canadian Story podcast featuring David Parker, founder of Take Back Alberta, MLA Brian Jean who will run for UCP leadership, and political strategist Vitor Marciano..The trio can hardly be called trusting Kenney fans..“I feel like there’s a lot of people who are confused. There’s a lot of misinformation out there right now,” said Parker..Distrust in the UCP has long been fermenting..“We’re in a real word right now — there’s no trust. And because there’s no trust everybody looks at every situation and imagines that something bad is going to happen. And then when they imagine something bad is going to happen, they keep looking. Anything that strikes them as odd just balloons out of shape,” said Marciano..“We’re talking about the return envelope and the postal code. It’s a business reply envelope postal code. It’s normal. When you get the reply envelope, the ones you don’t put a stamp on it, if it’s going to be a big mailing, they put a custom postal code on it.” .The trio expressed confidence in the process ensuring as fair as possible a vote..The outer envelope is opened, the bar code scanned, the membership pops up, the picture ID and address is verified, and the envelope with a sealed ballot goes into a ballot box..They expressed confidence in Deloitte’s integrity..“I can’t imagine any corporation, at that level, that would allow any kind of cheating, whether it was beyond their control or not, and have their name attached to it,” said Jean. .“I hear the conspiracy theories. I’m a doubter. I’m there, I’m questioning things because I think that’s very important for people to do. But I just can’t imagine because it would destroy Deloitte….They would be finished.”.Jean asked an important question. .“Why do you think so many people that have been involved with Jason Kenney in politics for so long, including MLAs and his staff, believe that something is going to be done by his team, or is cheating?”.Suspicion extends beyond MLAs and staff..Calgary’s Cate Graham contacted the Western Standard with concerns about a photo of a transparent ballot envelope sent to her. The sender did not include the smaller envelope in which a folded ballot is placed in..Graham wondered if this could enable cheating..“I thought about why I jumped to that immediate conclusion,” said Graham later..“I realized that to any outsider this conclusion might have sounded like a hyper-vigilant, adrenaline-fuelled, tin foil hat, fringe minority, conspiracy theorist, the likes of which all levels of government are currently happy to label any dissenting voice. Let’s not forget Nazi, racist, misogynistic, and transphobic.”.“But us conspiracy theorists are wary and weary. There are reasons we are concerned that we will be cheated of our vote,” said Graham citing the leadership vote changes..She initially wanted her name withheld — a frequent request from UCP members who contact me — for fear of ending up on “some list.”.“But this is all the more reason why I should be giving my name.”.“People are afraid to stand up and be counted for what we believe in. As Canadians we have always been polite, apologetic rule-followers…and especially now after what happened in Ottawa with the (Freedom Convoy) truckers, we are afraid of being labelled, we are afraid of our bank accounts being frozen, we are afraid of being arrested, and we are afraid of being beaten.”.“We must stand up, come what may. We all need to have the belief that we have the ability to affect change by democracy, and it seems our democracy is hanging on a thread here in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.”.Kenney appears oblivious to distrust stalking him province-wide..The problem is those yappy caucus members and constituency association folks calling for him to step down, criticizing both his COVID-19 measures and disdain for grassroots input..The problem is that he’s been too tolerant of dissenters and “extremists,” “kooks”, and “bugs” attracted to his bright light..He’s confident the needed 50%-plus-one victory awaits him..“I can’t wait for us to finally get this behind us on May 18 with the leadership review vote,” said Kenney on his Saturday radio call-in show..Slobodian is the Senior Manitoba Columnist for the Western Standard.lslobodian@westernstandardonline.com
