A growing rebellion amongst UCP constituency associations to force a leadership review of Premier Jason Kenney continues to gain steam..Thursday night, the UCP constituency association for Drayton Valley-Devon joined at least eight others in demanding an early vote on whether or not Jason Kenney should continue to lead the party..According to the UCP constitution, a total of 22 constituency associations are needed to petition for the review for it to go ahead. Kenney has been meeting with rebellious local boards in an attempt to keep the number below the 22 threshold..This week, 17 UCP MLAs signed an open letter that said Kenney was going down the wrong path by putting the province under a third lockdown and was breaking his commitment to the phased reopening plan based on measurable targets..“Jason Kenney is obviously not going to pivot – these are not the acts of a man who is going to change,” said Drayton Valley-Devon UCP board member Tim Cameron..Cameron told the Western Standard on Friday the vote to hold a review passed by an 8-6 margin..He said Kenney’s move to put the province in a third lockdown – along with the raid and barricading of GraceLife Church outside Edmonton – has incensed the party’s grassroots..“He is now straight, bold-faced lying to us,” said Cameron..“As of Wednesday, our area had 16 cases. This makes no sense. People are broke and Kenney is just lying to us.”.“What happened with the GraceLife has pushed people over the edge – people are now dug in.”.“Board members across the province are quitting in droves. Kenney played his last card with the election threat. He’s out of options.”.The Western Standard reported on Thursday evening that earlier in the day, Kenney threatened the UCP Caucus with an early election if they did not fall into line over public disagreement with continued lockdowns and other restrictions..In the constituency of Central Peace-Notley, UCP president Samantha Steinke said they have also voted for a leadership review..“We feel like we’ve been duped,” she told the Western Standard..“Kenney promised a lot of things. He promised a Fair Deal. He promised to fight (Prime Minister Justin) Trudeau. But he has done nothing.”.Steinke also blasted Kenney and his new round of COVID-19 lockdown..“I have four young children. I can’t see them suffer anymore,” she said, noting the cancellation of all kids’ sports..“I’m not a COVID denier. I had a 97-year-old uncle die with COVID. ‘Please let me see my family’, he asked just before he died. But the nurses wouldn’t let anyone in to see him. They didn’t even go in his room, they just shoved his meals in on trays and said ‘here you go.'”.“We have few cases in our area, yet we are in lockdown. Let’s protect the vulnerable demographic and get back to normal.”.Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.,dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com,.Twitter.com/nobby7694
