“Alberta is back” after emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, says Premier Jason Kenney..The United Conservative Party (UCP) leader was making his final bid to members on Saturday, as they began voting on his leadership..Unity was a key theme of Kenney’s speech, as he seeks to hold onto power and keep conservatives together to keep the NDP out of government, as he did in 2019, when he merged the Wildrose and Progressive Conservative parties. .Kenney referred back to that merger, saying he stepped-up with a vision to unite the parties, despite critics saying it couldn’t be done..“I take it as encouragement,” he said in his 43-minute speech. “Never tell an Albertan what cannot be done because that just encourages us.”.Kenney also used the speech to announce that U.S. Senator Joe Manchin invited him to Washington D.C. to testify at the Senate Energy Committee. .The premier took aim at Rachel Notley’s NDP government, which he defeated in 2019, saying they “raised taxes on everything that moved” and led to the “worst economy” in Alberta’s history..Kenney said he hit the ground running after he was elected. The economy was coming back until they were “sideswiped” by three major crises — the COVID-19 pandemic, and the collapse of the price of oil and the global economy..But the division caused by pandemic policies is the real “elephant in the room.”.Kenney said the NDP opposition, the mainstream media, and many doctors held his government responsible for every COVID-19 death in the province. Meanwhile, freedom-loving, conservative Albertans hated every pandemic restriction he implemented..“Maybe freedom is a central value for us, but it is not the only value,” he said..Conservatives also value life and care for the poor, Kenney said, while acknowledging he didn’t get everything right on COVID-19..With the worst of the pandemic behind, the premier said there’s two choices ahead: continuing the debate on COVID-19 and entering a “deeply divisive” leadership election — which leads to victory for Notley and the NDP — or “a path of unity.”.As members begin voting, Kenney asked they not compare him to the “Almighty” but to “the alternative” — a line he said he stole from former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper..If members want him to step aside, Kenney said he will. But if members choose the path of “unity and stability,” then everyone must respect the vote and move forward..The UCP board announced the leadership review last year, after more than 22 riding associations passed motions to force a review of Kenney’s leadership. .Last month, the board moved the vote to mail-in ballots, after unprecedented numbers of members registered to vote. The vote was originally supposed to be held in Red Deer on Saturday..Due to the delay caused by mail-in ballots, the results aren’t expected till mid-May..Brain Jean, the UCP’s newest MLA, has said the “rushed mail-in ballot is a formula for fraud and cheating.”.Following his swearing-in on Thursday, Jean again took aim at the review, saying UCP is “playing games” with it. He said he’s seen a lot of membership lists over the years and he’s never seen them sorted by first names or using paper records. .Rachel Emmanuel is the Edmonton Bureau Chief for the Western Standard
“Alberta is back” after emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, says Premier Jason Kenney..The United Conservative Party (UCP) leader was making his final bid to members on Saturday, as they began voting on his leadership..Unity was a key theme of Kenney’s speech, as he seeks to hold onto power and keep conservatives together to keep the NDP out of government, as he did in 2019, when he merged the Wildrose and Progressive Conservative parties. .Kenney referred back to that merger, saying he stepped-up with a vision to unite the parties, despite critics saying it couldn’t be done..“I take it as encouragement,” he said in his 43-minute speech. “Never tell an Albertan what cannot be done because that just encourages us.”.Kenney also used the speech to announce that U.S. Senator Joe Manchin invited him to Washington D.C. to testify at the Senate Energy Committee. .The premier took aim at Rachel Notley’s NDP government, which he defeated in 2019, saying they “raised taxes on everything that moved” and led to the “worst economy” in Alberta’s history..Kenney said he hit the ground running after he was elected. The economy was coming back until they were “sideswiped” by three major crises — the COVID-19 pandemic, and the collapse of the price of oil and the global economy..But the division caused by pandemic policies is the real “elephant in the room.”.Kenney said the NDP opposition, the mainstream media, and many doctors held his government responsible for every COVID-19 death in the province. Meanwhile, freedom-loving, conservative Albertans hated every pandemic restriction he implemented..“Maybe freedom is a central value for us, but it is not the only value,” he said..Conservatives also value life and care for the poor, Kenney said, while acknowledging he didn’t get everything right on COVID-19..With the worst of the pandemic behind, the premier said there’s two choices ahead: continuing the debate on COVID-19 and entering a “deeply divisive” leadership election — which leads to victory for Notley and the NDP — or “a path of unity.”.As members begin voting, Kenney asked they not compare him to the “Almighty” but to “the alternative” — a line he said he stole from former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper..If members want him to step aside, Kenney said he will. But if members choose the path of “unity and stability,” then everyone must respect the vote and move forward..The UCP board announced the leadership review last year, after more than 22 riding associations passed motions to force a review of Kenney’s leadership. .Last month, the board moved the vote to mail-in ballots, after unprecedented numbers of members registered to vote. The vote was originally supposed to be held in Red Deer on Saturday..Due to the delay caused by mail-in ballots, the results aren’t expected till mid-May..Brain Jean, the UCP’s newest MLA, has said the “rushed mail-in ballot is a formula for fraud and cheating.”.Following his swearing-in on Thursday, Jean again took aim at the review, saying UCP is “playing games” with it. He said he’s seen a lot of membership lists over the years and he’s never seen them sorted by first names or using paper records. .Rachel Emmanuel is the Edmonton Bureau Chief for the Western Standard
