Guest Column: Nathan is a longtime communications specialist and member of the UCP and Wildrose Party..Three years ago, shortly after taking the reins as interim leader of the newly formed United Conservative Party, now Alberta Legislature Speaker Nathan Cooper made an astute observation..“Unity,” he said, “is not the outcome of a vote. It is a process that must continue today, tomorrow, and every day moving forward.”.Jason Kenney wasn’t listening..For months now, conservatives have been warning Kenney that he is losing public and party support. Longtime volunteers are leaving. Donations are drying up. MLAs, like the people they represent, were demanding change. They were ignored..Yesterday, hoping to jolt the Premier out of a cocoon of self-delusion, Kenney’s own caucus chair resigned. Rather than face the realities caused by his aloof leadership style, Kenney opted to kill the messenger..MLA Todd Loewen thought he was simply fulfilling his duty to represent both frustrated caucus members and angry constituents. You see, Loewen comes from the former-Wildrose wing of the UCP, and that is a philosophy that Kenney fundamentally opposes..The Wildrose commitment to grassroots democracy wasn’t a marketing slogan. It wasn’t just another talking point. It was a principle embedded into the very DNA of the movement. If the Wildrose Party had its own 10 commandments, the first three commandments were all the same: “The first duty of an MLA is to represent his or her constituents.”.UCP leadership candidate Kenney – back when he was getting decent advice – at least paid lip service to this notion with his “Grassroots Guarantee.” While that guarantee went out the window the moment after Kenney’s leadership victory, it was one of the key commitments that made unity possible in the first place..However, about year into Kenney’s first term as premier it became clear that his idea of grassroots democracy begins and ends with whatever is convenient for him personally..Unlike Alberta governments of the past, Kenney’s government would not seek caucus input or approval for new initiatives. For example, when the government announced its $10 billion “stimulus” spending plan in the summer of 2020, caucus was not even informed of the details until after it had been announced publicly. .Kenney sees no reason for caucus to weigh in on such initiatives, and MLAs only have an opportunity to represent their constituents during votes in the legislature. .The idea that MLAs might have some expertise to contribute to such policies, or that the grassroots might have some thoughts on such matters isn’t even an after thought for Kenney’s government. After all, this is not how democracy worked in Ottawa during Kenney’s time in government. The federal Conservatives regularly relied on massive omnibus budget bills to implement a wide variety of policy changes, often with no input from caucus or the grassroots whatsoever..Is this how democracy is supposed to work? Kenney thinks so. In fact, he thinks he is running the most transparent government in a generation. .Many Albertans, particularly those who turned their back on the former PC Party in favour of the Wildrose, do not. .Former Wildrose MLAs have approached the government repeatedly to raise such concerns, only to be dismissed out of hand. Even as public support for the UCP falls well behind the NDP, and even as fundraising dries up, the government refuses to accept input from those who got them elected in the first place..This is ultimately what makes Jason Kenney so dangerous to the future of the conservative movement in Alberta. His brand of democracy is incompatible with the ideals of a wide swath of the conservatives he purports to lead..Unlike the last provincial election, the next one will not be a referendum on the leadership of Rachel Notley. It will be a referendum on Jason Kenney..For the first time since Kenney came back from Ottawa, Alberta conservatives will be forced to ask themselves a simple question: Does Jason Kenney share my values?.After watching Kenney outspend the previous NDP government, sideline caucus members, barricade churches, arrest pastors, kowtow to Trudeau, and vilify many of the people who voted for him in 2019, today we are forced to ask ourselves the same question..For me, the answer is no. Jason Kenney does not share my values..If unity is a process, that process is dead. Jason Kenney killed it. .For the UCP to be re-elected, Jason Kenney must resign..Guest Column: Nathan is a longtime communications specialist and member of the UCP and Wildrose Party.
