A little more than 15 months ago, my final act as the UCP caucus chair was to ask Jason Kenney to step down as leader of the UCP and premier of Alberta..I issued an open letter that stated, in part, “I know that many Albertans, including myself, no longer have confidence in your leadership. I thank you for your service, but I am asking that you resign so we can begin to put the province back together again.”.In response, the premier and his team sought to make an example of me, doling out every punishment they could imagine. They orchestrated my removal from caucus. They attacked my character. They stooped so low as to have a senior minister attempt to intimidate me in the chamber..In retrospect, there is no question it would have been easier for me to go with the flow and acquiesce to the premier’s demands for absolute loyalty. But in Alberta, we don’t do things because they are easy; we do things because they are right..After months of internal schoolyard bullying, the premier finally faced his reckoning with the leadership review held earlier this spring. One year and five days after I called for the premier’s resignation, it seems he finally got the message and announced his intention to step down..As they say, every crisis is an opportunity. For the UCP, the premier’s resignation represented an opportunity to turn the page on years of divisive politics and begin rebuilding trust with Albertans. The older I get, the more I understand how incredibly rare such opportunities can be..Every single leadership contestant has made mention of the importance of rebuilding unity, especially with the next provincial election coming in a matter of months. Unfortunately, it seems one person didn’t get the message: Premier Kenney..It is common for premiers who choose to retire to remain in their posts strictly in a housekeeping capacity until a successor can be chosen. However, this is not the current situation in Alberta. Premier Kenney did not retire. Instead, he frittered away the moral authority required to lead our party and province and was forced to resign..Any other conservative leader would have taken this opportunity to step down and allow caucus to appoint an impartial interim leader for the duration of the leadership contest. But not Premier Kenney..Since the leadership review, the premier has refused to accept responsibility for his failed leadership. Rather, he has continued to seek new ways to divide conservatives by attacking, dismissing, and ridiculing many of our own party’s members..Such attacks have not been random. The premier is going out of his way to keep himself in the news to the benefit of his chosen favourites in the leadership race, the cronies, and insiders he appointed to cabinet. The last shred of impartiality was abandoned last week when the premier chose to attack the very premise of an Alberta Sovereignty Act, calling it “nuts,” in a tirade reminiscent of the time he dismissed everyone who didn’t support his leadership as “lunatics,” and compared them to insects..Premier Kenney has repeatedly proven through his own vindictive actions that he has no interest in remaining neutral. His continued presence as acting leader of the UCP only diminishes the integrity of the leadership election process and further divides an already splintering membership..As such, I am again calling on the premier to do what he should have done 15 months ago and immediately step down..If every crisis is an opportunity, the UCP needs these remaining months prior to the next election to rebuild unity and public trust. Premier Kenney is just getting in the way..Instead of tarnishing the legacy he helped build as part of the unity movement; he should let his final act as premier reflect the strong tradition of conservative statesmanship to which his successors can aspire..It’s time for Premier Kenney to exit stage right. .Guest columnist Todd Loewen is the MLA for Central Peace-Notley and is a candidate for the leadership of the United Conservative Party
A little more than 15 months ago, my final act as the UCP caucus chair was to ask Jason Kenney to step down as leader of the UCP and premier of Alberta..I issued an open letter that stated, in part, “I know that many Albertans, including myself, no longer have confidence in your leadership. I thank you for your service, but I am asking that you resign so we can begin to put the province back together again.”.In response, the premier and his team sought to make an example of me, doling out every punishment they could imagine. They orchestrated my removal from caucus. They attacked my character. They stooped so low as to have a senior minister attempt to intimidate me in the chamber..In retrospect, there is no question it would have been easier for me to go with the flow and acquiesce to the premier’s demands for absolute loyalty. But in Alberta, we don’t do things because they are easy; we do things because they are right..After months of internal schoolyard bullying, the premier finally faced his reckoning with the leadership review held earlier this spring. One year and five days after I called for the premier’s resignation, it seems he finally got the message and announced his intention to step down..As they say, every crisis is an opportunity. For the UCP, the premier’s resignation represented an opportunity to turn the page on years of divisive politics and begin rebuilding trust with Albertans. The older I get, the more I understand how incredibly rare such opportunities can be..Every single leadership contestant has made mention of the importance of rebuilding unity, especially with the next provincial election coming in a matter of months. Unfortunately, it seems one person didn’t get the message: Premier Kenney..It is common for premiers who choose to retire to remain in their posts strictly in a housekeeping capacity until a successor can be chosen. However, this is not the current situation in Alberta. Premier Kenney did not retire. Instead, he frittered away the moral authority required to lead our party and province and was forced to resign..Any other conservative leader would have taken this opportunity to step down and allow caucus to appoint an impartial interim leader for the duration of the leadership contest. But not Premier Kenney..Since the leadership review, the premier has refused to accept responsibility for his failed leadership. Rather, he has continued to seek new ways to divide conservatives by attacking, dismissing, and ridiculing many of our own party’s members..Such attacks have not been random. The premier is going out of his way to keep himself in the news to the benefit of his chosen favourites in the leadership race, the cronies, and insiders he appointed to cabinet. The last shred of impartiality was abandoned last week when the premier chose to attack the very premise of an Alberta Sovereignty Act, calling it “nuts,” in a tirade reminiscent of the time he dismissed everyone who didn’t support his leadership as “lunatics,” and compared them to insects..Premier Kenney has repeatedly proven through his own vindictive actions that he has no interest in remaining neutral. His continued presence as acting leader of the UCP only diminishes the integrity of the leadership election process and further divides an already splintering membership..As such, I am again calling on the premier to do what he should have done 15 months ago and immediately step down..If every crisis is an opportunity, the UCP needs these remaining months prior to the next election to rebuild unity and public trust. Premier Kenney is just getting in the way..Instead of tarnishing the legacy he helped build as part of the unity movement; he should let his final act as premier reflect the strong tradition of conservative statesmanship to which his successors can aspire..It’s time for Premier Kenney to exit stage right. .Guest columnist Todd Loewen is the MLA for Central Peace-Notley and is a candidate for the leadership of the United Conservative Party