Private sector employees would be fired for things Premier Jason Kenney lets United Conservative Party (UCP) staffers and MLAs get away with, said a longtime, loyal conservative..In fact, the bullying and bad behaviour that goes unchecked — fostered by Kenney’s poor management skills — are what led to Al Browne resigning from his post as Calgary-Hays constituency association president (CA) in mid-April..Browne — who never joined the ever-growing chorus of voices long demanding that Kenney resign — now believes the premier must correct course or step aside..“I like Jason, but I don’t agree with his management style. If Jason doesn’t want to change, then Jason should quit,” said Browne, a diehard conservative for more than four decades. .“It’s very difficult simply because Jason’s been a personal friend of mine for 30 years. But it’s time somebody spoke up.”.“We’ve gone from a membership of 160,000 to I hear almost 60,000 right now. Where did that 100,000 people go since he became leader? Albertans haven’t changed. Albertans are the same people they were two or three years ago.”.Browne was one of many angered by the leadership review fiasco..He shares frustration of many CA presidents over their suggestions and concerns being routinely dismissed or ignored..Recent incidents led to Browne finally deciding he’d had enough and resigning..“Along with all the other stuff that’s happened in the past year, it finally came to a point where I said everything is totally out of control.”.“We’ve got MLAs swearing in the legislature. We’ve got chiefs of staff — and I don’t know who the hell they think they are — that have the audacity to call critics clowns.”.“That chief of staff should have been fired. And so should have been (House Leader Jason) Nixon. This is not the first time that Jason Nixon has done something like this.”.Nixon got away with cursing at Speaker Nathan Cooper in the legislature chamber during a recent exchange with Independent MLA Todd Loewen..“It is vile. When you use the F-word in the legislature, when you don’t even have respect for what the legislature is, and you don’t even have the fortitude to apologize in person, that’s more disrespect. He had to apologize to the whole legislature. He didn’t,” said Browne..Ryan Rogers, a department chief of staff, posted a video clip that compared UCP backbench critics to gyrating clowns..“Then you’ve got what’s his name, Rogers, the chief of staff that called everybody a clown that that doesn’t agree with him. You tell the public in Alberta, whoever that public may be, that they’re a bunch of clowns — who talks like that?”.“If that were to happen in a private corporation today, those people would be fired.”.Browne also took issue with Red Deer-South CA president Patrick Malkin being barred from attending the small gathering in Red Deer April 9 when Kenney delivered his virtual speech to the membership..“The CA president got kicked out of SGM. All he wanted to do was go in and listen to the premier’s speech. The meeting was right in his own CA area, and they tell him he has to leave because he’s not invited, that it was by invitation only. I didn’t know we were that elitist in our party.”.Browne has no idea if Kenney will survive the leadership review..“I can look at the polls. The polls are indicating he has less than 30% support. I don’t know if there’s ever been a premier in Alberta that has ridden such low polls and survived a leadership review. Most of them have come in higher than 50% and they still didn’t survive.”.“How do you survive 50% plus one? I don’t know how you could sell that to the public and still hold the UCP party together. If you come out at 50% it means that 50% of the people didn’t want you.”.However, Brown believes Kenney, despite having said his critics are fueled by hatred and intolerance, has the ability to unite the party..“He’s skilled. He has to go back to the promises he made at the very beginning two years ago, but be honest and sincere about them, not just to come out with an advertising campaign and drive around in a damn blue truck or whatever he was doing.”.“Promises that we’re going to be more grassroots. A party of civility. That we’re going to listen to the constituency presidents that represent his membership.”.“I’ve written Jason three letters, none of which I got a response to. I use his friends and family email.”.“Without strong management at the top, and the ability to create a family in a cohesive group around you with whatever it is you’re doing, it’ll always fall apart.”.Albertans who abandoned the UCP must have a reason to return..“We’ve got to get those people back. We’ve got to convince them that we are going to be grassroots, that we’re not going to be threatening people, not going to say‘I’m going to fire you if you have a different opinion.’”.Kenney must develop a tougher, tolerant skin, listen to people who don’t agree with him, and not take it as a personal affront. .The UCP has “honest, sincere” supporters..“They want Alberta to be successful. But we need a change in attitude, a change in management style.”.They’ve been bullied and shut out by a regime that is not “transparent or grassroots.”.“All we’re asking for is a change in direction. Correct. Punish the people that are the real problem.”.Browne contemplated packing it in and going fishing..Instead, Browne who had the role of chairman for 33 CA presidents who discuss problems and try to offer solutions to a party executive, will stay on as an advisor..“My role right now is a party member that is interested in moving the party forward, but it’s only in an advisory position.”.Slobodian is the Senior Manitoba Columnist for the Western Standardlslobodian@westernstandardonline.com
