A bitter, soon-to-be-former, premier dragging his party down with him in fiery fashion

By Ryan Dahlman

You have to have forgive Jason Kenney. He’s grumpy and he just can’t help himself.

He is like those baseball managers who are thrown out of a game but then come out of the dugout to protest anyway, getting his money’s worth knowing full well, it’s not going to change anyone’s opinion.

His dream of rising to the top and being in power flipped over faster than one of his pancakes at his beloved Calgary Stampede premier’s breakfasts.

Friend Doug Schweitzer has left the party sort of… he resigned from the party and provincial government right at the end of the month and is now Senior Advisor at Deloitte – Consulting, Technology, Media and Telecommunications. You may remember Deloitte which was part of the development of the “famed” Alberta’s Covid-19 ABTraceTogether mobile contact tracing app. As well, Steve Allan who is part of Deloitte upper management, was hired to commission the 2021 released report which the Alberta government described at the time: Public inquiry into anti-Alberta energy campaigns

An independent commissioner was appointed to lead a public inquiry into the foreign-funded campaigns targeting Alberta’s oil industry.

Etc. Etc. Etc.

Kenney, not-so-politely offered his unsolicited opinion on Danielle Smith Sovereignty Act and any other current UCP leadership candidate who is supporting some form of Alberta independence from Ottawa.

He has been behind a podium a lot.

Kenney is now slamming Alberta Health Services executive for misinforming him and his COVD-19 cabinet committee about “surge capacity.”

There was some major animosity between Kenney and AHS in general (if you count all the battle with doctors, nurses and many employees the last few years), plus the government relieved Dr. Verna You from her AHS CEO duties with a year left on her contract.  

To point the finger at AHS for misappropriation is quite eyebrow raising. 

Why Kenney is doing all this is unclear other to maybe make himself look better (AHS), more heroic (“it wasn’t me”), either for setting himself up for a new career; maybe so all Albertans remember him fondly (no chance) or perhaps he is just a bitter man. If he can’t win, no one will…

All he is doing his further soiling the UCP Party and UCP leadership. It is true, that Kenney was often seen as the catalyst and had the bullseye painted on him but it can’t help. In a party he led, it is obvious his self-centred and self-serving antics prove his political immaturity. 

NDP Justice Critic Irfan Sabir issued a statement regarding UCP leadership candidates joining forces to oppose Danielle Smith’s Sovereignty Act with Kenney the lauded voice:  “The UCP is at war with itself and consumed by internal drama. They are totally focused on infighting and they have no plan to address the very real challenges that Alberta families are facing.

The UCP has no plan for the worst affordability crisis in 40 years, no plan to build a modern and diverse jobs economy, and no plan to fix the terrible damage they have done to our healthcare system.  Instead, the UCP is debating the merits of yet another fraudulent plan to fight with Ottawa and setting up yet another leadership struggle. The melodrama we have watched for the past two years will not end on October 6. In fact, it will get much worse and lead to more infighting and more inaction.”

Yes, political motivated and self-serving for the NDP, but he isn’t wrong. 

The more bar room stories, Kenney has to tell to a political bloodthirsty public, the worse it gets for the suddenly battered UCP. 

Progressive Conservatives or Alberta Party anyone? 

Ryan Dahlman is the managing editor of the Prairie Post East, Prairie Post West and 40-Mile Commentatator/Cypress Courier

Get More Bow Island Commentator →