Don Braid • Calgary Herald
Date of publication:
09 Apr 2022 • 6 hours ago • 3 minutes reading • 34 comments Prime Minister Jason Kenney addresses United Conservative Party members at the party’s special general assembly in Red Deer on Saturday, April 9, 2022. Photo by Screenshot
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Prime Minister Jason Kenney saved the piece that everyone was waiting for until the end of a 45-minute speech on Saturday.
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He will accept the result of the vote for the UCP leadership “with all humility”, he told party members watching the cut-off leadership meeting on their computers. “If the members want to have leadership elections, I will step aside.” But Kenney added that if UCP members “choose the path of unity and stability (meaning they win). . . I believe that all our members will expect every member of our parliamentary group and our group to respect the decision of the members, which is democratically expressed in this revision vote “. In other words, he expects a clear course in the 2023 election campaign, with his critics silent and the Conservatives united. This is what we used to call a dream pipe. It seems impossible, given the current state of UCP.
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New MLA Brian Jean responded: “Jason Kenney’s rhetoric and approach have divided our party. “The prime minister gave a speech saying that the choice is between more than himself or Rachel Notley’s NDP – you know someone loses when they resort to fear.” But the prospect of an NDP victory is the only thing that could really unite these people until they are safe to cheat on each other again. “If we choose the path of division,” Kenney said, “it will bring a wedge right in the middle of our party, from which we may never recover.” “There is only one person who benefits from it, and her name is Rachel Knutley.” To back up his case, he cited what happened to the Progressive Conservatives in 2006, when party members shocked everyone, including themselves, with the approval of longtime Prime Minister Ralph Klein with only 55 percent at a party congress.
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This was in part the work of disgruntled power brokers (a quieter group of Kenney critics) who saw it as time for Klein to pave the way for a successor. Kenney said: “This has sparked a decade of division between us, going through four PC leaders and ending up with two conservative parties fighting a civil war. “Floor crossings, resentment, intrigue. “All of this told the Albertans that we were more concerned with settling internal accounts than communicating and doing people’s work.” Computers believed that the NDP could never win, no matter how bad their behavior was. But in 2015 Notley’s party jumped from four to 54 seats in the legislature. And the original sin, according to Kenney, was Klein’s rejection by his own party – the very fate he faces today.
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What he needs is time to sink his argument. The party has arranged it well, extending the vote for a whole month, with the announcement of the results on May 18th. Saturday was supposed to be the day of the Red Deer invasion, with 15,000 or more party members expected to arrive and vote in person. The explosive sale of subscriptions sounded like bad news for Kenney. Instead, party members had to attend the formal start of the postal voting. A small group of cheerleaders from party staff and volunteers – perhaps 100 people – were in the Red Deer conference room listening to Kenney speak. They applauded conscientiously, stood up and held up signs reading “Keep Alberta United”. Kenney’s opponents are outraged by the control of the process through a governing body that remains largely loyal to him.
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But this is how it always works. The leader of a conservative party in Alberta has serious privileges. The leader can speak when no one else can. Only he can put a move on the floor of a meeting like Saturday. He can expel party members “for reasons” – and decide what the cause is. The party’s executive director, Kenney’s confidant, Dustin van Vugt, sets out all the procedures for accepting and expelling members. Kenney critics will not remain silent, as Jean immediately showed on Saturday. But the prime minister has the biggest loudspeaker as well as control of the voting apparatus. If he can not keep the job under these conditions, it is not worth it. Don Braid’s column appears regularly in the Herald Twitter: @DonBraid Facebook: Don Braid Politics
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title: “Braid Kenney Says He Ll Quit If He Loses But Pleads For Ucp Unity " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-09” author: “Mildred Labonte”
Don Braid • Calgary Herald
Date of publication:
09 Apr 2022 • 8 hours ago • 3 minutes reading • 41 comments Prime Minister Jason Kenney addresses United Conservative Party members at the party’s special general assembly in Red Deer on Saturday, April 9, 2022. Photo by Screenshot
Content of the article
Prime Minister Jason Kenney saved the piece that everyone was waiting for until the end of a 45-minute speech on Saturday.
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Content of the article
He will accept the result of the vote for the UCP leadership “with all humility”, he told party members watching the cut-off leadership meeting on their computers. “If the members want to have leadership elections, I will step aside.” But Kenney added that if UCP members “choose the path of unity and stability (meaning they win). . . I believe that all our members will expect every member of our parliamentary group and our group to respect the decision of the members, which is democratically expressed in this revision vote “. In other words, he expects a clear course in the 2023 election campaign, with his critics silent and the Conservatives united. This is what we used to call a dream pipe. It seems impossible, given the current state of UCP.
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Content of the article
New MLA Brian Jean responded: “Jason Kenney’s rhetoric and approach have divided our party. “The prime minister gave a speech saying that the choice is between more than himself or Rachel Notley’s NDP – you know someone loses when they resort to fear.” But the prospect of an NDP victory is the only thing that could really unite these people until they are safe to cheat on each other again. “If we choose the path of division,” Kenney said, “it will bring a wedge right in the middle of our party, from which we may never recover.” “There is only one person who benefits from it, and her name is Rachel Knutley.” To back up his case, he cited what happened to the Progressive Conservatives in 2006, when party members shocked everyone, including themselves, with the approval of longtime Prime Minister Ralph Klein with only 55 percent at a party congress.
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This ad has not been uploaded yet, but your article continues below.
Content of the article
This was in part the work of disgruntled power brokers (a quieter group of Kenney critics) who saw it as time for Klein to pave the way for a successor. Kenney said: “This has sparked a decade of division between us, going through four PC leaders and ending up with two conservative parties fighting a civil war. “Floor crossings, resentment, intrigue. “All of this told the Albertans that we were more concerned with settling internal accounts than communicating and doing people’s work.” Computers believed that the NDP could never win, no matter how bad their behavior was. But in 2015 Notley’s party jumped from four to 54 seats in the legislature. And the original sin, according to Kenney, was Klein’s rejection by his own party – the very fate he faces today.
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This ad has not been uploaded yet, but your article continues below.
Content of the article
What he needs is time to sink his argument. The party has arranged it well, extending the vote for a whole month, with the announcement of the results on May 18th. Saturday was supposed to be the day of the Red Deer invasion, with 15,000 or more party members expected to arrive and vote in person. The explosive sale of subscriptions sounded like bad news for Kenney. Instead, party members had to attend the formal start of the postal voting. A small group of cheerleaders from party staff and volunteers – perhaps 100 people – were in the Red Deer conference room listening to Kenney speak. They applauded conscientiously, stood up and held up signs reading “Keep Alberta United”. Kenney’s opponents are outraged by the control of the process through a governing body that remains largely loyal to him.
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Content of the article
But this is how it always works. The leader of a conservative party in Alberta has serious privileges. The leader can speak when no one else can. Only he can put a move on the floor of a meeting like Saturday. He can expel party members “for reasons” – and decide what the cause is. The party’s executive director, Kenney’s confidant, Dustin van Vugt, sets out all the procedures for accepting and expelling members. Kenney critics will not remain silent, as Jean immediately showed on Saturday. But the prime minister has the biggest loudspeaker as well as control of the voting apparatus. If he can not keep the job under these conditions, it is not worth it. Don Braid’s column appears regularly in the Herald Twitter: @DonBraid Facebook: Don Braid Politics
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Sign up to receive daily headlines from the Calgary Herald, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. By clicking the subscribe button you agree to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300
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