Photo: The Canadian Press The Prime Minister of Alberta, Jason Kenny. UPDATE: 12:30 p.m. Prime Minister Jason Kenney is urging United Conservatives to back him in the upcoming leadership reshuffle to prevent the party from splitting and Alberta surrendering to the opposition NDP in the next election. Kenney, in a speech to the Red Deer on Saturday, reminded party members that he has never lost an election and that he left federal politics to return to Alberta to join rival Conservative parties and defeat the NDP in 2019. He says anger over the difficult decisions he had to make to fight COVID-19 is dissolving the party and that it is time to look ahead, not back. Nearly 60,000 party members will soon receive ballot papers by mail to vote on a scheduled Kenyan leadership review. If Kenney fails to win the support of the majority, a leadership race must be called. Kenney says he will resign if that happens, but says if he wins he expects everyone, including dissidents, to rally behind him. ORIGINAL: 7:30 a.m. The party’s controversial vote to determine the future of Alberta’s Prime Minister Jason Kenney begins today. Kenney is scheduled to speak to members of the United Conservative Party in the morning, and the ballots will be mailed in the coming days. Voting is due by 11 May and the decision will be announced on 18 May. Nearly 59,000 members have the right to reaffirm their support for Kenney’s leadership. If Kenney does not receive at least the support of the majority, a race must be held to elect a new leader. It was supposed to be a one-day personal vote today at Red Deer, but two weeks ago, the UCP board changed it to a mail-in contest across the province. The board said widespread interest – with 15,000 party members expected to travel to the polls – made it impossible to make a personal choice one day. Kenney openly disagreed with some of his party’s factions who believe his policies and management style have alienated his supporters to the point where the party will lose the next election to Rachel Notley’s NDP.
