Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has unveiled a monument to himself in his final days as Premier.
In May, Kenney announced he would resign from the province’s top job after barely surviving a leadership review with just 51.4% of voters’ support. He’s chosen to stay on as Premier until a new leader is elected on Thursday, but that has not stopped the caretaker Premier from doling out government money in his final hours in office.
On Tuesday, Kenney unveiled a monument in Calgary recognizing himself when he was the Immigration Minister under former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
“Thrilled to join Calgary’s Vietnamese community at the completion of the magnificent Journey to Freedom park and monument, made possible thanks to support from @YourAlberta,” Kenney wrote on Twitter.
“The park commemorates the inspiring story of the Vietnamese Boat People who started new lives in Canada.”
The memorial reads, “In his term as Minister of Citizenship, Immigration, and Multiculturalism, the Honourable Jason Kenney, THROUGH THE FREEDOM AT LEAST PROJECT, helped resettle hundreds of Vietnamese refugees stranded throughout Southeast Asia such as Thailand and the Philippines on humanitarian and compassionate grounds.”
The Premier has filled his final days with announcements to spend taxpayers’ money, drawing criticism.
On Tuesday, Kenney announced an additional $10 million to Ukrainian forces.
On Wednesday, the province said it will address a skilled labour shortage in the aviation industry by providing Mount Royal University with $7.1 million in capital and a total of $1.06 million in operating funding. The government will also buy a $25 million 737 simulator to be based in Calgary.
The Counter Signal’s Keean Bexte said an audit will need to be done on everything “Kenney has pissed money on in his final hours. He will likely try to land a board seat somewhere. I wonder if they will happen to have been awarded government cash.”