Alberta’s Premier Jason Kenney will face a leadership review in Spring 2022. This decision comes after a month of several United Conservative Party (UCP) members voicing their discontent over Kenney’s leadership and handling of the COVID pandemic.
“I am writing to share with you our intention to schedule the 2022 annual general meeting, and the accompanying leadership review vote, next spring,” a letter from UCP president Ryan Becker reads. “I have spoken with the Premier, who specifically asked that we make this change so that we could deal with any leadership issues well in advance of the next election.
“We are all aware that recent government decisions on responding to the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic have caused anger and frustration among some party members and there is a growing desire to hold a leadership review.
“We have determined the best way for members to be heard at this time and for our party to uphold our member-driven, grassroots tradition is for the 2022 AGM and leadership review to take place in the spring.”
While some speculated that a leadership review might come as early as November 2021, this decision still sets the date significantly earlier than the provincial election.
As Becker states in his letter, discontent within the UCP stems from Kenney’s poor foresight while handling the pandemic. Moreover, Kenney’s decisions have alienated most in Alberta, having succeeded in satisfying no one and fostering discontent over his leadership.
Indeed, following the recent decision to introduce a vaccine passport system in Alberta, Premier Jason Kenney finds himself in a peculiar and undesirable position.
One part of the province feels betrayed by Kenney for breaking his promise to “not facilitate or accept vaccine passports,” while the other part despises him for waiting so long to introduce them.
Thus, everyone feels betrayed by the flip-flopping Premier.
It just so happens that politicians in his caucus fall into that latter camp and are using the health crisis in Alberta to sow seeds of discontent to bring a leadership review to the fore.
“Until last week, I was one of Jason Kenney’s most vocal supporters,” said vice-president of policy for the United Conservative Party Joel Mullan.
“I campaigned for him in both leadership races and the Wildrose-PC unity vote. In light of the choices he has made last week, I can no longer support him and indeed believe he must resign.”
He went on to decry Kenney’s handling of the pandemic, calling him “utterly foolish” for trying to make firm promises.
“If Jason Kenney continues as leader, I fear that it may have a negative effect on the equalization referendum this October,” Mullan wrote on Tuesday.
“His deep unpopularity played a role in the defeat of several Conservative candidates in last night’s federal election, and it is entirely possible that many Albertans who otherwise oppose equalization will vote against the referendum question in an effort to send him a message.”
Lisa Young, a political scientist at the University of Calgary, noted this internal dissent, saying that she expected the party to attempt to remove Kenney in the coming months.
On Tuesday, she said, “I think there is a pretty common sense in the party that they do not want Premier Kenney to lead the party into the next election.”
“I think strategically for the party, they are far better leaving the premier in charge for the next number of months,” added Young.
“Let the premier take the fall for the situation we are in and then move forward with a new leader who can try and put things together once the issue that is pulling the caucus apart has been resolved.”
How Machiavellian! But it appears the UCP plans to do just that.
Last week, following a motion to hold a leadership review by the United Conservative Party constituency board in Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills, Rob Smith, the constituency association president, said that the caucus could have a leadership review no later than March 1, 2022, but that it would likely be called this November.
“We just feel like there is a disconnect [between] voters and grassroots; we feel that there is actually a disconnect within [the] caucus and cabinet,” said Smith.
According to the UCP constitution, twenty-two constituency associations across the province must request a leadership review for one to be held.
Smith is hopeful that this united request will materialize, adding that he knows several other boards discussing whether they should pass similar motions.
“Hopefully, this time, we’ll hit the 22 that is required,” said Smith.
Should Kenney fail to retain support during a leadership review, several Ministers are waiting in the reigns to replace him.
Of all the prospective replacements, three stand out from the rest: Travis Toews, the Minister of Finance; Devin Dreeshen, the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry; and Jason Nixon, the Minister of Environment and Parks.
Nixon has his own problems, after his department approved a drone program to spy on camping Albertans during the pandemic. The more pro-business ministers, Toews and Dreeshen will likely garner more long-term support from both the Caucus and Albertans, having taken what UCP members view as strong conservative positions through their tenure.
