As a lead-up to the leadership review vote, the United Conservative Party (UCP) held a special general meeting (SGM) in which Premier Jason Kenney asked voters to unify after two years of division over COVID policies.
During his speech at the UCP SGM, Kenney detailed the UCP’s lengthy history and the trials and errors made on the path to unity, which, at one point, allowed the Alberta NDP to sneak into leadership and decimate the economy.
Kenney said that he’s fearful that disunity at this time may have the same result, even though he acknowledged his role in implementing COVID policies which were divisive. He further claimed to have been reluctant to implement them in the first place and says that regardless of which way he went (pro-lockdown or pro-freedom), he would have received heavy criticism.
“When we were in the midst of this, we had hoped that this was all over, and we were wrong,” Kenney said. “We came within a week or two of exceeding the total maximum capacity of our hospitals, which would have forced us to medevacked patients out of the province, it would have forced life support to be pulled from patients, other denied care, [and] the cancellation of about 90 per cent of surgeries.”
“Now, friends, I don’t believe Albertans would have accepted those alternatives,” Kenney said.
He added that he will also begin reviewing the Alberta Health Service, having already fired AHS CEO Verna Yiu earlier this week.
Kenney also touted his government’s ability to balance the budget, which he is adamant wouldn’t have been possible under an NDP government.
Finally, after more calls for unity in his government, Kenney stated that if he did not receive over 50 per cent of the vote, he would step aside from his leadership role.
Voting begins today and will continue until May 11, 2022, with mail-in ballots being how UCP members vote on Kenney’s leadership.
Initially, voting was to be held in person during the SGM. However, as the UCP anticipated an overwhelming voter turnout, the UCP made a last-minute decision to switch to mail-in ballots.
