UCP Leader Jason Kenney Visits Lakeland

Image above credit to Alex Tétrault, National Observer.

The Cold Lake Air Show reared a big political name to town Friday night: United Conservative Party leader Jason Kenney.

“I had a great time meeting with air force folks and local residents, business owners, and it’s great to be back in Bonnyville. Great hard working part of Alberta and we’re hoping will be represented by a future conservative government,” said Jason Kenney.

The UCP nomination in the Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul riding will be competitive. Three candidates, Craig Copeland, MLA David Hanson, Lac la Biche-St. Paul-Two Hills, and Glenn Spiess, all could be the nominee, and most likely MLA.

“It’s important to for our members to have a choice. And certainly our members here in this new constituency of Bonnyville-St. Paul-Cold Lake… I think that’s excellent. Hopefully they’ll have a respectful debate. Keep it positive. If they have anything critical to say I hope they’ll focus it on the NDP and not each other.”

On Friday, Kenney posted a video to his Twitter about the Carbon Tax. In the video, he says that it’s the central issue in our election. If elected the first bill they’d pass is the Carbon Tax Repeal Act, and would fight the feds in court if they tried to instill one.

“The NDP did not mention a carbon tax in the 2015 provincial election. I call it the biggest lie in Alberta political history – the biggest agenda. It is a tax on everything. It makes heating your home, driving to work, buying your groceries, running a business, a small non-profit, a farm, a school board – it makes all of those things more expensive and it does nothing to help the environment. It’s all economic pain and no environmental gain.”

“Consumption of energy is a normal and unavoidable part of our lives. To punish people for this, as if it’s a sin tax, for the sin of heating your home, is nuts.”

Earlier this month, the UCP caucus deputy whip Prab Gill resigned after allegations came forward that may have included ballot-stuff. Kenney said they took the case quite seriously and that it should not steer voters away.

“The important to look at with a party is how it deals with misconduct when it arises. I think everyone understand that every organization, business, nonprofit, or government or party is going to have some bad apples, some people who do dumb and unethical things.”

The UCP will not release the report because they don’t think it’s appropriate to subject the whistleblower volunteers to potential public attack.

“That’s not our intention, I’ll tell you why. We hired this judge to do the research and basically his report is filled with evidence of volunteers who were whistleblowers. And we don’t think it’s appropriate to expose them to potential public attack. They’re just volunteers, and they came forth and told us the truth of what happened. We’ve resolved it. The guy is no longer in our caucus. Case closed.”

After an interview with Lakeland Connect Thursday, Alberta Party nominee Glenn Andersen said that he was disappointed in his MLA David Hanson and leader Jason Kenney for walking out of the legislature when voting time came on Bill 9. Kenney says “it is so transparently obvious” the NDP was using it a political vehicle.

“We are not going to allow the NDP to distract voters from the issues that matter to Albertans. The economy. The carbon tax. The debt. Standing up to Justin Trudeau’s attacks on our oil industry. Getting a coastal pipeline built. Rural crime. The quality of public services. These are the issues everyone talks to us about. Bill 9 was a transparent effort by the NDP to distract attention from their failed economic record.”

He continued to say that the NDP didn’t suggest this in their platform, or even in their throne speech in March.

“My role as the leader of the opposition is to hold the government to account for the issues that matter most. It is not to entertain the NDP’s political tactics to distract attention. So that’s why our caucus decided we’re not gonna vote on this bill for this law which has existed already for 20 years.”

Kenney says there are two big questions that will be the backdrop for next’s year campaign.

“I think the two big questions in the next election will be who can help to reignite our economy so that once again Alberta becomes the job creation engine of Canada. And secondly who can best stand up to the province its people, resources, and industries against the growing attacks that we are facing from a constellation of groups.”

“So we will need a provincial government like Peter Lougheed’s government that acts as a watchdog for Alberta instead of a doormat for Ottawa. Those will be the central issues I believe in the next campaign.”