Editor:
Premier Jason Kenney has been desperately circling his wagons, but will it be enough for him to retain his crown come April 9th? Despite his historically low approval ratings and polls showing the majority of Albertans want him out, Kenney still believes he is the man for the job.
He is calling nay-sayers "extremists", "malcontents" and "fringe groups". Traditionally, leadership reviews call for a margin of 60-75 per cent to win the confidence of the party. But as Kenney says, "traditions are not rules" and 50 per cent + one per cent is good enough for him.
Now that the U.S. has called for a ban on Russian oil, Kenney wants to resurrect a deal that was dead in the water in the Keystone XL pipeline. He wants President Joe Biden to look north for his oil demands and forget that he is being sued by Alberta for cancelling the said deal. Without an investor, Kenney has said that "he'd leave the door open" to the possibility of re-investing in the failed pipeline.
Controversy is swirling around the government's decision to lift caps on charter schools and announcing the investment of millions of dollars in them. The Alberta Teachers Association contends those monies are being cut out of what should be going to public education. Kenney's maddening assertion that this gives parents more choice doesn't mention which parents.
The UCP is amending the Municipal Government Act to allow them to prohibit municipalities from enacting their own public health rules. Although this has been called an "overreach" as well as setting "a negative precedent", Kenney said he was "concerned municipalities would base their decisions on politics, not science".
Minister of Energy Sonya Savage announced the province was reinstating the 1974 policy on coal exploration. This decision didn't come about from the graces of the energy minister but rather was a result of a surging grassroots movement to stop the coal mining push.
Kenney's abysmal record on all things related to the pandemic are further buoyed by his allowing non-vaccinated public servants to return to work. He has opened the door for hospital and care home staff to work with vulnerable patients/residents by suggesting that vaccines offer "no measurable difference" for transmission. And in that same vein, seniors are calling for the government to bring back the axed seniors advocate office.
Almost 90 per cent of deaths from COVID were adults over 60 years of age. Re-enforcing the low priority and value this government has for seniors, take of this statement what you may: "the average age of death from COVID in Alberta is 81 and I'll remind the house that the average life expectancy in Alberta is 82."
To top all of this off, Kenney is going to have his own radio show. He says that he is "looking forward to hearing directly from Albertans on issues that matter to them". How novel.
No need to mention the newest MLA Brian Jean and the unprecedented numbers registering to vote in Red Deer on April 9. That city will be bursting at the seams.
Marilyn Foxford,
Canmore
