Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says he won't run in upcoming party leadership race
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says he won't run in upcoming party leadership race
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says he won't run in upcoming party leadership race
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney speaks in response to the results of the United Conservative Party leadership review in Calgary on Wednesday May 18, 2022. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Dave Chidley)
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney quashed speculation on his immediate political future on Saturday when he explicitly stated he would not be running in the race to pick a new leader for his United Conservative party.
“No,” Kenney said when asked the question by the host of his call-in, provincewide radio show on CHQR and CHED on Saturday.
“If that was the case I would have stepped down as leader earlier this week.
“I'm focused on continuity and stability, doing the people's business.”
It was the first time Kenney took questions surrounding his surprise decision earlier this week to step down despite narrowly winning a party leadership review.
He explored a range of topics, discussing his future, what went right, what went wrong, and questioning the system where he and his party won a massive majority in the 2019 election only to have him effectively forced out by 16,000 in his party leadership review.
“It's peculiar to me because everywhere I go, I get expressions of support, but from my perspective it's unfortunate that all that support did not translate into people buying memberships and voting in the party process,” said Kenney.
“In the future we're going to have to consider these things, how you get an electoral mandate of over a million votes and 16,000 people can essentially upend that. But that's the process that we have, and I have to respect it.”
Kenney captured just 51 per cent of the vote in the mail-in ballot of more than 34,000 party members. That was enough to technically stay in the job - a leadership race had to be called if he didn't get a majority - but he said it was not enough and the result would be more division and acrimony in the party.
The premier told listeners the result, announced Wednesday night, surprised him but said he's at peace with it.
“When I was given the number by the party president on the phone just about a half hour before I went on stage I was admittedly surprised because the number did not correspond to what I'd been hearing all around the province,” he said.
“The first thought that went through my mind was a little bit of relief. I'd been in elected life for 25 years and it was never my expectation to be in this job for a long time.
“The first thing I thought is, `Wow, I can do some personal things I've had on hold for many years.”'
The UCP board is now meeting to decide the details and timelines of the race.
Kenney said he would stay on as leader in the meantime to complete what he has started, including growing and diversifying the economy and reducing wait lists in health care by having more publicly subsidized surgeries done in privately run clinics.
“I'd like to be able to hand off to the newly elected leader a worksheet that's largely done, so they can start with a fresh slate,” he said.
Reflecting on what did him in, Kenney said he likely wasn't hard enough on bringing to heel those in his caucus openly opposing him. And he said his decision last fall to impose COVID-19 vaccine mandates after promising he never would was likely the mortal wound.
But he said if he hadn't ordered the mandates, hospitals would have been swamped and there would have been even more deaths, tragedy and misery.
“I knew at the time that that (decision) might be the end of my political career, but I did it with a clear conscience and I would do it again,” he said.
Kenney said he won't endorse a candidate to replace him, adding any cabinet minister who wants to run will have to step down from their government post.
He said at 53 he is too young to retire and isn't sure what's next but said there are other projects he wants to pursue.
He said he wants to read more books, connect with friends, get in shape, study another language, and finish his college degree.
He added: “When I leave as premier, I will leave with my head held high with what we've done together as a team.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 21, 2022
Mounties on Vancouver Island have publicly identified the two gunmen killed during a shootout with police at a bank in Saanich on Tuesday as 22-year-old twin brothers Mathew and Isaac Auchterlonie.
CTVNews.ca asked Canadians to share their travel horror stories as cancelled flights, delays and lost luggage throw a wrench in Canadians' summer travel plans, due in part to staffing shortages at Canadian airports. Some report sleeping at airports and others say it took days to get to or from a destination.
The Canada Day long weekend saw gas prices plummet in parts of the country, but the relief at the pumps may not stay for very long, analysts say. The decreases come after crude oil prices slid in June following the U.S. Federal Reserve's interest rate hikes, sparking fears of a recession.
A law outlawing any dealings with the Taliban, which charities complain is impeding their ability to help needy Afghans, could be adjusted by the federal government to give more flexibility to aid agencies.
U.S. President Joe Biden intends to nominate an anti-abortion Republican lawyer to a federal judgeship, two Kentucky Democrats informed of the decision say.
Russian forces pounded the city of Lysychansk and its surroundings in an all-out attempt to seize the last stronghold of resistance in eastern Ukraine's Luhansk province, the governor said Saturday.
A California man has posted a widely-shared video in an attempt to educate people about the monkeypox virus outbreak, to encourage people to get vaccinated if they're eligible and to make it very clear: 'You do not want this.'
Mounties on Vancouver Island have publicly identified the two gunmen killed during a shootout with police at a bank in Saanich on Tuesday as 22-year-old twin brothers Mathew and Isaac Auchterlonie.
A tripartite settlement agreement was signed between the government of Saskatchewan, the federal government and the Zagimē Anishinabēk First Nation on Thursday, allowing the First Nation to acquire over 180,000 acres of land.
A 50-year-old New Brunswick woman is facing an impaired driving charge following a head-on collision with a fully marked RCMP vehicle in the village of Tracadie.
Ontario is not yet allowing most adults under the age of 60 to get a fourth COVID-19 vaccine shot, prompting one doctor to prepare legal action to get the province to widen eligibility.
The number of Quebec households without a roof over their heads after July 1 moving day is currently 600. That number "could continue to rise in the coming days," warned Véronique Laflamme, spokesperson for the Quebec housing advocacy group - FRAPRU, at a news conference in Montreal on Saturday.
A prominent housing advocacy group fears Quebec could see an increase in households left without a permanent place to live as leases expire across the province on July 1.
Ottawa police say residents and visitors will continue to see an enhanced police presence in downtown Ottawa today, as the cleanup begins from Canada's 155th birthday party.
Parties and protests mark Canada Day in Ottawa, a mother and daughter killed in a south end home and a new entrant in the race for mayor. CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at the top five stories on our website this week.
A unique scavenger hunt in Sudbury aims to get people out exploring nature and enjoying the outdoors. The event includes an educational element about Indigenous traditions and teachings, in particular the Seven Grandfather Teachings.
A Toronto man is getting set to become the first disabled athlete to cross Lake Superior on a paddleboard. Mike Shoreman, who made a stop in Sault Ste. Marie Friday, has already crossed Lake Erie, and most recently crossed Lake Huron. He is raising money for youth mental wellness.
The Canada Day long weekend saw gas prices plummet in parts of the country, but the relief at the pumps may not stay for very long, analysts say. The decreases come after crude oil prices slid in June following the U.S. Federal Reserve's interest rate hikes, sparking fears of a recession.
A UBC researcher will soon embark on the trip of a lifetime, circling the globe over the course of several months to further her understanding of a creature that has captivated her for years: jellyfish.
Mounties on Vancouver Island have publicly identified the two gunmen killed during a shootout with police at a bank in Saanich on Tuesday as 22-year-old twin brothers Mathew and Isaac Auchterlonie.
Mounties on Vancouver Island have publicly identified the two gunmen killed during a shootout with police at a bank in Saanich on Tuesday as 22-year-old twin brothers Mathew and Isaac Auchterlonie.
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney speaks in response to the results of the United Conservative Party leadership review in Calgary on Wednesday May 18, 2022. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Dave Chidley)
