Brian Jean's reemergence a challenge to Kenney's leadership: political analysts

EDMONTON -

Brian Jean is after much more than an MLA job and a backbench seat in the legislature, a pair of political experts said Thursday.

A former leader of the now-defunct Wildrose Party, Jean announced on Facebook Wednesday night that he will run for the UCP nomination in an upcoming byelection.

Jean called on Premier Jason Kenney to resign in June, alleging the premier had a "poor attitude" and made "a mess of following the COVID rules that he placed on all Albertans."

"Do the right thing and step down for the good of the party we created and the good of Alberta," he wrote on Facebook.

"He’s challenging Jason Kenney’s leadership again, so that looks like what we’ve seen before," political scientist Lori Williams said.

"The reality is there are a lot of people who are not just dissatisfied with his leadership, they are very angry and motivated against Jason Kenney."

Polling has shown Kenney's approval rating as low as 22 per cent, the lowest of any premier in the country, and several of his own MLAs have called on him to resign.

'SETS THE STAGE FOR A LEADERSHIP CONTEST'

Chaldeans Mensah from MacEwan University agreed Jean and Kenney are likely headed for some sort of rematch to the 2017 UCP leadership race, which saw Kenney win a controversial vote.

"I think this sets the stage for a leadership contest for the UCP. Political parties like to win, and they see Mr. Kenney as the leader, not a good winning formula for the party," Mensah said.

Polling has consistently shown the Alberta NDP leading ahead of a 2023 provincial election.

Jean left Kenney out of his Wednesday announcement, instead turning his sights on the NDP.

"Something must be done or Rachel Notley will win the next election with an overwhelming majority. That will be bad for Alberta," he wrote.

Jean declined an interview request from CTV News Edmonton on Thursday.

Kenney did not respond publicly to Jean's announcement, but Mensah believes the premier should let Jean run.

"To preserve party unity, he needs to be gracious and allow things to play out," Mensah said.

Williams is confident Jean will not only win a by-election, but would also have a good chance if he were to run against Kenney in a leadership vote.

"I think there’s no question that Brian Jean has the support of a lot of people... Just because of who he is, a lot of people will support Brian Jean. But a lot of people would vote for Brian Jean because they’re dissatisfied with Jason Kenney’s leadership right now," Williams speculated.

A date has not yet been set for the by-election that needs to happen in Fort McMurray- Lac La Biche after MLA Laila Goodridge was elected as a member of parliament.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson