Jason Kenney, Premier of Alberta. (Government of Alberta file photo)

By rdnewsNOW Staff

April 6 Letter

19 former MLAs endorse Jason Kenney’s leadership in open letter to UCP members

Apr 6, 2022 | 4:09 PM

On April 6, 19 former Progressive Conservative and Wildrose MLAs released an open letter to all UCP members laying out what they describe as the consequences of forcing a leadership review and endorsing Premier Jason Kenney’s leadership.

The former MLAs, representing all four corners of the province and all major urban centres, urge members to think through what the next year could look like if members vote for a leadership campaign, say UCP officials.

“The last time Conservatives embarked down this path, we went through four leaders in 10 years, eroding Albertans’ confidence in our ability to stay united and put their interests ahead of our own,” the letter states. “In 2015, they had enough and elected Rachel Notley’s NDP. They were poised to do so again until Premier Kenney united Conservatives before the 2019 election.”

They also applauded Premier Kenney’s record over the last three years and commended his leadership throughout one of the most difficult periods in Alberta history, say UCP officials.

“He has repealed the NDP’s carbon tax and fought Justin Trudeau’s all the way to the Supreme Court, fiercely advocated for new pipelines, took union money out of elections, cut taxes for job creators, took on the teachers union over teacher discipline, brought in a back-to-basics curriculum, stood up to Trudeau on equalization, and brought in Alberta’s first balanced budget in nearly a decade – a full year ahead of schedule,” the letter continued. “He did all this, of course, while navigating a pandemic and making decisions nobody ever expected any government to be faced with.”

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“This letter makes it clear that the UCP is fixated only on clinging to power, and not on the many real challenges facing Alberta families and businesses. That’s why Albertans can’t trust the UCP,” responded Sarah Hoffman, deputy leader of Alberta’s NDP, on Wednesday.

“The UCP is obsessing over internal party dramas, infighting, and election calendars. Rachel Notley and Alberta’s NDP is focused on rebuilding public healthcare and providing real relief from the soaring monthly costs the UCP has imposed on Albertans, including utilities, car insurance, and their billion-dollar income tax grab.”