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Calgary is overburdened with Kenney ministers, yet another Calgary leader may be key to the UCP
Author of the article:
Don Braid • Calgary Herald
Date Posted:
May 30, 2022 • 2 hours ago • 3 minutes reading • 18 comments Jason Kenney speaks at an event at Spruce Meadows in Calgary on Wednesday, May 18, 2022. Jim Wells / Postmedia
Content of the article
Finance Minister Travis Toews registered with Elections Alberta on Monday afternoon as the official candidate for the UCP leadership.
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He is the first in the ring for the work of Prime Minister Jason Kenney. The others who say they will be performing, Brian Jean and Danielle Smith, have not been officially registered.
But there is no special rush because the UCP central party has not yet set the rules, date or registration fee for the leadership elections.
This could happen later this week or later. Voting may take place as early as the end of August, although September is more likely.
The UCP will then have eight months to nominate a new prime minister for the May 29, 2023 elections.
Alberta is entering a strange period without leaders in the same way that the province needs a strong and sensible government.
Prime Minister Jason Kenney is entering a lame duck phase. There will be no new legislation until the fall. They say he’s going on vacation soon.
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Another politician to run is Todd Loewen, the Central Peace-Notley MP who was expelled from the caucus to demand Kenney’s resignation.
Grande Prairie-Wapiti’s Toews will have the support of many (though not all) of the Kenney campaign team and some donors.
The Kenney connection may not be the best recommendation for voters. Toews’ candidacy would remind some veterans of Jim Dinning, who ran for Ralph Klein in 2006.
He lost. It is difficult to maintain leadership for many months as the history of your government drags on.
Toews has no advantage over UCP voters. He only got five percent approval in a Leger poll last weekend, well behind Jean and Smith.
Finance Minister Travis Toews. Chris Schwarz / Government of Alberta
There is a lot of news about Rebecca Schulz, the Minister of Child Services.
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Schulz is a very capable presenter. When a childcare agreement was signed with Ottawa last November, it overtook Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Federal Minister Karina Gould. Over the weekend, Schulz ran 21.1 miles for the benefit of a children’s charity.
Calgary is overburdened with Kenney ministers, as I pointed out last week. And yet, another Calgary leader may be essential to the PCU.
Edmonton is already lost by Rachel Notley’s party, except for some strange miracle in northern Saskatchewan. Rural Alberta is likely to vote for the majority of the UCP.
This will make Calgary the key to victory for both the UCP and the NDP.
Notley knows the bets very well. Her party is nominating local candidates and she spends more time here. The NPD is not about to cede the city.
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The thought among some UCP activists is that another Calgary Conservative leader could occupy the vital seats for a second UCP victory.
As soon as the leadership announcements begin to arrive, Kenney will have to fill the vacancies in the cabinet.
The big one would be finances. Rumor has it that Tyler Shandro, who is now in court, would get the chosen position. A safer option would be Labor Minister Doug Schweitzer.
It is also rumored that Devin Dreeshen, who left the cabinet while acknowledging a problem with alcohol, would be taken back to the cabinet.
This would surely provoke a response from Ariella Kimmel, whose lawsuit against the Prime Minister’s office for harassment is still pending.
He claims there were outbursts of anger from Dreeshen. His lawyer is still trying to force Kenney to testify.
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This is exactly the kind of drama the UCP desperately hopes will not interfere with the leadership career.
Meanwhile, crucial issues continue to rise, especially in healthcare.
Many healthcare professionals say the system is in a state of disrepair, much worse than the dark days when ERs invaded more than a decade ago.
The UCP is taking action under Health Minister Jason Copping. But the government also fired Verna Yiu, the CEO who was better equipped to overcome this crisis.
No leader in health care; a lame duck leader in the prime minister’s office; a leadership career with high potential for insults and accusations of deception.
There is no guarantee that the UCP will get out of this with a government.
Don Braid’s column appears regularly in the Herald.
Twitter: @DonBraid
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