Jason Kenney is captive to his UCP caucus
By Letter to the Editor on October 2, 2021.
Editor:
I would like to offer a somewhat tepid defence of premier Jason Kenny. Amid the chorus of calls for his resignation, a different view seems called for.
True, under Kenney, the provincial government has hugely mismanaged the challenges of the COVID pandemic. It has been late and weak in responding to the pandemic.
It has picked an ill-timed fight with doctors and insulted nurses, launching wage bargaining by asking for a wage cut. This government has led our health care system to the brink of collapse.
However, more importantly, it has seemed Kenney is also captive to a UCP caucus which cannot grasp the importance of this pandemic and cannot agree to balance personal freedoms with the rights of the community to be safe.
This is the caucus from which several took exotic Xmas holidays while the rest of us were in lockdown. This caucus has had several restless and rebellious MLAs, when it seemed further restrictions were called for. They have been lukewarm to masks, vaccines and other protocols.
Alberta will gain little by replacing Kenney with another like-minded person from this caucus. Yes, let’s dump Jason Kenney. But what Alberta really needs is to dump the whole UCP caucus!
Terry Shillington
Lethbridge
-1
Thank you Terry!
The sooner the better!, We cannot afford to wait until the UCP have their “leadership review” (where is the leadership in that) Albertans need (no deserve) swift, decisive, definitive, and positive action now! Not some more time to review and study the circumstances.
Too many are sick, ill, dying, too many require urgent life saving medical care, surgery. The inaction; while Kenney demands government employees to be vaccinated, the uncertainty and lack of forthrightness as to whether his own MLA’s are or will be required too be vaccinated is breath taking and is baffling, arrogant and inconceivable.
The silence coming from this government is deafening. As the spectacular Simon and Garfunkel song “The Sounds of Silence” put it so appropriately “Hello darkness my old friend. I’ve come to speak with you again”.
I can only imagine; the sounds of silence when the ventilators are being turned off, and the room clears from specialists medical personnel and family, the lights go off and the door closes. The silence must be deafening, time stops , things seems like they are moving in slow motion; for those experiencing it. All that is left is the echo’s of the footsteps as they move down the hall, and the sounds of teardrops hitting the floor.
All while the premier and the MLA’s are mute and gutless, and point blame at others while they slither back under the rock they came from. I know that is rude to say. I recognize it must be an incredibly difficult situation, and it is easy to cast stones. I don’t like doing it. I know I am speaking from my emotions, and recognize when that happens intellect and reason disappear. Two years is too long to make all UCP experimental MLA’s unelected. I don’t know how to do it exactly, but they have all; gotta go away never to be reelected again! Did the Alberta people get played or what? UCP executive constituency associations need to be screamed at. Everyone of them!
Honestly what is it going to take? Rational, intelligent medical science has been presented by rational intelligent medical/scientific professionals repetitively to no avail.
Another editorial today spoke of the embarrassment of being an Alberta currently. I never thought I would consider thinking that way. I love this province! My emotions are making me concur with the author of the article.
It is heartbreaking, devastating and unbelievable /inconceivable so many have been sucked in to this cult and either have drank the “Kenney Kool aide” or are willing to do so while Alberta burns What is this “cult-like” leader prepared to do to innocent Albertans, in order to ensure he is right, or heaven forbid….reelected.
I hope he doesn’t go as far as David Koresh did with the Branch Davidians at Waco Texans and burn the place down with women children and men inside.
Respectfully,
as was said years ago you could run ROVER or a hay bale and as long as they had the conservative banner, they were elected. What these people have not realized is the conservative party has been taken over by right wing REFORMERS, so the voters are not voting for their old safe party. and we have bigger problems to deal with, that being, world powers developing bio-weapons, signified by the man made cornoa virus bringing us covid-19.
Well said, you have nailed it. There is nothing conservative about these Reformers and destroying everything our conservative hero Peter Lougheed created for us has been their mandate. Looking after themselves and their rich friends is all they care about.
Agreed…..a glaring indication of a very, divided, UCP caucus. Kenney doesn’t even have control of his own party. No wonder, along with COVID-gate, he is the most basement bottom rated Premier in Canada.
So how many lawsuits will he face and what will it cost taxpayers? That seems to be the big question we are hearing. Don’t forget the ones launched against Klein when he destroyed our health care system. They were settled out of court, behind closed doors, under a gag order, so taxpayers couldn’t find out what they cost us. Why should this be any different?