News analysis
Alberta Prime Minister Jason Kenny faces scrutiny from those who want stricter public health control as he revolts from within caucuses to reduce restrictions and reintroduce new antivirus measures in the summer. As it does, there are no signs of decline.
“From the perspective of internal support for caucuses, the prime minister has been attacked by both wings of a party that hasn’t had much time to effectively jelly since summarizing the components of two competing parties in 2018.” Said politician Jeffrey Hale. A science professor at the University of Lethbridge told The Epoch Times.
UCP Vice-Chair Angela Pitt, who advocated opposition to the COVID-19 restrictions, said on September 29 that she was not confident in Kenny’s leadership. Earlier that month, UCP MLA Leela Ahil said he should resign because Kenny failed to respond to the fourth wave of the pandemic.
In light of growing criticism of him, Kenny met with a caucuses on 22 September and then urged the party to raise leadership reviews from late 2022.
For a state with a deeply rooted heritage of conservatism and libertarianism, infringing on individual liberty does not overestimate maintaining the United Conservative Party (UCP) to keep progress away if imposed too strongly. The government is seen as a matter of principle that it may be.
But that’s not the entire state structure. On the other side, many see the increase in hospitalizations due to COVID-19 “I told you” shortly after Kenny lifted the restrictions in early summer. This is especially true in major city centers such as Calgary. In Calgary, Mayor Naheed Nenshi has been vocally criticizing the UCP government’s policies.
“I have [worked with] Six and two prime ministers, I have worked with dozens of mayors of big cities, some of whom have been involved in scandals and many troubles.
For Barry Cooper, a professor of political science at the University of Calgary and a member of Alberta’s Free Strategy Supporter Due to “full state legislative sovereignty within Canada,” Kenny’s failure was in his “flip-flop” policy during the pandemic.
“Personally, when he opened the state, I think it was the right decision and he should have kept it. Or he shouldn’t have opened the state in the first place. But you flip-flops. I don’t expect the already split caucuses to support you, “Cooper said in an interview.
He said that the main purpose of the constitutionally bound government was to ensure that civil liberties were upheld, “excessive restrictions with a really unpleasant kind of propaganda campaign based on fear of no one. Don’t fall into excuses. ” good. “
Hale believes that through the first wave of the pandemic, Kenny managed to more or less balance “various interests and perspectives.” But he says his government was “overly optimistic” in resuming ahead of the fourth wave.
“if… [Kenney] There may have been some opening, as the restrictions were gradually relaxed during the summer, “he said.
Kenny said he planned a leadership review in the spring, giving him “room” to control the situation. However, he adds, “leadership is at great risk at this point due to dissatisfied membership at both ends of the scale.”
Marco Navarro-Génie, director of the Haultain Research Institute, said Kenny should have been trained to deal with a pandemic and had an emergency specialist in case of a crisis, rather than a medical specialist in the first place.
“Doctors are trained by doctors. They don’t know much about the economy, they don’t know much about trade. They don’t know much about supply lines, they don’t know much about transportation. They don’t know much. I don’t know much about the restaurant industry, and even the good ones don’t know much about anything else, “he said.
“This became a very focused medical issue and I lost sight of everything else.”
Navarro Jenny states that Kenny is a kind of politician who “wants to join the team because he fights, not just talks” and is “intelligent, experienced and very hardworking politician”. But he says these virtues are suitable for regular or routine politics, not during times of crisis.
“Kenny wanted to please everyone, one and the other. Trying to please everyone in politics, in the family, or at work would make almost everyone uncomfortable. Is not uncommon, “he said.
With files from Canadian Press
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Isaac is a Toronto-based reporter.