Kenney feeling more confident in his leadership than he has for 'very long time' following UCP convention
CBC
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney is leaving his party's annual general meeting feeling more confident in his leadership, despite low approval ratings and public disagreement among conservative political rivals and party MLAs.
The United Conservative Party wrapped up its first in-person convention in two years Sunday.
Kenney entered the weekend bearing low popularity ratings and attacks on his leadership. But he told reporters Sunday that he heard nothing but support in Calgary.
"I feel more confident about my leadership today than, frankly, I have in a very long time," Kenney said during a news conference.
Several United Conservative MLAs have publicly criticized the premier recently. Brian Jean, the former Wildrose Party Leader who is seeking the UCP nomination to run for the vacant Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche MLA seat, has called for Kenney to step down as party leader.
Twenty-two constituency associations also just passed motions asking for a review of Kenney's leadership before March.
A resolution, drafted by the Edmonton North West constituency association, was presented at the convention Friday. It proposed upping the number of constituency associations needed to call a leadership review from 22 to 29, making it harder to initiate such a review.
The resolution failed, however, only receiving 57 per cent support. It needed 75 per cent to pass.
A leadership review was slated for some time in April.
But the resolution failing means the UCP board of directors has to decide what to do about the letter from the 22 constituencies, Duane Bratt, a political scientist at Mount Royal University, told CBC News.
"It looks pretty slam-dunk," Bratt said, explaining the review has to happen before the end of February, per the party's constitution.
"That remains a form of division. I mean, the motion to raise the threshold to one-third failed. But the premier is talking like [the leadership review] is still going to be in April."
Kenney said he welcomes being held accountable.
Kenney worked the room this weekend, and says he spoke with hundreds of delegates. Of those, he said he only heard one person boo him. It was for pushing COVID-19 vaccines.