Two former political foes in Alberta are joining hands to try to keep the province from separating.
And one of them says when it comes to Canada, it’s a no-brainer.
“I’m always happy to put patriotism ahead of partisanship,” former premier Jason Kenney said Tuesday in an interview.
“Everyone knows that Rachel Notley and I have had profound policy disagreements over the years, but we both love our country and love the fact that Alberta is a key part of Canada’s success.”
Kenney was premier under the United Conservative Party, defeating Notley’s NDP government in 2019.
The two are now co-chairing a Canadian Chamber of Commerce campaign to make the case for why the country should stay united.
Albertans are scheduled to vote in a referendum on Oct. 19 on whether they want the province to stay in Canada or to kick-start the process for a second, binding vote on separation.
Kenney was known for reversing a number of Notley’s NDP policies. He cut corporate taxes, cancelled a health super lab, and repealed a provincial consumer carbon tax.
Kenney said he hasn’t spoken with Notley yet but that the two have been exchanging emails. He said he has also been on a panel or two with her over the last few months.
“I would say we’re frenemies,” he said.
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“We’ve had frank and sometimes funny exchanges at a couple of events. But I’ve always respected her … as a very competent woman, a very committed Albertan.
“So while I disagree with her policy agenda, I would never for one make that personal.”
Kenney has been outspoken all summer condemning the separatist push in Alberta as a fringe movement that threatens to undermine the resolution of legitimate provincial grievances with the federal government.
Kenney said he and Notley will be speaking out and attending chamber events to make sure the message gets out for those who don’t want to leave Canada but want Ottawa to know they’re unhappy.
The message, Kenney said, is “be careful what you ask for.”
Kenney pointed to Quebec, which has dealt with the long-term economic and business uncertainty that comes with long-running talk of separation.
“No one’s going to be able to dissuade the super hardcore separatists,” he added.
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Kenney said there’s power in diverse political viewpoints.
“People who are right-of-centre are typically not going to be persuaded by Rachel Notley, and people who are generally left-of-centre are not going to be persuaded by me. But between us, we can cover a pretty broad spectrum of Alberta.”
Notley, in a statement, said she and Kenney disagree on plenty of things but agree the referendum is bad for business in Alberta and bad timing during the escalating trade war with the United States.
“We’ll no doubt be standing shoulder to shoulder on this up until we can put it to bed once and for all,” Notley said.
“Then we can get back to respectfully debating issues from opposing sides in a healthy democracy — which is kind of the whole point we’re making here.”
Notley has blamed Premier Danielle Smith’s UCP government for foisting what Notley calls a separatist agenda on Albertans.
The chamber said campaign details are still being worked out but that it will be driven by discussions between the co-chairs and members.
“With geopolitical and economic uncertainty reshaping global trade and investment, Canada will be only better off with greater economic co-operation — not less,” chamber president Candace Laing said in a statement.
One of these two former premiers of Alberta is much more honest and trustworthy than the other. That would be Rachel Notley. Eleven years ago, when Alberta had a provincial election, Ralph Klein’s daughter, Angie, went on record and said that she was voting for Rachel Notley and the NDP because she wasn’t impressed with the Alberta PCs. Someone who knew Ralph Klein and his family, since they were teenagers, in the early 1960s, said that Ralph Klein’s family didn’t want him to be a politician, because they knew he wouldn’t be good. The damage Ralph Klein did is something we never recovered from. He cheated us out of the oil and tax wealth that Peter Lougheed was getting for Alberta, that lost $725 billion, badly gutted public education, public healthcare, and social services, left our roads and highways in a very bad state, sent power prices through the roof, via electricity deregulation, did many other very pricey boondoogles, which cost billions more in total, and left Albertans on the hook for $320 billion with a massive orphan well mess. Others from Alberta’s political past, when we didn’t have phony Conservatives and Reformers in power, such as Allan Warrick, made the comparison between Rachel Notley and Peter Lougheed, and he praised Rachel Notley.
Jason Kenney, being a career politician, parachuted into Alberta, and he was involved with the Kamikaze/VPN affair. He, along with Preston Manning, another career politician, created the UCP. That was because the Alberta PCs reached the end of their shelf life over 30 years ago, and the Wildrose were unpalatable to sensible Albertans. Peter Lougheed, himself, said that the Wildrose weren’t going to succeed. Hence, the UCP being put together.
The UCP are comprised of more phony Conservatives and Reformers. Making a mess of public education, public healthcare, while catering to private education and private healthcare, compromising social safety nets (such as AISH), doing very pricey boondoogles, which often squander billions of dollars, letting our water get polluted with coal mines on the eastern slopes, and from AI data centres, trying to stall investigations into nefarious activities (think MH Care), let the separatists have their way, and on and on it goes. Danielle Smith and the UCP still don’t have the best interests of Albertans or Canadians. Danielle Smith and the UCP want power, and want to retain that power, while compromising our democracy, and not supporting Canada, when we all need to stand together in these turbulent times, from the leader down south of the 49th parallel.
Confederation has failed. Most politicians need the rope. Cheering on the collapse of this 100% corrupt system.
Jason Kenny was the second worst person to ever run Alberta. He was all good until covid hit and he turned into a liberal over night. He will fit in with the NDP perfectly
If anything they will strengthen separation
“but we both love our country and love the fact that Alberta is a key part of Canada’s success.” You bet. Eastern provinces love and our success, appreciate it too. Considering we are subsidizing their federal transfer payments.
So it’s okay to still support the Parti Quebecois who were derived from a known terrorist organization and give Quebec special treatment for 40 years. It’s okay to consistently tell Albertans that we will not be heard, we will not have an equal number of senators and seats despite contributing disproportionally to “equalization”.
They want to separate and think that its as easy as playing a board game.
I bet their lawyer but no one else is benefitting from all thus boondoggle.
LMAO.
In the meantime kooky Smith and the uceepees (wow this could be a money making music group name) aim the opposite direction.
Thought notley lives in BC now none of her business
@ Rob you are right. Canadians do remember and I remember Quebec voting for separation and almost getting the majority they wanted and then the constitution was changed to appease Quebec and it has created division in Canada ever since. So yes Canadians do remember and I am not for separation. Just want eastern Canada to wake up and realize the west of Ontario is just the same as Eastern Canada. We are all Canadians under one border and should have no special right over anyone else in the same borders. Until that happens Canada will stay divided and there is not one party that will fix this as they know all the political power comes from any where east of Manitoba due to the unbalanced parliament we currently have.
Cheers!
Kenny just proved that he’s a left winger at heart
Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb
Canadians have a good memory and alberta and smith are at the top of that list. Smith wants everything she can get from canada but tells canada to eat dirt when its time to give back. We will remember
Like when they sang Kumbaya together about vaccine passports.
Just add nenshi and you have the 3 stooges
What a bunch of lovers,why is anyone giving them spotlight global? Why?
Doesn’t surprise me coming from the guy that forced us to shelter in place due to the Flu. Wolf in sheeps clothing
“The chamber says the pair will lead the campaign in demonstrating that a prosperous Alberta includes Canada.” Right, so IF the prosperous Alberta separates there is no one left to financially support Quebec and the rest of the country like Alberta has already been doing all these years. BTW, how much of the $20 BILLION that QUEBEC got from the USA to supply them with electricity has Quebec SHARED with the rest of Canada already??? Bet the answer is NOT EVEN ONE CENT like Alberta has been forced to do all these years in equalization payments.
2 traitors to Alberta’s interests. I am voting for sovereignty! Enough of the pillaging and looting of Alberta by Ottawa & Quebec.
That should upset Ms. Smith, who can’t wait for Alberta to separate and become the 51st State.
This is amazing, if only our tone deaf premier would take head. She has created an unsteady climate for investment that will hurt Alberta significantly in the long term, in these tough economic times the actions of Danielle Smith are completely unacceptable. As other provinces do their best to weather this storm, we have focused on division and we will come out behind as a result.
Alberta stays in Canada!!!!
We need to cross political boundaries to prevent the cool aid drinkers from spewing their twisted lies and hatred. I’m Canadian and proud of it, grew up on a farm in Alberta, still live in rural Alberta. My grandparents and great grandparents homesteaded in the province. They’d be saddened by the criminal self serving separatist leaders pushing their agenda and dividing our society. This is not what our families sacrificed their lives for during the great wars. I would ask, what is it that Canada hasn’t provided you with over the years, that warrants the hate and separation of Alberta from the rest of the country.
Let’s kill this separatist nonsense and get back to respectful democracy in Alberta and Canada!
Seeing political opponents working together to make this point should give us all pause to look at the direction politics is headed in Alberta and for that matter Canada. There will always be disagreements but one of our nations strengths has been to work together collaboratively to come to compromises that have moved our nation forward. That is the Canada that I want to live in!!
Kenny the closet commie has exposed himself to the Alberta public.
The two most irrelevant premiers in the provinces history, makes sense.
Hahahahahahahahahahahaha
Who is gaining from this ?