‘Discipline’ a Kenney mantra
For Kenney to say he’s focused on Edmonton is not empty political rhetoric.
The capital region is the one place left for him to grow.
Kenney is already counting down the days, pointing out the election is just 10 months, or 300 days, away (assuming the election is held in May — and that’s a pretty safe assumption).
“These 10 months will be 10 of the most important in the history of Alberta’s democracy,” Kenney said as he called his supporters to action — and gave them a bit of a lecture about the need for “discipline.”
The word popped up enough times to make you think he should have delivered the speech with a whip in one hand.
“Over these 10 months how we act — whether we conduct ourselves with that discipline, the ideas that we present for renewing the Alberta Advantage, the candidates that you nominate — these are critical decisions that will determine whether and to what extent we have a mandate.”
Kenney is appealing for discipline particularly when it comes to the internal battles for UCP nominations.
Some of the contests have become bitter fights and just last week the party forced a would-be candidate out of the nomination race in Brooks-Medicine Hat for posting hateful social media messages about Muslims.
“Those who attack human dignity, those who express hateful views towards entire groups of people, are not welcome to run for the United Conservative Party,” said Kenney. “So much is riding on this next election and we cannot allow the extreme remarks of one individual to jeopardize the future of this province after the next election. So, that is why discipline is terribly important. Discipline in all that we do as MLAs, as candidates, as party activists.”
It’s remarkable that a leader of a political party would feel the need to make a public statement declaring that people with hateful views are not welcome.
But Kenney knows the NDP is coming after him with hammer and tongs to paint his party as a home for intolerance.
There are times party members make that job so much easier for New Democrats.
At the party’s founding convention in May, for example, UCP members made a point of voting in favour of an anti-gay straight alliance resolution despite pleas from party MLAs to vote against it.
After the vote, Kenney said he supported GSAs and suggested he would simply ignore the resolution.
“Guess what? I’m the leader,” he said. “I get to interpret the resolution and its relevance to party policy.”
Speaking of policy, Kenney announced in Sunday’s speech he will soon be sending out platform committees to consult with Albertans to refine UCP policies.
Perhaps then he will have something to woo Edmontonians with besides anti-NDP rhetoric.