KENNEY’S CURVEBALL
Backs O’toole in Tory race
ALBERTA’S KENNEY GIVES O’TOOLE A BOOST, BACKING HIS LEADERSHIP BID – AND TAKING A SHOT AT MACKAY
Erin O’toole has secured one of the biggest endorsements available in the Conservative leadership race, as Alberta Premier Jason Kenney called him the “strong leader” the party needs as it looks to win the next election.
“We need a leader who is competent and principled,” Kenney wrote in a message to Conservative Party members. “A leader who won’t run away from conservative principles under pressure from the media or the Left. A leader who will unite our party, who speaks French, who can win in suburban Ontario, and who will fight for a fair deal for Western Canada.”
Kenney’s message also takes a shot at his former cabinet colleague Peter Mackay, who’s widely considered to be the frontrunner in the race.
“Every conservative would be welcome in a party led by Erin,” Kenney wrote. “No one will have their deeply-held beliefs dismissed as ‘stinking albatrosses’ under Erin O’toole’s leadership.”
That’s a reference to public comments Mackay made after the 2019 election about Conservative leader Andrew Scheer’s inability to clearly answer questions about same-sex marriage and abortion. “That was thrust onto the agenda and hung around Andrew Scheer’s neck like a stinking albatross, and he wasn’t able to deftly deal with those issues when the opportunities arose,” Mackay told a Washington, D.C., audience.
In a statement Thursday evening, Mackay’s campaign spokesperson Julie Vaux said Mackay would still work respectfully with Kenney. She noted Mackay has been doing his own campaigning in Alberta this week.
“Politics is about making choices — and Peter respects the premier’s choice,” Vaux said. “As the next prime minister, he will work with Premier Kenney and every other premier across this country, regardless of who they endorse. He made it very clear this week in Alberta that he would fight for the interests of Albertans and got over 500 endorsements at an event on Tuesday night in Calgary — that is what really matters in this campaign.”