Kenney takes low road — and high road
At least he didn’t call the prime minister a complete and utter a--hole.
For those upset with United Conservative Party Leader Jason Kenney’s personal attack this week against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as an “empty trust-fund millionaire,” keep in mind it could have been worse.
Kenney could have resorted to the kind of language he has used against political foes in the past.
In 2012, for example, Kenney, then federal immigration minister, wrote an email where he referred to Alberta’s then-deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk, who was asking for a meeting with federal Conservative MPs, as a “complete and utter a--hole.” (Note: Kenney didn’t use hyphens. That’s me trying to keep this column classy.)
When the internal email was leaked to the media, a government source said Kenney had meant for the missive to be a private communication, but he had inadvertently sent it to all 25 MPs from Alberta plus senators and assistants.
The source couldn’t explain why Kenney held such a hostile attitude toward Lukaszuk.
I was never convinced the mass email was a mistake.
It’s just as likely, probably more so, that Kenney — a meticulous politician—sent the invective enhanced email to his colleagues on purpose, assuming it wouldn’t be leaked or not caring if it did.
Deliberately dropping the “a-bomb” and not expecting any fallout requires confidence spilling over into arrogance.
That would help explain why Kenney refused to offer a public apology despite being grilled by opposition politicians during question period.
Kenney insisted he had great relations with Alberta and would not acknowledge he had called the deputy premier an a--hole, complete and utter.
When the ruckus refused to die, the prime minister’s office ordered Kenney to phone Lukaszuk and apologize.
But Kenney is not offering any apologies for his personal attack against Trudeau.
“I know Justin. He doesn’t have a clue what he’s doing. This guy is an empty trust-fund millionaire who has the political depth of a finger bowl,” said Kenney in a column written by the Calgary Sun’s Rick Bell. “He can’t read a briefing note longer than a cocktail napkin, OK.”
For a politician who has repeatedly said he wants to bring “civility” to politics and who has decried ad hominem attacks on politicians, Kenney’s comments are breathtakingly hypocritical.
Keep in mind that on Tuesday Kenney complained about NDP MLAs heckling him in question period. “I see we’re back to the NDP attacking their opponents,” said Kenney. “But that’s all right, Mr. Speaker. When they go low, we’ll go high.”
How is calling an opponent “an empty trust-fund millionaire who has the political depth of a finger bowl” going “high”? Unless, I suppose, Kenney meant he was going for high dudgeon.
The NDP, of course, has been happily needling Kenney over his thin-skinned hypocrisy.
But there is something else at play here.
Although Kenney is sticking by his petty attack on Trudeau, he is making a point of not targeting Premier Rachel Notley.
We have seen this narrative at play for the past few months. During his speech to the UCP founding convention two weeks ago, Kenney made a point of saying “the New Democrats are not bad people, they just have bad ideas.”
On Wednesday, when journalists grilled Kenney over his Trudeau bashing, he stood by his insults, but made a point of adding: “I have enormous respect for our premier. I think she is an intelligent, capable and committed individual.”
Government officials say Kenney is afraid to go after Notley because even though the NDP is down in the polls, Notley is wellliked by many voters, as opposed to Trudeau, who is deeply unpopular in Alberta. Perhaps.
But listening to Kenney, you get the impression he has written off the NDP as his major political opponent. According to public opinion polls, the UCP is so far ahead of the NDP, it’s difficult to imagine how the UCP can’t win the 2019 provincial election.
Kenney seems to be looking past that election to his anticipated battles with the federal Liberals.
He is giving us a preview of how he would deal with Trudeau should he become premier.
Trudeau has said he won’t respond to Kenney’s insults.
But you have to think Trudeau looks forward to the possibility of a Premier Jason Kenney with dread, complete and utter.