Kenney can never again unite conservatives

Premier should do the honourable thing and step aside, Drew Barnes says

They say a week is a long time in politics. If that's true, I guess that makes me a greybeard.

It was 10 years ago, as of April 23, that I was first elected to represent the families and communities of Cypress-medicine Hat. The job remains an honour, and serving in this regard is a privilege I treasure more with each passing year.

Our province has been through more than its share of political upheaval over the past decade. During my time in the assembly, I have seen five premiers take office, representing three distinct governments. Over that same time period, I have watched as many would-be leaders struggle for a place in the spotlight, only to eventually fail under pressure and scrutiny.

My first term as a Wildrose MLA coincided with the failed leadership of PC premier Alison Redford. People are sometimes surprised to hear me say this, but I thought she arrived in office with a lot of potential. What she ultimately lacked, however, was judgment and experience. In the end, I will give her credit for doing the honourable thing and stepping down when it became clear she could not keep her party or her government unified.

Interim premier Dave Hancock, who I feel did an admirable job under difficult circumstances, immediately followed Redford. It takes a special kind of person to lead on an interim basis because you have to check your ego, realize you do not have an electoral mandate, and resist the urge to fully seize the levers of power. Hancock understood his place in history and acted accordingly. Good for him.

Premier Jim Prentice, on the other hand, arrived on the scene via a byelection and never truly received an electoral mandate from Albertans. That didn't stop him from attempting the most outrageous and anti-democratic manoeuvre in Alberta's political history. His attempt to merge the PC and Wildrose parties without offering party members a say in the matter crashed and burned in spectacular fashion. It was a crass, elitist power grab and at the next election Albertans rejected it in its entirety.

This, of course, opened the door to Alberta's first NDP government led by premier Rachel Notley. While I am ideologically opposed to everything the NDP stands for, I will say this for premier Notley: She never truly attempted to hide her agenda. Her government's undoing began with the provincial carbon tax and the highly controversial Bill 6. Imposing these two policies indirectly opened the door to the potential for conservative unity. The rest, as they say, is history.

This brings me to Premier Jason Kenney. Few premiers have arrived in office with more wind at their back, and none has done more to sabotage his own success.

Like Prentice, Premier Kenney has demonstrated an elitist streak a mile wide. Despite promises to provide servant leadership and a grassroots approach to politics, he routinely ignores the democratically expressed wishes of his own party's members, even as he dismisses his critics as, “lunatics” and extremists. For a premier who was elected to stand up to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Kenney obviously sees no problem duplicating Trudeau's attacks on the conservative base.

Like Redford, Premier Kenney has resorted to oldstyle, strong-arm tactics and political games to prolong his failing leadership. Albertans are clearly sick of this cynical approach, something that has been reflected in polls and fundraising returns for more than a year.

The premier seems convinced he can limp through his leadership review and cling to power. He's spitting into the wind. Even if he squeaks out a slim majority, the fact is he will never again unite the conservative movement in Alberta. The desire for change in Alberta is inescapable. If a decade in politics has taught me anything, it's that this desire will not be contained.

In my opinion, it's time for Premier Kenney to accept that he cannot unite the conservative movement and do the honourable thing for the good of our province.

Take it from this greybeard. One way or another, change is coming in Alberta. And change, when it comes, arrives like an avalanche.