REGINA — Premier Scott Moe paid tribute to Jason Kenney this week following the announcement that Kenney is resigning as premier of Alberta.
Kenney announced Wednesday he is stepping down as United Conservative Party leader after receiving only 51.4 per cent of support in a party members vote. Kenney will depart as premier once the new leader is selected.
At the legislature Thursday, Moe said “this is a loss.”
“Jason Kenney is a very, very strong leader who has achieved a number of things that he set out to achieve in a very short period of time on behalf of Albertans.”
He noted Kenney was in Washington, D.C. recently to testify at their Energy Committee, and said Kenney was a strong voice around the Council of Federation table and was a strong leader with his experience as a federal minister and MP.
“I understand we’ll move forward in Alberta, we’ll see likely a rapid leadership election, but my first thoughts on this is this is a loss a good leader, and an individual that has been a very capable and competent politician for decades now. I wouldn’t think we’ve seen the last of Jason Kenney for quite a stretch.”
Kenney had been a strong ally with Moe in the fight against the carbon tax and on the pipelines issue. When asked what Kenney’s departure means on that issue, Moe responded that he didn’t think a change of UCP leadership within that party would change the policy with regard to carbon taxation regulations and getting the product to market.
“I don’t think the policy changes at all,” said Moe. “I would say, with respect to that, Premier Kenney was an extremely formidable voice on that file and all other files related to the development of our resources in western Canada, and defending not only the development of those resources, but the income and opportunities those resources could provide in his case to Albertans but by extension to all of those across the Prairies. He’s a very powerful voice and a very strong premier.”
