Oct 5 2021 — Don Braid — Calgary Herald — Premier Jason Kenney’s approval rating is now very close to the level marked BASEMENT EXIT. Only 22 per cent of Albertans support him, while 77 per cent disapprove of his performance, according to a new poll from Marc Henry’s ThinkHQ. The brutal result could see UCP riding boards ramp up efforts to force him out […]
Sep 25 2021 — Don Braid — Calgary Herald — Mount Royal University political scientist Duane Bratt choked up while doing an interview. Dr. Verna Yiu, the head of Alberta Health Services, looked like she was about to cry as she said deaths are keeping the ICUs below capacity. Coun. Jeff Davison, a candidate for mayor, told council that his six-year-old daughter had her vital […]
Sep 22 2021 — Don Braid — Calgary Herald — Moving out Shandro, Aheer concludes bitterly, ‘is an absolutely despicable move to try to save himself, to shift the blame’ That was a sad little cabinet shuffle, a few moments of eerie calm amid the political chaos surrounding Premier Jason Kenney.
Sep 21 2021 — Don Braid — Calgary Herald — Today Premier Jason Kenney will be blamed for contributing to the federal Liberals’ relatively strong showing in Canada’s election. Even worse for him, many in his own government and party are hoping for his resignation and think they might get it.
Sep 16 2021 — Don Braid — Calgary Herald — Once again Premier Jason Kenney is late to the crisis and blames everyone and everything else for making it happen. There seems to be no situation – not even the impending collapse of the health care system – that will mute this man’s impulse to deflect.
Sep 8 2021 — Don Braid — Calgary Herald — The restless peace in the UCP caucus is over. The latest to blast his own premier is Airdrie-Cochrane MLA Peter Guthrie. Guthrie’s biggest gripe is that Jason Kenney wasn’t nice to the unvaccinated. He wrote on Facebook on Tuesday: “Last Friday the Government of Alberta announced restrictions, adopting a disparaging tone towards unvaccinated individuals.
Sep 4 2021 — Don Braid — Calgary Herald — It may be the kookiest thing an Alberta government has done since Social Credit politicians printed “funny money” they called Prosperity Certificates. This could cost the public upwards of $80 million if everyone eligible runs out and gets vaccinated.
Aug 6 2021 — Don Braid — Calgary Herald — All the pieces are falling neatly into place for a federal election, including some sharp Liberal messages for Alberta and Western Canada. First came Thursday’s letter from federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu, asking her Alberta counterpart, Tyler Shandro, to reveal the science behind the province’s decision to abandon most COVID-19 measures.
Aug 1 2021 — Don Braid — Postmedia — Premier Jason Kenney’s United Conservative government remains far behind the NDP in both popularity and cold hard cash. A new poll for Postmedia from Leger Research shows 39 per cent of Albertans would vote for the New Democrats, and only 29 per cent for the UCP.
Jul 13 2021 — Don Braid — Calgary Herald — It takes a special government to praise nurses for their work during the greatest health crisis in a century, and then offer them a three-per-cent pay cut. This makes the UCP look heartless. By comparison, their treatment of doctors seems almost humanitarian. The United Nurses of Alberta, with more than 30,000 members, is a much […]
Jun 29 2021 — Don Braid — Calgary Herald — Premier Jason Kenney recently sent a memo to all of his cabinet ministers, asking them to explain what they’ve accomplished and hope to do in the future. He expects the responses by Friday. It sounds a bit like a job application. There’s widespread talk about a cabinet shuffle that may come soon.
Jun 12 2021 — Don Braid — Calgary Herald — “Completely false,” says Premier Jason Kenney, “a fabrication from beginning to end.” Welcome to another bizarre blow-up between Kenney and Derek Fildebrandt, the former MLA whom Kenney banned from running for the UCP.
Jun 8 2021 — Don Braid — Calgary Herald — Brian Jean wrote it in blazing capital letters just in case somebody might miss the point: “FOR THE GOOD OF THE UCP, FOR THE GOOD OF ALBERTA, IT IS TIME FOR JASON KENNEY TO RESIGN.”
Jun 7 2021 — Don Braid — Calgary Herald — Aheer insists she has no political ambitions for speaking out. In fact, she thinks Kenney can recover if he shows the empathy she’s seen in him in the past. UCP cabinet minister Leela Aheer doesn’t expect to be disciplined for saying Premier Jason Kenney should apologize over the “Sky Palace” patio fiasco. “Disciplined for what?” […]
Jun 3 2021 — Don Braid — Postmedia — There’s no space in Alberta more emblematic of arrogant privilege than the notorious Sky Palace. After then-premier Alison Redford resigned in 2014, dogged by other scandals, it was finally confirmed that the government was building a private residence for her and her daughter atop Edmonton’s Federal building. Smoking cannabis did not help young people kick […]