Jason Kenney's UCP wins majority in Alberta election
Alberta’s trailblazing on carbon taxes might be more important to the cause of eco-taxation, in the long run, than the local setback it has received.
But the UCP victory serves as a reminder that avant-garde environmental policy already fouled up the federal Liberals before. Even though the mind of Alberta occupies a particular and unique position on the subject of carbon, you can’t help beginning to wonder whether the whole country is as ready to fight total war on climate change as the federal government has assumed.
Kenney entered UCP headquarters at Calgary’s Stampede Grounds Tuesday night in the blue pickup truck he made famous on the campaign trail. As a “build that pipe” chant went up in the room, the UCP leader stopped the crowd to correct them. It’s not just one pipeline we need, it’s several, he said. “It’s build those pipes,” said Kenney.
“Today, we Albertans begin to fight back.”
Alberta United Conservative leader Jason Kenney on election night at Big Four Roadhouse on the Stampede grounds in Calgary.
Kenney’s victory marked the culmination of a years-long plan. The former Conservative cabinet minister left his seat in Ottawa in 2016 — after holding it for nearly two decades — with hopes of uniting Alberta’s fractured provincial conservative movement. The 2015 election saw the Progressive Conservatives, who had governed the province since 1971, hobbled by a split with the breakaway Wildrose Party. Vote-splitting between the two right-wing parties allowed Notley’s New Democrats to take power for the first time in the province’s history.
“As proud of I am of our record, the fact is the people of Alberta have spoken,” Notley, fighting a cold, told supporters at NDP headquarters on Tuesday night. It was a fiery concession speech, with Notley, who retained her seat, vowing to assume the role of opposition leader and “make sure that our vision of Alberta endures.”
“I believe we have set a much higher standard for ethics and honesty in government.”
|
Stan Paneth 4/17/2019 |
Contact: |
|
|
