Alberta premier brushes off MLA leadership concerns, infighting

EDMONTON – Premier Jason Kenney is facing heat from all sides as the province drowns in COVID-19 hospitalizations.

It seems the United Conservative Party leader is dealing with party infighting as well as jabs from the opposition and the ongoing health crisis.

When asked about the premier Tuesday, UCP MLAs Angela Pitt and Jason Stephan said they are looking forward to the spring leadership review.

“Right now, Albertans no longer trust the premier, and therefore our government,” Pitt said.

“It makes it very difficult to govern the province when the trust in the premier is highly diminished.”

UCP MLA Angela Pitt was asked if she still has confidence Premier Jason Kenney.

Here's her answer (spoiler alert: it's a "no")#yeg #yyc #ableg #covid19ab pic.twitter.com/DvhNnkjQiM

— Courtney Theriault (@cspotweet) September 28, 2021

Kenney continues to try and brush off the idea of a caucus in revolt driving ship, saying during an update Tuesday that caucus decided “as a group” to focus on the crisis at hand and maintain stability.

But the Opposition NDP is highlighting a letter sent by UCP MLA Tracy Allard that might tell a different story.

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The party says the letter undermines the vaccination effort. In it, the Grande Prairie representative talks about advocating for the negative test option of the restriction exemption program, saying it wasn’t initially presented to caucus.

“We have watched these MLAs, every MLA, minister, and the premier himself, fighting about their own political survival while our healthcare system collapses under the crisis they created,” said NDP MLA David Shepherd.

Right now, northern Alberta has some of the lowest vaccination rates, and highest case counts. The North Health Zone’s ICU is 100 per cent full.

RELATED VIDEO: Hospitals faced with all-time record 1,100 patients

But Kenney insists that despite what some of his MLAs are saying, the government is doing its best to navigate the pandemic.

“There have been some members who have been consistently opposed to virtually any public health measures, and even vaccinations. And we listen with respect to what is being said across the political spectrum, including in my own party. But at the end of the day, the government has the responsibility to lead and to respond and that’s exactly what we are doing,” Kenney said,

If Alberta’s COVID numbers don’t change, Kenney says additional health measures could be in play but he hesitated to commit to any firm action Tuesday.

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Kenney has said he’s concerned that additional measures would only punish the vaccinated and that new restrictions would have to be “effective”.

Meantime, Alberta’s doctors have been pleading for additional health measures to be put in place as ICUs get overwhelmed.

The Alberta Medical Association sent a letter to the premier earlier this week begging for more interventions, warning that the health system is on the verge of collapse.

The Canadian Medical Association is calling for immediate circuit breaker lockdowns to protect Alberta’s “crumbling” health-care system.