Premier Jason Kenney dismisses NDP’s calls for him to be reprimanded

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney is brushing off the NDP’s plans to get him officially condemned in the legislature over what it’s calling his mishandling of the fourth wave of COVID-19.

Kenney says his focus is on Albertans, their needs, and pandemic recovery. Arguing, the NDP is playing political games and trying to divide people.

“It’s just more political games from the NDP that sadly has treated COVID-19 not as an opportunity to come together, but rather for division. They have sought to politicize COVID-19 in Alberta from day one, the only opposition party in Canada to have done that from the very beginning, I think that’s regrettable,” Kenney said at a press conference Wednesday.

“Our eye is on the ball, focused on protecting lives and livelihoods through whatever is left of COVID. We’re glad to see that the fourth wave is clearly under control, and the numbers have come down sharply since our government took measures.”

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney dismisses the NDP's calls for him to be censured. He says the NDP is using the pandemic to divide Albertans instead of using it as an opportunity to come together. "We're not interested in NDP political games," Kenney adds. #abpoli #ableg #Alberta pic.twitter.com/osQlMiwIU9

— Saif Kaisar (@StaySaif) November 10, 2021

The NDP says Kenney did nothing to control the fourth wave of the pandemic despite learning on Aug. 25 that cases, hospitalizations, and ICU admissions had doubled in two weeks.

The party says he took another 10 days before taking action.

“The fourth wave was at once the most severe and the most preventable version of COVID that we’ve seen, not only in Alberta but in Canada. It was that way because Jason Kenney ignored warnings,” Opposition and NDP Leader Rachel Notley said.

“We need better decisions in the future as this pandemic continues to be managed, and Albertans deserve to know whether anybody is going to show the courage to stand up to what has been up to now a very, very bad political and public policy decision making.”

The NDP is asking the legislature to formally reprimand Jason Kenney next week.

“Most people learn from their mistakes. It seems that every time these guys make mistakes, they learn to get worse. And their reaction gets worse every time and we have that has to stop because we’re not out of it yet. And we just need better leadership,” said Notley.

“Things are going absolutely in a good direction, we’re happy to see that, and we’re not interested in NDP political games,” Kenney remarked.

Members of Kenney’s own party have criticized him in the past, including Chestermere-Strathmore MLA Leela Aheer.

The censure motion should come to a vote Nov. 15.