Former Alberta premier Jason Kenney resigns from legislature

A signed letter posted on the verified Twitter account of former Alberta premier Jason Kenney says he has resigned as a member of the legislature, which comes on the same day as the province’s sovereignty bill that he opposed since it was first introduced.

I have resigned as Member of the Legislative Assembly for Calgary-Lougheed.

Thank-you to my constituents for the honour of representing them in Parliament and the Legislature over the past 25 years.

My statement: pic.twitter.com/vDRAk0yaDf

— Jason Kenney ???????????????????????? (@jkenney) November 29, 2022

In the tweet, Kenney says that the resignation as a Member of the Legislative Assembly is “immediate.”

He says it has been a “great privilege” to represent the constituents of Calgary Lougheed, which he has done since 2017.

“In the future, I hope to continue contributing to our democratic life by sharing some of what I have learned on a range of issues, including immigration, national security, Indigenous economic development, the state of the federation, economic growth, energy and much more,” Kenney wrote.

Kenney, also a former federal cabinet minister who spent 25 years in elected life, praised how matters are dealt with under Canada’s constitutional monarchy.

“But I am concerned that our democratic life is veering away from ordinary prudential debate towards a polarization that undermines our bedrock institutions and principles,” he wrote, decrying the far-left’s efforts to “delegitimize our history” and the far-right’s “vengeful anger and toxic cynicism.”

“But for now, I close with this reflection. Whatever our flaws or imperfections Canada — and I believe Alberta — are in many ways the envy of the world. This is not an accident of history.”

This comes after the “Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act” was introduced into legislature by Premier Danielle Smith Tuesday.

Kenney has been largely critical of the bill when Smith proposed it during her UCP leadership race, calling it “catastrophically stupid” and a “disaster” for the province.

The bill would give Smith and her cabinet broad powers to rewrite provincial laws behind closed doors in an effort to push back against Ottawa rather than having such changes debated in the legislature.

The proposed legislation would also allow cabinet to direct “provincial entities” — Crown-controlled organizations, municipalities, school boards, post-secondary schools, municipal police forces, regional health authorities, and any social agency receiving provincial money — not to use provincial resources to enforce federal rules deemed harmful to Alberta’s interests.

Related Stories:

• Province introduces ‘Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act’

• Kenney defends Alberta lieutenant governor, attacks ‘cockamamie’ sovereignty bill

• Jason Kenney responds to sovereignty act, calling it a ‘disaster for Alberta’

Kenney won his leadership review with 51.4 per cent of votes in favour of keeping him on as leader, but this wasn’t enough for the former premier and he stepped down.

He lost the party’s confidence, particularly its rural base, facing criticism he failed to back up his bombastic rhetoric around fighting Ottawa on grievances ranging from equalization payments to rules on energy development.

Kenney has suggested he was being taken down by an angry faction of the party’s base over COVID-19 public health measures it deemed affronts to personal freedom.

During the first wave of COVID-19, Kenney’s government was lauded for invoking rules and closures to keep gatherings down to hold the illness at bay, and keep hospitals operating.

However, as subsequent waves rose, Kenney’s promise to balance “lives and livelihoods” left him challenged by those that wanted rules to keep hospitals from cratering and those who felt the rules were a violation of personal freedom and unnecessary.

Kenney tried to find a magic middle ground, which resulted in shifting restrictions: regional, provincial, on for some, off for others. Each time he waited until Alberta’s health system was on the brink of collapse before acting, with thousands of surgeries cancelled and waiting rooms jammed.

More to come