The departure of Erin O’Toole, pushed out of the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) on Wednesday by his caucus who voted to oust him, has generated a lot of interest in Alberta.
• Read also: Conservative Party: Erin O’Toole ‘accepts result of vote’ of confidence
Conservative Prime Minister Jason Kenney, who endorsed Erin O’Toole in his 2020 leadership race, could be among the potential candidates to succeed him. Remember that Mr. Kenney spent ten years in Parliament during the mandates of Stephen Harper, successively occupying the roles of Minister of Immigration, Employment, Multiculturalism and Defence.
The main interested party however rejected, as of Monday, the possibility of embarking on the race. “I am completely focused on the huge challenges we are currently facing. It is not of interest to me”, he assured on the sidelines of a press briefing on COVID-19 in his province.
Mr. Kenney also took the opportunity to reiterate his support for Erin O’Toole, arguing that it was important to have stability at the head of the party, rather than changing leaders after each election.
“Finally, [les conservateurs] need to be united and Canadians are counting on them to form an effective opposition,” he added.
internal sling
The fact remains that Jason Kenney suffers from a certain lack of popularity within his party, particularly because of his management of the health crisis, which is reminiscent of the grumbling aimed at Mr. O ‘Toole.
Although the leader of the United Conservative Party (PCU) claims to have imposed fewer restrictions against COVID-19 than elsewhere in the country, he found himself in the crosshairs of part of his caucus, who had signed a letter for to oppose the measures in force in the province last spring.
In the process, two party MPs, Todd Loewen and Drew Barnes, were excluded from the caucus. However, both issued a joint statement on Wednesday, calling for the ouster of their former leader, in the wake of the departure of Erin O’Toole.
“Premier Kenney has completely abandoned conservative roots, particularly with vaccine passports, vaccination mandates and government spending,” Barnes said.
Mr. Kenney’s former challenger for the PCU leadership, Brian Jean, added a layer of it on Twitter. “If the PCU caucus had secret ballot rules, Kenney would have been kicked out a long time ago,” he wrote over a photo of Erin O’Toole, looking chagrined.
Ironically, Mr. Kenney had also been heavily criticized by another part of the Alberta electorate after he eliminated the majority of health measures in force during the summer, leading to a catastrophic fourth wave of COVID-19 in the province.
Last fall, a quarter of the PCU’s riding associations voted in favor of a motion to speed up a review of the Prime Minister’s leadership, without success. However, the Prime Minister will have to face a vote of confidence on April 9.