A 'relieved' Jason Kenney says he won't run in the UCP leadership race
A 'relieved' Jason Kenney says he won't run in the UCP leadership race
A 'relieved' Jason Kenney says he won't run in the UCP leadership race
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says he will not be running in the race to pick a new leader of the United Conservative party.
Kenney announced the news on his call-in radio show Saturday morning.
"No," he said.
"If that was the case, I would have stepped down as leader earlier this week."
It was the first time Kenney took questions surrounding his surprise decision this week to step down, despite winning a party leadership review.
He captured just 51.4 per cent of the vote in the party member mail-in ballot.
Kenney had previously been adamant a majority win — 50 per cent plus one — would be enough to stay on, but he backtracked Wednesday.
The premier says he expected a higher margin of support based on conversations he had been having around the province.
"You get an electoral mandate of over one million votes and 16,000 people can essentially upend it," he said. "But that's the process that we have."
Kenney also revealed some surprising feelings after hearing the vote results from the UCP party president.
"I have to tell you, the first thought that went through my mind was a little bit of relief," he said.
"I've been in elected life for 25 years, and it was never my expectation to be in this job for a long time."
When asked about his decision to stay in the party's top spot, the premier launched into a speech about his campaign promises and the current Alberta economy.
Mount Royal University political scientist Duane Bratt believes that messaging was calculated.
"He's doing it to help his reputation and create a narrative about why he is stepping down," Bratt told CTV News.
"He's trying to establish his legacy, and the best way to do that is by staying on as premier."
When asked about the leadership speculation Kenney laid to rest Saturday, Bratt also had some thoughts. While the political scientist said he largely believes the promise, he doesn't think this will be the last hurrah for Kenney.
"He's also previously said 'no' on a lot of things pretty definitively," Bratt said. "So, never say never. I could see a scenario where he does get drafted to run again or orchestrates a draft for him to run again."
Kenney told radio listeners that at 53 years old, he is too young to retire. He also expressed excitement about having time to pursue some personal things that he has had to put off for years.
At least five people are dead and 19 were taken to hospitals after a shooting at a July Fourth parade in a Chicago suburb, and officers are searching for a suspect, police said Monday.
COVID-19 cases are rising again in Canada, with the two fast-spreading Omicron sub-variants known as BA.4 and BA.5 to blame. CTVNews.ca has a guide to what you need to know about the new variants.
The federal government says it has signed a $20-billion final settlement agreement to compensate First Nations children and families harmed by chronic underfunding of child welfare.
More witnesses are coming forward with new details on the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot following former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson's devastating testimony last week against former U.S. President Donald Trump, says a member of a U.S. House committee investigating the insurrection.
The family of an Ottawa man killed in a Canada Day crash in the west end says Tom Bergeron died exactly as he lived: selflessly thinking of others before himself.
A pair of new reports from the Bank of Canada point to rising inflation expectations by Canadian businesses and consumers. In its business outlook survey released Monday, the central bank said businesses' expectations for near-term inflation have increased, and firms expect inflation to be high for longer than they did in the previous survey.
Chronic staff shortages in Canada's health-care system have been exacerbated by waves of COVID-19 infections, and are pushing the system to the brink, warns a medical advocate for Doctors Manitoba.
A 41-year-old man will be charged with kidnapping and rape after an Edmonton girl who was missing for more than a week was found, Oregon City Police said.
One of the biggest spending scandals in the history of B.C. politics is nearing its conclusion as a court hears sentencing recommendations for the former clerk of the legislature.
Researchers in Washington state are sounding the alarm over the health of the southern resident killer whale population, saying at least 13 of the orcas appear to be in poor condition.
The remaining businesses on Shelbourne Street in Saanich, B.C., that had been closed after last week's shooting at a Bank of Montreal branch have now reopened, police say.
An 'incredibly ill-advised stunt' is being investigated by the Toronto Transit Commission after video emerged of two masked men carrying Canadian flags while surfing on top of a train.
A Toronto woman says a dog she rescued from the Dominican Republic has been traumatized after being left in a corner of Toronto Pearson International Airport with baggage for about 21 hours.
More than dozen fire trucks from municipalities across Montreal's South Shore are battling a major fire at an industrial produce building in the Monteregie on Monday morning.
Habs fans may get a few questions answered Monday afternoon when general manager Kent Hughes and special advisor to hockey operations Vincent Lecavalier hold a media briefing at 2 p.m.
The federal government is starting to relocate asylum seekers who have crossed irregularly into Quebec from the United States, following a rise in the number of would-be refugees at the border.
The family of an Ottawa man killed in a Canada Day crash in the west end says Tom Bergeron died exactly as he lived: selflessly thinking of others before himself.
A Puslinch, Ont. woman says her driveway will need to be repaved less than month after she came home to find strangers working on it without her prior consent.
The number of homes for sale in Saskatoon has increased but the number of places to buy remains 20 per cent lower than last year, according to the Saskatchewan Realtors Association.
At least five people are dead and 19 were taken to hospitals after a shooting at a July Fourth parade in a Chicago suburb, and officers are searching for a suspect, police said Monday.
The Government of Saskatchewan is set to provide $1.498 million in additional funding to Family Services Saskatchewan (FSSK), for the purpose of expanding access to free, rapid counselling to the southern and west central regions of the province.
A man was seriously injured after a stolen City of Regina truck collided with his vehicle early Saturday morning, the Regina Police Service (RPS) said in a news release.
