'Fight for a stronger Alberta': Kenney comments for first time since announcing resignation
'Fight for a stronger Alberta': Kenney comments for first time since announcing resignation
'Fight for a stronger Alberta': Kenney comments for first time since announcing resignation
Premier Jason Kenney spoke publicly Friday for the first time since dropping the bombshell announcement that he plans to step down as UCP leader and premier of Alberta.
But there are still so many unanswered questions about Kenney's future -- and the future of his party.
The short appearance was made prior to a cabinet meeting at the McDougall Centre in Calgary.
"We have a lot of important work in front of us involving the vote from the leadership review earlier this week and, as you know, my intention to step aside as United Conservative Party leader," Kenney told the assembled members of the media. "I'll be doing so as soon as the party has selected a new leader. We're determined to keep our eye on the ball."
The premier did not field questions following his speech. In fact, members of the media were taken out of the room only moments after his statement wrapped up.
It's unclear when he'll next be made available to answer reporter questions.
Kenney announced his plans on Wednesday after narrowly winning his party's leadership review with 51.4 per cent support.
Caucus will select a new leader and premier "at the earliest possible opportunity," according to the party's governance manual.
A date has yet to be set.
Both the government cabinet and UCP caucus met in Calgary Thursday for "vigorous discussion and debate" about the next steps. After more than six hours inside, the caucus announced Kenney would remain in his role "until such time as a new leader is chosen."
Some experts even believe Kenney himself still has his eyes on the job. No rules would stop him from running a campaign.
That, of course, was neither confirmed or denied during the premier's cabinet photo-op Friday.
"This is a government that's focused on their own internal drama," NDP MLA Kathleen Ganley told reporters. "They're failing to focus on what Albertans need, and I think that would make them reluctant to take questions."
Patrick Brown has been disqualified from the race to replace Erin O'Toole as leader of the federal Conservatives, the leadership election organizing committee announced late Tuesday. Committee chair Ian Brodie announced the stunning move in a written statement that said the party had in recent weeks become aware of 'serious allegations of wrongdoing' by the Brown campaign.
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The father of the Edmonton girl who was missing for nine days said he was getting ready to post another update on Facebook last Saturday when police knocked on his door.
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The Crown is seeking to revoke bail for Tamara Lich, a leader of the 'Freedom Convoy,' after she appeared alongside a fellow organizer in an alleged breach of her conditions.
A man charged Tuesday with seven counts of murder after firing off more than 70 rounds at an Independence Day parade in suburban Chicago legally bought five weapons, including the high-powered rifle used in the shooting, despite authorities being called to his home twice in 2019 for threats of violence and suicide, police said.
The Bank of Canada's strategy of rapidly increasing its key interest rate in an effort to tackle skyrocketing inflation will likely trigger a recession, says a new study released Tuesday from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
Canada became the first country to ratify Finland and Sweden's accession protocols to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Tuesday.
The father of the Edmonton girl who was missing for nine days said he was getting ready to post another update on Facebook last Saturday when police knocked on his door.
A high school friend of B.C. teen Amanda Todd has testified he took action when he saw what he described as a “pornographic” picture of her on Facebook in November 2011.
The long-awaited Vancouver Plan is set to go before council on Wednesday after almost four years of work – and Mayor Kennedy Stewart is adding a last-minute amendment.
Chiefs representing Indigenous communities from coast to coast have descended on Vancouver for the Assembly of First Nations General Assembly — with several resolutions on the agenda that could determine the political fate of their elected leader.
Two Saanich, B.C., police officers remain in hospital Tuesday, including one in intensive care, a week after six officers were injured and two suspects were killed in a brazen bank robbery and gunfight near Victoria.
A U.S. basketball commentator has found himself in the hot seat over comments he made about Toronto and its relationship with Black athletes amid rumours one of the best in the game could be headed north of the border.
As flight delays and lost luggage bring chaos to summer travel plans, Air Canada is advising travellers on how much time they should leave between connecting flights.
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Two Montreal politicians and an activist group are calling on the Trudeau government to take responsibility for preserving a vast natural area leased and managed for many years by Aéroports de Montréal (ADM) amid controversy over a recently mowed field.
Sharon Lloyd has been waiting 22 days for her baggage to arrive after being lost on a direct flight form Ottawa to Toronto. Gatineau, Qc.. Jul. 5, 2022. (Tyler Fleming / CTV News).
Ottawa Public Health is reporting six new COVID-19 deaths in the city in the last week, bringing the city’s death toll from the pandemic to 825 residents.
As police try to track down the man believed to have paved a Puslinch woman’s driveway without her permission, another person has come forward claiming to be the victim of a similar alleged fraud.
A string of serious collisions over the last few days has Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) sending a heightened warning to drivers to not let their guards down during the summer months.
There were no ambulances available to respond to emergencies in Guelph for a short period on Monday, as paramedics waited outside the hospital to offload patients.
Environment Canada has issued a tornado warning for the R.M. of Kindersley including Kindersley Brock and Flaxcombe, and the R.M. of Oakdale including Coleville.
Since 1996, Carla Alexiuk has been increasing the quilting population in northern Ontario by providing workshops, knowledge and her passion for the hobby.
It has been a year and a half since a 33-year-old man disappeared in Winnipeg. Police now believe he was a victim of foul play and say someone out there knows something.
New sub-variants of COVID-19 are in Manitoba, with scientists watching trends warning the mutated version of the Omicron variant called BA.5 is highly transmissible.
Benjamin Dufour, the seven-year-old boy who was gravely injured after being hit by a truck in Regina last month, has shown positive signs of recovery, according to a news release from his family.
