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The biggest loser in Monday's federal election might just be Jason Kenney
As federal Conservatives cut through the clutter of the election to figure out why they lost, they'll be pointing their knives in the direction of embattled Alberta Premier Jason Kenney.
They are upset, to say the least, with Kenney for so mishandling the fourth wave of the pandemic that he became an issue in the final week of the election campaign as he chaotically tried to prevent Alberta's health care system from collapsing under the weight of COVID-19 cases.
By declaring yet another province-wide public health emergency and by finally being forced to introduce a vaccine passport (that he disguised as a "restrictions exemption program"), Kenney allowed Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau to attack him and by extension Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole, who had applauded the Alberta premier's pandemic response just days prior.
Of course, O'Toole really had only himself to blame for praising Kenney while COVID-19 began battering Alberta's health care system. In the end, O'Toole clumsily did his best to avoid journalists' questions on the issue, going so far as not even mentioning Kenney by name.
The campaign might have had a litany of issues, including Afghanistan, gun control and daycare, but the pandemic trumped them all, and Kenney became the poster boy of how to let COVID-19 overwhelm your health care system.
It's not fair to blame Kenney for O'Toole's loss, but federal Conservatives who are eager to save O'Toole's hide post-election aren't going to go easy on the Alberta premier.
Even though the national seat results for the Liberals and Conservatives pretty much echo those of the 2019 election, the Alberta results are an ominous sign for the provincial Conservatives.
The NDP held on to Edmonton Strathcona and, in one of the upsets of the night, NDP candidate Blake Desjarlais defeated Conservative incumbent Kerry Diotte in Edmonton Griesbach.
Diotte may have been the victim of a perfect storm where, compared to 2019, the progressive vote surged while thousands of Conservative voters stayed home or switched to the People's Party of Canada that saw its share of the vote double in the riding.
George Chahal won for the Liberals in Calgary Skyview, while in Edmonton Centre, Conservative incumbent James Cumming was in a see-saw battle against Liberal Randy Boissonnault.
This is bad news for the federal Conservatives but it is a disaster for Kenney. It would seem the public's anger at the Alberta premier has bled into the federal arena.
Normally, federal Liberal candidates in Alberta only have a chance to win a seat when their party is clearly headed toward a majority government — as it was in 2015 when Liberals won four seats.
When their party is headed to defeat or a minority status, they lose those seats, as they did in 2019.
Now, here they are on the cusp of winning two Alberta seats while their party only managed to eke out another minority government.
And the NDP, always ecstatic to win even one seat in Alberta, now has two.
You could call that the Rachel Notley effect, where the public's approval of the provincial NDP leader's behaviour during the pandemic has spilled over into the federal scene.
If Kenney was treading water yesterday, he is a drowning man today.
...
As federal Conservatives cut through the clutter of the election to figure out why they lost, they'll be pointing their knives in the direction of embattled Alberta Premier Jason Kenney.
They are upset, to say the least, with Kenney for so mishandling the fourth wave of the pandemic that he became an issue in the final week of the election campaign as he chaotically tried to prevent Alberta's health care system from collapsing under the weight of COVID-19 cases.
By declaring yet another province-wide public health emergency and by finally being forced to introduce a vaccine passport (that he disguised as a "restrictions exemption program"), Kenney allowed Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau to attack him and by extension Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole, who had applauded the Alberta premier's pandemic response just days prior.
Of course, O'Toole really had only himself to blame for praising Kenney while COVID-19 began battering Alberta's health care system. In the end, O'Toole clumsily did his best to avoid journalists' questions on the issue, going so far as not even mentioning Kenney by name.
The campaign might have had a litany of issues, including Afghanistan, gun control and daycare, but the pandemic trumped them all, and Kenney became the poster boy of how to let COVID-19 overwhelm your health care system.
It's not fair to blame Kenney for O'Toole's loss, but federal Conservatives who are eager to save O'Toole's hide post-election aren't going to go easy on the Alberta premier.
Even though the national seat results for the Liberals and Conservatives pretty much echo those of the 2019 election, the Alberta results are an ominous sign for the provincial Conservatives.
The NDP held on to Edmonton Strathcona and, in one of the upsets of the night, NDP candidate Blake Desjarlais defeated Conservative incumbent Kerry Diotte in Edmonton Griesbach.
Diotte may have been the victim of a perfect storm where, compared to 2019, the progressive vote surged while thousands of Conservative voters stayed home or switched to the People's Party of Canada that saw its share of the vote double in the riding.
George Chahal won for the Liberals in Calgary Skyview, while in Edmonton Centre, Conservative incumbent James Cumming was in a see-saw battle against Liberal Randy Boissonnault.
This is bad news for the federal Conservatives but it is a disaster for Kenney. It would seem the public's anger at the Alberta premier has bled into the federal arena.
Normally, federal Liberal candidates in Alberta only have a chance to win a seat when their party is clearly headed toward a majority government — as it was in 2015 when Liberals won four seats.
When their party is headed to defeat or a minority status, they lose those seats, as they did in 2019.
Now, here they are on the cusp of winning two Alberta seats while their party only managed to eke out another minority government.
And the NDP, always ecstatic to win even one seat in Alberta, now has two.
You could call that the Rachel Notley effect, where the public's approval of the provincial NDP leader's behaviour during the pandemic has spilled over into the federal scene.
If Kenney was treading water yesterday, he is a drowning man today.
...
