LAKELAND - A former Bonnyville-area MLA, along with 18 other former MLAs from across the province, have stepped forward in a show of support for Premier Jason Kenney as a leadership review vote nears.
On Wednesday, an open letter to UCP members was released. Included in the signature was Genia Leskiw, who served as MLA for the Bonnyville-Cold Lake area from 2008-2015.
Speaking with Lakeland Today, Leskiw reaffirmed many of the thoughts expressed in the open letter.
"If the Conservatives want to win the next election, this is not the time to change your leader," said Leskiw. She cautioned that if they fight among themselves, the end result could be the election of an entirely new government.
Speaking to her own experience while MLA, Leskiw noted that during her two terms, she worked with five different Premiers. Former Premier Ed Stelmach served until 2011 and he was followed by former Premier Alison Redford, who served from 2011 to 2014. In 2014, Dave Hancock stepped into the role for a brief period while a new leader was chosen. The late Jim Prentice then served from 2014 to 2015.
The NDP would then take office for a term in 2015. Leskiw did not run in the 2015 election.
She noted that it's not unusual for there to be people who are unhappy with a leader.
"That's the nature of things."
She noted that within a large province, there is bound to be a variety of views, and even within "our constituency."
“I just feel that right now, let Jason Kenney finish his term, and then at election time, people will voice their opinion at the poll.”
No other Alberta Premier in recent history has had to deal with navigating a global pandemic, says Leskiw, speaking to the variety of views that exist in regards to how the pandemic was handled.
A walk down the street in Bonnyville would find people who felt there were too many restrictions in place and people who felt there weren't enough restrictions.
“I’m backing (Kenney). I hope he wins. He needs to win for the good of our province," said Leskiw.
When asked if she continues to be involved in politics at a local level, Leskiw says she is on the local UCP board for the Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul constituency.
In May of 2021, current MLA David Hanson was outspoken in wanting Kenney to resign. More recently, Hanson stood with a group of MLAs on the front of the Legislature, voicing discontent about the UCP's last-minute changes to the upcoming leadership review.
“I’ve always respected Dave. Do I agree with him on this particular item – no," said Leskiw. But, when she was MLA there were many people who disagreed with how she voted on certain topics.
“Isn’t democracy great? You can be friends and still disagree.”
Leskiw noted that she feels it is important, however, to let people know that there is support for Kenney to continue as leader.
"There are people from A to Z on this," she says, adding, anyone who is able to vote in the leadership review should ask themselves what the best move is for the province, as a whole.
The letter that Leskiw signed also includes concerns around timelines, stating, "If less than 50 per cent plus one of delegates vote yes, the governing party will be immediately plunged into a leadership race roughly one year before a general election in which it will face off against a disciplined, organized, and well-funded opposition."
The letter adds, "First, even a short campaign will take at least four months. It’s already too late in the year to hold a vote before summer and the party will want to avoid a vote during the dog days of summer." With the federal Conservatives set to elect a new leader in September, this pushes the timeline further for the UCP.
"During the race, government decision making would grind to a halt. The bureaucracy would go into caretaker mode and all progress on programs and initiatives will cease - including several that are critical to support Alberta’s economic recovery that is already underway," reads the letter.
All things considered, it could take until 2023 "before we get back to the meaningful work of governing" and potentially preparing for an election that could be weeks away.
"We will have forfeited 10 months of economic progress and election planning while the NDP nominates their candidates, builds their platform, and connects with voters, while credibly telling Albertans that once again Conservatives are too busy fighting each other to fight for them," reads the letter.
The letter also lists reasons the former MLAs will support Kenney, such as job creation, balancing the protection of hospital capacity with rights and freedoms during the pandemic, and repealing the provincial carbon tax, for example.
The 2022 UCP Special General Meeting (SGM) is scheduled to take place virtually on April 9. Mail-in ballots for the leadership review vote are going to be mailed to eligible UCP members the week after.
Returned ballot envelopes must be received by the Auditor for the UCP by 5 p.m. on May 11.
Originally, the UCP SGM was scheduled to take place in-person in Red Deer.
