Hanson told Lakeland Today he was contacted by the national media outlet after he shared a Facebook post by UCP colleague MLA Todd Loewen who is pushing Premier Jason Kenney to reconsider regional reopenings based on more localized COVID-19 numbers.
“It’s fairly clear in the Facebook post that I shared from Todd Loewen, which is what got me into the paper to begin with,” he said. “It was just frustration of the guidelines that were put out on Feb. 8 and then changes were made last Monday during the report, even though our numbers are far below what they were supposed to be for Stage 2, and the fact that we found out about it at the same time as Albertans. That’s the frustrating part and as an MLA I’ve made that very clear.”
In the article, Hanson expressed disappointment that UCP MLAs were not consulted prior to Kenney’s decision to hang back on the reopening plan.
Asked if he had confidence in Kenney, given his comments to the Globe and Mail, Hanson’s response was brief, stating, “Absolutely, Jason Kenney is a brilliant politician.”
He said no matter what steps the government takes to ease lockdown measures, about 50 per cent of the population will agree and the other 50 per cent won’t.
“It’s been a real tough balancing act trying to keep people protected and keeping our businesses open as much as we can.”
Asked if there is unrest in party ranks as far as Kenney’s leadership is concerned, Hanson said, “I can’t speak for my colleagues. I think my comments in the Globe and Mail were clear, I support our party and what’s best for Albertans is best for the party.”
