Watch: Jason Kenney promises 'help is on the way' in victory speech Article content Premier-designate Jason Kenney spoke to a packed crowd of UCP supporters in Calgary after his party swept the NDP towards a majority government in the Alberta legislature. “Help is on the way and hope is on the horizon,” Kenney said. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Watch: Jason Kenney promises 'help is on the way' in victory speech Back to video “There is a deep frustration in this province,” Kenney said. “Albertans are going through a time of trial…we have been targeted by a foreign-funded campaign of special interests seeking to land-lock Canadian energy.” Kenney gave a stern warning to anti-oil groups, including David Suzuki, saying “your days pf pushing us around with impunity have just ended.” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a statement Tuesday evening congratulating Kenney on his victory. “I look forward to working with the provincial government to create good, middle class jobs, build infrastructure, and grow the businesses and industries at the heart of Alberta’s prosperity so the province can remain competitive in our changing economy,” Trudeau said. “Together, we will address issues of importance to Albertans and all Canadians, including supporting canola producers, and taking decisive action on climate change while getting our natural resources to market.”<doc-sep>Share this Story: Kenney extends olive branch to fellow premiers, plans to name cabinet April 30 Kenney extends olive branch to fellow premiers, plans to name cabinet April 30 Photo by Larry Wong / Postmedia Article content Premier-designate Jason Kenney said he will pursue a diplomatic path with Ottawa and fellow provincial governments, including with Quebec counterpart Premier François Legault, who reiterated Wednesday that there’s no social acceptability for a new oil pipeline crossing Quebec. Legault said his province would be open to a gas pipeline coming from Alberta, but not an additional oil pipeline. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Kenney extends olive branch to fellow premiers, plans to name cabinet April 30 Back to video “We don’t think it’s reasonable for other provinces like Quebec to take our equalization money while opposing pipeline projects that can help us to pay the bills within the federation,” Kenney told reporters Wednesday on the heels of a Tuesday night election that saw his party win a majority government. “I want to start on a positive footing in our relationship with Premier Legault and the Government of Quebec,” he added. Kenney is also poised to battle Premier John Horgan over pipelines after B.C. promised to do whatever possible to stop the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion from moving forward. Horgan’s government squared off against NDP Leader Rachel Notley last year, spurring her party to bring in turn-off-the-taps legislation to choke off Alberta resources to B.C. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Kenney plans to proclaim that legislation and has vowed to use it if Horgan blocks the pipeline. “I think Premier Horgan knows very well that we are serious about defending our vital economic interests,” Kenney said. “I’ve always said that it’s not our intention to begin with reducing energy shipments to British Columbia but to have the power to do so.” The premier-designate also appeared to extend an olive branch to Ottawa, following a campaign during which he criticized Notley for what he called a “Notley-Trudeau alliance.” He has had a tense relationship with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, slamming him on various issues including the Trans Mountain pipeline file and federal legislation — specifically Bill C-48, the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, and Bill C-69, dubbed the Impact Assessment Act. That bill would overhaul Canada’s energy regulatory process, changing the rules for project approvals and replacing the National Energy Board with a new Canadian energy regulator. Kenney said he spoke to Trudeau for about 15 minutes Wednesday and had a “respectful conversation.” “I was clear about our grave concern over Bill C-69 and how it will further dampen investor confidence in Alberta’s energy sector,” he said. Notley previously criticized that legislation, but said there was a “clear path forward” to make amendments that would work for Alberta. “We both acknowledged that the timing is challenging because shortly after a United Conservative government is sworn in, the federal Liberal government will be moving into a federal election cycle,” Kenney said of his conversation with Trudeau. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content “We will begin with a path of diplomacy … we hope that we don’t need to use more forceful measures to assert Alberta’s economic interests.” Cabinet to be sworn in April 30 Kenney also firmed up plans to kick off a legislative session in the third week of May. A UCP cabinet will be sworn in on April 30, he said, though he stayed quiet on top picks. “We’ve got a great caucus to choose from, a very diverse team,” he said. “Obviously we’ll want to make sure there’s representation from every region … and a good mix of backgrounds.” Notably missing from the cabinet will be star UCP candidate for Edmonton-Meadows Len Rhodes, who lost his bid for election Tuesday night when the NDP swept Edmonton. Rhodes was the only UCP candidate appointed by Kenney as all other ridings had contested nominations. “I feel badly for Len and frankly I think he would have been a brilliant MLA … but I respect the decision of the voters,” Kenney told reporters. He also extended a hand to the city his party failed to capture, despite winning 63 seats to the NDP’s 24 as of results reported Wednesday afternoon. There were 7,151 of 7,326 polls reporting as of 4 p.m. “I was pleased last night to see the election of several United Conservative future MLAs from the Edmonton and capital region, but I wish we had elected more,” he said. “Let me be clear. Edmonton will continue to be deeply important to our work to creating economic growth and jobs.” Elections Alberta said nearly 70 per cent (69.9 per cent) of Albertans voted in the election, according to unofficial results. It marks the highest turnout in decades. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content And advance polls were popular, garnering 696,000 ballots cast between April 9 and 13. Elections Alberta said 223,000 were under the new “vote anywhere” option, which means Elections Alberta started counting those votes Wednesday afternoon. Session of repeal Albertans can expect the bulk of NDP policies that Kenney campaigned against to be rolled back before the Calgary Stampede kicks off July 5. Following the UCP victory that sent the province back into the hands of a conservative government, Kenney borrowed a line from Ontario Premier Doug Ford, telling a 1,000-strong crowd of supporters in Calgary that Alberta is “open for business.” “To bring in our major changes would be at least several bills, so I would see a late spring, early summer session. I’m pretty sure we can wrap up by the time Stampede starts.” Kenney said repeatedly during the election that Bill 1 of a UCP government would repeal the carbon tax.<doc-sep>Send this page to someone via email Jason Kenney’s United Conservative Party won a landslide victory in Alberta’s provincial election late Tuesday evening — bringing four years of NDP government to an end. In his acceptance speech, premier-designate Kenney pledged to revive Alberta’s troubled oil and gas sector, scale back on environmental policies and cut taxes. READ MORE: Justin Trudeau now faces conservative provincial governments from the Rockies to the Maritimes Story continues below advertisement The former federal Conservative cabinet minister left his seat in Ottawa in 2016 and announced plans to run for the leadership of Alberta’s Progressive Conservative Party. A year later, after a merger with the Wildrose Party, Kenney became leader of the new United Conservative Party. In case you haven’t been paying attention to the Alberta election, here are some key promises Kenney promised during the campaign trail. WATCH: Kenney outlines how he would kickstart Alberta’s energy sector 1:55 Kenney outlines how he would kickstart Alberta’s energy sector Kenney outlines how he would kickstart Alberta’s energy sector – Mar 22, 2019 Scrap carbon tax Kenney joins a growing list of Conservative premiers who are fighting the federally-imposed carbon tax. He has pledged to scrap Alberta’s $30-a-tonne carbon tax the NDP introduced in 2017. But, any province that doesn’t come up with its own carbon-pricing regime will face a federal “backstop,” a carbon tax that will start at $20 a tonne and then grow by $10 each year before it hits $50 in 2022. Story continues below advertisement Kenney has vowed to challenge the tax in court — just as Ontario is currently doing. The UCP is planning to replace it with a program known as Technology Innovation and Emissions Reductions (TIER), which targets large greenhouse-gas emitters and is set to take effect on Jan. 1, 2020. WATCH: UCP leader Jason Kenney says carbon tax is the ‘biggest lie’ in Alberta history 4:04 UCP leader Jason Kenney says carbon tax is the ‘biggest lie’ in Alberta history UCP leader Jason Kenney says carbon tax is the ‘biggest lie’ in Alberta history – Oct 5, 2018 Referendum on equalization payments During his campaign, Kenney promised to hold a referendum on removing equalization from the Canadian constitution if there is no progress on the Trans Mountain pipeline extension. The federal equalization program is meant to address fiscal disparities between so-called “have” and “have-not” provinces by giving money to the have-nots. Despite its economic slowdown, Alberta remains a “have” province. Story continues below advertisement The matter would be put before voters on Oct. 18, 2021, which would be the date of the next municipal elections in Alberta, he said. WATCH: Trudeau says Jason Kenney helped negotiate equalization formula 0:22 Trudeau says Jason Kenney helped negotiate equalization formula Trudeau says Jason Kenney helped negotiate equalization formula – Apr 16, 2019 ‘Turn off the taps’ on oil, gas shipments to B.C. Last week, Kenney promised to “turn off the taps” of gasoline “within an hour” of being sworn in as Alberta premier in response to B.C.’s court challenges against the Trans Mountain pipeline extension. The Alberta NDP passed Bill 12 last spring. It would give the province authority to direct truckers, pipeline companies and rail operators on how much product could be shipped and when. READ MORE: Kenney’s threat to ‘turn off the taps’ to B.C. ‘doesn’t make any business sense,’ experts say Specifically, it would give Alberta the green light to restrict oil gas shipments to B.C. if the province continues to stand in the war of the pipeline project. Story continues below advertisement Cutting oil flow to B.C. is expected to cause price spikes in gas at the pumps along with other related fuel fees. However, economists have warned that Alberta would be losing out on almost a million dollars a day by shutting off oil and gas to B.C. Bill 12 was never put into force, but now Kenney wants to enforce it. B.C. Premier John Horgan said he would simply look south of the border or to Asia to offset any loss of energy imports from Alberta. WATCH: Kenney would use turn-off-the-taps legislation against B.C. 0:59 Kenney would use turn-off-the-taps legislation against B.C. Kenney would use turn-off-the-taps legislation against B.C – Mar 21, 2019 Taxpayer-funded ‘war room’ During the campaign, Kenney reiterated the UCP’s intention to fight “fake news and share the truth” about Alberta’s energy industry. Story continues below advertisement The plan would include a war room, with a $30 million budget, staffed by mostly public servants to respond to critics, which he called the “green left.” “The special interests have targeted Alberta oil and not Saudi, Venezuelan, or Russian oil because they saw us as the boy scouts, the soft target,” Kenney said. “We will pass a law banning foreign money from being spent by special interests during Alberta elections.” He said he would also strip provincial funding from anti-oilsands groups and challenge the charitable status of foundations, like the David Suzuki Foundation. Suzuki has been highly critical of Alberta’s oilsands and has called for it to be shut down. WATCH: UCP leader on war room to battle oil industry myths 0:59 UCP leader on war room to battle oil industry myths UCP leader on war room to battle oil industry myths – Mar 22, 2019 Cut wait times on energy projects Kenney said if elected, his government would reduce wait times on energy projects by half to try to make them the fastest in North America. Story continues below advertisement He said his government would intervene at all National Energy Board hearings that affected Alberta’s oil and gas interests. — With files from Global News’s Jesse Ferreras, Jessica Vomiero and the Candian Press<doc-sep>Send this page to someone via email Global News has projected a majority government for Jason Kenney and the United Conservative Party. Here’s a look at some of the main promises Kenney made before and throughout the election campaign that helped the UCP gain support. Scrap the carbon tax One of the first things the UCP has vowed to do as government is scrap the NDP’s carbon tax. The UCP said Bill 1: The Carbon Tax Repeal Act would scrap the tax on “everything,” creating 6,000 jobs. Story continues below advertisement The party plans to replace the tax with a program targeting large emitters of greenhouse gases. The new program would be titled Technology Innovation and Emissions Reductions, or TIER, and take effect Jan. 1, 2020. It is similar to the old Specified Gas Emitters Regulation program launched by the Progressive Conservatives in 2007, and replaced by the NDP in 2018. Under the plan, facilities with emissions higher than 100,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide will have to reduce the intensity of those emissions starting at 10 per cent, and increasing by one per cent per year. If not, they can buy credits or offsets, or pay into a fund that will study ways to reduce GHG emissions. The party has also promised to file a formal court challenge of the federal carbon tax no later than April 30. Watch below: Danielle Smith, Ryan Jesperson, Duane Bratt and Dallas Flexhaug discuss Premier-designate Jason Kenney’s speech and how he threw down the gauntlet to his competitors. 6:37 Alberta Election 2019: Global News panel says fight has begun for Premier-designate Jason Kenney Alberta Election 2019: Global News panel says fight has begun for Premier-designate Jason Kenney – Apr 17, 2019 Repeal Bill 6 The UCP said it will introduce The Farm Freedom and Safety Act, which would repeal Bill 6, the NDP’s farm and ranch workplace legislation. Story continues below advertisement The UCP said the party will immediately begin “comprehensive consultation” with farmers, ranchers, agriculture workers on how best to balance the “unique economic pressure of farming with the need for a common sense, flexible farm safety regime. Kenney said The Farm Freedom and Safety Act would require employers to maintain workplace insurance for farm workers, but allow employers to choose whether to purchase insurance from the market or from the WCB as long as basic standards of coverage are met for things like medical and return-to-work support services. The legislation would exempt small farms from employment legislation while ensuring basic safety standards, the UCP said. The UCP said The Farm Freedom and Safety Act will be passed into law in 2019. ‘Get Albertans back to work’ The UCP has vowed to get Albertans back to work by introducing the Red Tape Reduction Plan, which the party said will cut red tape by one-third in order to reduce costs and speed up regulatory approvals for various projects. The party said it will appoint a minister to the file, as well as form industry panels to identify unnecessary red tape in every sector of Alberta’s economy. Story continues below advertisement Watch below: Former Interim Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada Rona Ambrose joins Joel Senick to discuss Jason Kenney’s Alberta election win. 2:29 Alberta Election 2019: Former Federal Conservative Leader Rona Ambrose Alberta Election 2019: Former Federal Conservative Leader Rona Ambrose – Apr 17, 2019 Find efficiencies in the health-care system The UCP said it will maintain or increase health spending and maintain a universally-accessible, publicly-funded system. However, the party said it will also explore private delivery options for some procedures. Kenney said his government would launch a third-party review of Alberta Health Services to target redundancies and inefficiencies in 4,000 management positions. A health spending review will also be done to find $200 million in administrative savings, Kenney said. Get Alberta’s books out of the red Kenney’s platform promised to get Alberta’s books out of the red and into a $714-million surplus by 2023 — a year earlier than the NDP. Story continues below advertisement The UCP projects that if it wins the election, the budget for 2019-20 would show a $7.4-billion deficit, including borrowing to pay for operations. The party said that would be followed by a $6.6-billion deficit the following year, then $4 billion in the red, before finally the $714-million surplus in the 2022-23 fiscal year. Watch below: Jason Kenney’s United Conservative Party has won a majority government in Alberta. Here is a look back on election night, in under two minutes. 1:48 Alberta Election 2019: A look back on the night in under 2 minutes Alberta Election 2019: A look back on the night in under 2 minutes – Apr 17, 2019 With files from Dean Bennett, The Canadian Press. —<doc-sep>
Send this page to someone via email Jason Kenney, Alberta’s incoming premier, said he cordially talked pipelines Wednesday with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — Kenney’s political nemesis and his election campaign pinata — and said the plan is to meet soon for a one-on-one. “He called to offer his congratulations. We spoke for about 15 minutes,” Kenney said outside Alberta’s legislature building. “We had a respectful conversation about a number of issues, including the need to get Canadian energy to foreign markets.” Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We had a respectful conversation about a number of issues, including the need to get Canadian energy to foreign markets." Kenney said he and Trudeau will try to meet shortly after Kenney and his new United Conservative government are sworn in on April 30. READ MORE: UCP wins Alberta election – here’s a look at the promises made by Jason Kenney It was a much anticipated conversation, given that Kenney successfully leveraged voter dissatisfaction with Trudeau in Alberta’s election, painting NDP Premier Rachel Notley as a weak enabler of federal energy policies he says are undermining its oil and gas sector. Story continues below advertisement Watch below: Jason Kenney says he spoke with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Wednesday morning. 1:27 Premier-designate Kenney spoke with PM Trudeau Premier-designate Kenney spoke with PM Trudeau – Apr 17, 2019 On Tuesday, Kenney’s United Conservatives won a strong majority government over Notley’s NDP, reducing core NDP support to mainly the city of Edmonton. READ MORE: What Alberta election results – and a mostly NDP Edmonton – could mean for the city Kenney and Notley have attacked the federal Liberals on proposed legislation, including a tanker ban on the northern B.C. coast and Bill C-69. Bill C-69, now before the Senate, creates new approval rules for energy projects, which Kenney calls an unconstitutional power grab on areas of provincial authority. Watch below: Jason Kenney led his UCP to an electoral victory on Tuesday night. The next day we learned he expects his cabinet to be sworn in on April 30. Tom Vernon takes a look at what Albertans can expect from Kenney going forward. 1:53 What Albertans can expect from Premier-designate Jason Kenney What Albertans can expect from Premier-designate Jason Kenney – Apr 17, 2019 The Kenney-Trudeau nexus is expected to play a pivotal role as the UCP work to implement its core campaign promise to create more jobs and grow the oil and gas sector. Story continues below advertisement Kenney has promised to fight Bill C-69 in court. He will also go to court to try to stop the federal government from imposing a carbon tax on Alberta once his UCP follows through next month on its promise to repeal the Alberta-made carbon levy. READ MORE: Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions went up in 2017 – far short of reduction targets Kenney, a former federal cabinet minister under Stephen Harper, has said the mere existence of Trudeau in power threatens Alberta’s economic prospects and has said he will do whatever he can to see Trudeau defeated in the fall election. The fight is also personal. Almost a year ago, Kenney, in a newspaper interview, dismissed Trudeau as a dilettante and a lightweight. “I know Justin. He doesn’t have a clue what he’s doing. This guy is an empty trust-fund millionaire who has the political depth of a finger bowl,” Kenney said at the time. Story continues below advertisement Kenney said Wednesday that the plan, for now, is to be positive. “We will begin with the path of diplomacy and try to find common ground,” he said. Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We will begin with the path of diplomacy and try to find common ground," he said. “We hope that we don’t need to use more forceful measures to assert Alberta’s vital economic interests.” READ MORE: UCP threatens constitutional challenge as relationship with Ottawa enters campaign Kenney also won the election on a promise to be more forceful with other provinces, saying that Albertans feel its neighbours are happy to share in the bounty of Alberta’s oil wealth while opposing measures like pipelines to help it grow. WATCH BELOW: Jason Kenney says he believes, once all ballots are counted, nearly 1 million people will have voted in the provincial election.