Brian Jean Aims To Be Alberta’s Prime Minister: ‘Something Has To Be Done’ | The Canadian News

If a leadership race is sparked, Brian Jean intends to run for the top post of the United Conservative Party, and then the prime minister, he told 630 CHED on Tuesday.

Jean sat down for his first broadcast interview in some time, and the first since he announced last week that he will seek the UCP seat in the Fort McMurray / Lac La Biche pick, with 630 CHED Mornings with Daryl McIntyre.

“Something has to be done,” Jean said.

“If there are no changes, Rachel Notley will win an overwhelming majority and her second term will be much worse for Alberta than her first term.”

The former Wildrose Party leader has openly criticized Prime Minister Jason Kenney’s leadership of the province and PCU, saying there are now people in the legislature who want change but have not been able to achieve it.

He also asked the prime minister to resign, something he says he still supports.

“If (Kenney) values ​​this concept of bringing Albertans together, which I think is so important in the future, then he must recognize that he is not the person who will lead the UCP to success in the future,” said Jean.

Kenney and Jean have gone head-to-head before, vying to be the leader of the UCP in 2017 after joining the now-defunct Progressive Conservative and Wildrose parties. Kenney won 61.1 percent of the vote, compared to 31.1 percent for Brian Jean.

“When that happens, you have to put things behind you and try to get out of the way,” Jean said Tuesday. “And I got out of the way because Jason Kenney wanted me to go.

“Now it is very clear that he cannot take this game and the movement to the next level,” said Jean.

“It will not succeed in winning the hearts and minds of Albertans, and it is clear to me that it has to step aside.”

In early 2018, Jean announced that he was leaving politics to spend time with his family. He says the decision was compounded by the fact that Kenney did not speak to him for several months after the leadership race.

“Can you imagine your boss not talking to you for four or five months?” Jean said.

“I was not going to make a difference in that environment for the people I represent, for my constituents.”

630 CHED has reached out to the prime minister’s office to comment on Jean’s allegations. This story will be updated if a response is received.

Jean’s move comes on the heels of news that Alberta’s NDP continues to raise more money from its supporters than the UCP from its own.

“That tells you everything you need to know in politics,” Jean said.

“If you can’t raise money and you can’t keep members, you can’t win.”

Kenney also continues to face criticism from members of his party for his response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some have criticized him for doing too little too late to address this summer’s flood of coronavirus hospitalizations in the province, while others say he has infringed on people’s individual rights with his public health measures, such as the Vaccine passport introduced in September.

According to the UCP president, Kenney will face a leadership review in the spring.

If successful in winning the UCP nomination, Jean will participate in any subsequent leadership races that may be unleashed.

“I think Albertans need someone like me to stand up and be the catalyst for change,” Jean said. “Whether I am successful as leader of the PCU and ultimately prime minister is not the important part right now.

“If Jason Kenney advances as leader of the PCU, we will lose. And Rachel Notley with Justin Trudeau will transform our province into something we will not recognize. “

The Fort McMurray seat was vacated when Laila Goodridge successfully ran for the Conservative Party of Canada in this summer’s federal election.