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PC leader hopeful Jason Kenney comes to Rimbey

Jason Kenney speaks in Rimbey about his vision of uniting the Progressive Conservative and Wildrose parties.

By Treena Mielke

A small but enthusiastic crowd met at meeting room at the Best Western Hotel last Saturday to listen to PC leader hopeful, Jason Kenney.

The politician’s stop in Rimbey was part of his town hall meetings across Alberta. These meetings are being held with the intent of building momentum towards his vision of uniting the Progressive Conservatives and The Wildrose parties.

“This is a ‘can do’ province,” Kenney said. “This is the place where when we see an obstacle, we can overcome it. This province is wonderful.”

Making a difference and bringing Albertans together in a common sense approach which requires stirring the pot and making necessary changes. Rolling up both parties is creating something new, he said.

“Somebody has to be the disruptive force to get the ball rolling,” he added. “Nothing is going to happen to unite the parties unless the PCs elect a pro-unity leader.”

Kenney said he believes the number one reason the PCs lost the last election is because they became arrogant.

“What I’m proposing is a period of humility. We need to have confidence in the wisdom of the common people.”

Kenney said the carbon tax should be repealed as it drives investment away.

“There’s a red flag on Alberta right now. There is more drilling in Saskatchewan than Alberta, but it’s not all because of the carbon tax,” he added.

Kenney said PC voters remain loyal to the party.

“If it hasn’t disappeared under Allison Redford then it’s not going to disappear,” he said.

Kenney, who was born May 30, 1968, has represented the riding of Calgary Midnapore in the Canadian House of Commons since 1997.

Initially elected as a candidate of the Reform Party of Canada, Kenney was re-elected as a Canadian Alliance candidate in 2000 and has since been re-elected four times as the candidate of the Conservative Party of Canada.

He was appointed parliamentary secretary for the prime minster is 2006. The following year he was sworn into the Privy Council as the Secretary of State for multiculturism and Candian identity.

Kenney held the post of Minister for Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism from October 30, 2008, to July 15, 2013, when he became Minister of Employment and Social Development and Minister for Multiculturalism.

On February 9, 2015, he was named Minister of National Defense. On July 6, 2016, he announced his intention to run for the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta in this year’s leadership election.