UCP leader Jason Kenney (middle) with Red Deer candidates Jason Stephan and Adriana LaGrange. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

election day looms

Confident Kenney makes final stop south of the capital before focusing on ‘key battleground’

Apr 12, 2019 | 5:10 PM

Just four days remain until Alberta votes and UCP leader Jason Kenney is as confident as ever.

Kenney made an impromptu stop in Red Deer on Friday at the campaign headquarters of Red Deer-South candidate Jason Stephan. The pair was joined by Red Deer-North candidate Adriana LaGrange and Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre’s Jason Nixon.

Kenney championed his candidates, noting Stephan’s perspectives on small business and economic growth, then LaGrange’s experience with Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools, calling her an “expert on public education.”

“I can guarantee you that with Jason and Adriana in the Legislature, a United Conservative government will invest in expanding and improving the Red Deer Hospital to ensure that it is there for future generations,” he said.

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Kenney went on to boast about the electric crowd at the Calgary Flames game on Thursday night, which he attended.

There were chants of ‘UCP, UCP’ as he took to the cheap seats, he recalled, which is why he’s focusing the rest of his campaign on parts further north.

“The key battleground is now Edmonton,” he stated. “I’m going up there to fight for every vote in the great capital city of Alberta with a message that we need that great, hard-working northern Canadian city of Edmonton to be strongly represented around the table.”

Kenney referred back to common talking points about stopping what he calls the ‘Trudeau-Notley alliance,’ preventing a ‘$110 billion debt-hole,’ and making sure pipelines get built for the purpose of moving the world’s ‘most ethically-produced energy.’

“If Justin Trudeau gets re-elected, it is going to be devastating for this province,” Kenney told 30-or so supporters. “He’s going to impose his federal carbon tax if we don’t win that one in the courts, the oil sands cap that jeopardizes our prosperity, and his tanker ban that’s not a ban on OPEC dictator oil, but on ethical Canadian oil from leaving this country, and God knows what else he has up his sleeve.”

In addition to his lamenting of the current prime minister, Kenney spoke of his Calgary rally on Thursday with federal Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer. Kenney said the UCP will do whatever they can for Scheer to ensure he is elected.

Kenney then pushed for investment in the private sector, and mentioned the canola ban implemented by China which he says has cost local farmers half their revenue.

And the leader of the United Conservative Party couldn’t help but take a dig at one of his own candidates.

“I’m a little worried about (Jason) Nixon. He’s a little weak over there with the support,” Kenney joked. “We’re wondering if he’s going to break the 90 per cent threshold this time.”

Nixon actually garnered just over 40 per cent of the vote in 2015.

“The winds of change are blowing right here in Alberta,” Kenney concluded, noting high advanced voter turnout is likely a good sign for his party.

“As Andrew Scheer said last night in Calgary, it might be a blizzard right now, it might have been a long Alberta winter, but spring is coming this Tuesday in Alberta.”