In his first three months, including a session of the legislature, Premier Jason Kenney is establishing a new era in Alberta politics including a national role for the province.
The blue pickup truck he campaigned in to reunite the conservatives has been replaced by jet travel to other provinces to meet other premiers individually and at the summer first ministers' meeting in Saskatoon on July 9.
His first and foremost goal is to restore the Conservatives to the government in the coming October federal election as he did in Alberta in May.
There is a larger purpose, to establish a new conservative era in Canada, to make Conservatives the naturally governing party of the 21st century, a role the Liberals had in the 20th.
If the Conservatives are successful in this crusade, a significant result would be the restoration of Stephen Harper’s reputation.
Andrew Scheer’s Progressive Conservatives have been leading in the national election-forecast polls since March and are favoured to win by a slim margin.
Kenney promised to hit the ground running if he won the April 16 election, and he has kept that promise.
He also promised to undo many of the achievements of the NDP government and he has done that too, in spite of two all-night filibusters in the legislature by New Democrat MLAs.
The most controversial bill that drew a filibuster amended rules for gay-straight alliances in the schools to allow, among other transparency and accountability measures, that parents be informed if their child joins a GSA.
The other filibuster bill changes overtime rules for workers and cuts the minimum hourly wages for students.
These two controversies define the political debate about provincial issues as a culture war over LQBTQ issues and a conflict between the government and organized and unorganized labour.
The national issue is pipelines.
Kenney has no more control over oil prices than did Rachel Notley.
The conventional wisdom is that higher prices would create jobs in the oilpatch, but economists are now debating a jobless recovery.
The first Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund grant lured Parkland Fuel Corporation away from Red Deer. Parkland will receive $4 million to bring its national operations to that city.
The grant will help with the relocation, retention or creation of 430 permanent full-time head office jobs.
Parkland Fuel and the city don’t know how many of these jobs will be new.
And occupy empty office space.
All they can say for certain is that people who worked for the company in Red Deer will now work in Calgary, or be replaced by someone willing to work there.
What the Alberta economy would benefit more from is additional pipeline capacity.
What the Alberta economy needs is new extra-provincial pipeline capacity.
However, there are new legal, regulatory, construction and business delays to the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion and oil tanker shipments off the British Columbia coast.
The Jason Kenney government is making no impact on the pipeline file.
A new national Conservative government after October might make a difference.
There is, however, no guarantee. Even if Conservatives do better, it will take time.
What has changed is that with a Kenney government, attitudes are optimistic and that may make the waiting palatable.
– Frank Dabbs is a veteran business and political journalist, author and editor.
