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Analysis
Politics
Coronavirus

Come for the Press Conference, Stay for the Party?

Hours after encouraging workplaces to cancel holiday gatherings, Kenney’s Conservatives held one.

David Climenhaga 23 Dec 2021Alberta Politics

David J. Climenhaga is an award-winning journalist, author, post-secondary teacher, poet and trade union communicator. He blogs at Alberta Politics, where this column first appeared. Follow him on Twitter @djclimenhaga.
JasonKenneySpeaking.jpg
'What we do know is that is that this variant is more transmissible than any previous strain of the COVID-19 virus,' Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said at a press conference held Tuesday. Image via Government of Alberta.

“I appeal to all Albertans to reduce their number of contacts by half over the coming weeks, follow the guidelines already in place, and get the vaccine booster as soon as they are eligible,” said Jason Kenney, premier of Alberta and leader of the governing United Conservative Party, way back on Tuesday.

Kenney was at a 3 p.m. news conference called to warn Albertans about the coming fifth wave of COVID-19, powered by the Omicron variant of the virus.

He appeared at the news conference with Jason Copping, minister of health, and Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, each of whom had a similar message.

“We strongly encourage workplaces to cancel any holiday social gatherings,” Copping said.

“Now more than ever, it is important for Albertans to follow public health measures and consider how their actions may affect others,” Hinshaw chipped in.

No one can argue with the good sense expressed in these sentiments.

The news conference wrapped up a couple of minutes after 4 p.m.

Less than two and a half hours later, however, about 200 UCP supporters were gathering at the Parlour Italian Kitchen & Bar six blocks north of the Alberta legislature building and literally in sight of the dome, for “good food and good fellowship as we celebrate the Christmas season with our United Conservative family.”

None of the three dispensers of the afternoon’s dollops of UCP COVID-prevention wisdom appear to have made it to the affair, where “delicious reception-style food” was served and a cash bar was operating.

But Justice Minister Kaycee Madu was reported to be on hand as the private party’s genial local MLA host, snapped through a window by alert passing non-members — or, at least, folks unaware if memberships have been purchased in their names.

Associate Natural Gas Minister Dale Nally, the MLA for Morinville–St. Albert, was also said to be on hand to share hosting duties.

To steal a line from the United Kingdom, “were these people not even professionally self-interested enough to realize that as the setters of the rules in a deadly pandemic, it was mission-critical that they adhered at all times to both the letter and spirit of them?”

That was columnist Marina Hyde in the Guardian this Tuesday, expressing her wonderment at the mid-pandemic partying by Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his aides and allies on the other side of the Pond.

It’s a good question nonetheless, regardless of which side of the Atlantic one happens to be on. And like their Tory inspirations in the United Kingdom, the Alberta chapter of the world Con-fraternity of the entitled and arrogant have no good answers.

“The premier’s advice to Albertans was given only a short time before our event was to begin, and given our compliance with the REP and adequate spacing in the venue with reduced capacity, we decided to proceed,” shrugged party communications director Dave Prisco in a statement to CTV News. (Translation: No laws were broken. REP, of course, stands for “restrictions exemption program,” the UCP’s politically correct euphemism for Alberta’s vaccine passport.)

Presumably embarrassed by the resulting brouhaha, however, the UCP cancelled similar festivities in Calgary scheduled for last night.

Still, it’s difficult to escape the conclusion that Alberta’s Conservatives really believe the rules are only for the rest of us.

Either that, or their leader has completely lost control of his scofflaw party, Prisco’s recent endeavours on his behalf notwithstanding.

Well, at least there’s just over a week left until 2022, so this will probably be the last UCP political scandal of the year.

Then again, maybe not!

Madu is planning a party for “all the good boys and girls of Edmonton–South West,” his riding, this evening.

If the symptoms of Omicron show up in only three days, as has been anecdotally reported, that’s plenty of time for something from Tuesday’s good fellowship to be passed along with Santa’s gifts via MLA Madu well before New Year’s Day.

And that would be a scandal too.

Prudent parents are advised to give the party a miss.

Prudent voters are advised to give the UCP a miss in the provincial election scheduled for the spring of 2023. [Tyee]

Read more: Politics, Coronavirus

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