How much should I care about this political scandal?

[Barrister]

Okay, so I know that the Canadian Politics Redux thread doesn't get a lot of traffic, plus I'm hoping to get an outside perspective on this.

There's a brewing political scandal in Alberta.  We have to have a provincial election before the end of May.  The current government (I'll mention names but you don't need to know or remember them) is led by Rachel Notley and her left-wing New Democratic Party (NDP).  The opposition is led by Jason Kenney and his right wing United Conservative Party (UCP).

There used to be two right-of-centre parties in Alberta, which may explain why the NDP won it's first-ever government back in 2015.  Jason Kenney, formerly a Federal politician, came down to Alberta provincial politics.  He ran for leadership of one of the two parties (the PCs) with an explicit campaign to merge the PCs with the other right wing party (Wildrose).  He won that election, negotiated the merger that formed the United Conservative Party, then ran for the leadership of the new merged party.

When Kenney ran for leader of the new party, he ran against the former leader of Wildrose, a man named Brian Jean.

Now here's the scandal - in that leadership election it appears clear that Kenney's campaign financed and supported a third candidate, Jeff Callaway.  The allegation (which has support) was that Callaway was a "kamikaze" candidate - that he directed all of his attacks against Jean, said nothing about Kenney, and eventually withdrew from the race and threw his support behind Kenney - who went on to win easily.

Now: there's nothing against the rules for candidates helping each other or co-ordinating their campaigns.  However Kenney has stated several times there was no such co-operation - and that increasingly seems like that is a lie.

It does also appear that there may have been some campaign finance violations - that money was given to the Callaway campaign from the Kenney camp that wasn't properly accounted for.

So Languish: how much should I care about this scandal?  Jason Kenney has been "my guy" for awhile, so I'm certainly a little bit biased.  Is this just hard-nosed politics, or is it just plain undemocratic?



(and just a bit more background if anyone is curious - once upon a time both Kenney and Jean were members of Stephen Harper's caucus.  Jason Kenney was one of Harper's most senior ministers, and seen to be one of his most successful.  He also comes across as fairly cold - a guy who is always relentlessly "on".  He's never married and lived with his mom when not in Ottawa.  Jean is kind of his opposite - he was a backbench MP who never had any profile on Ottawa.  He's not even very good at giving a political speech in front of people, but has a very down to earth kind of persona, seems very approachable.  He lost his home in wildfires in Ft McMurray and has a new family.)

[Admiral Yi]

Your hero is a con man.

[Zoupa]

Sure it's undemocratic but it's party politics. In a general election it would carry 1000 times more weight with me.

Kenney has always been a little loser to me anyway 

[merithyn]

It sounds pretty devious and unsportsmanlike to me. Very not your usual MO, BB.

Not sure how you can continue to support him. His party, sure, but him? eh...

[Barrister]

It sounds pretty devious and unsportsmanlike to me. Very not your usual MO, BB.

Not sure how you can continue to support him. His party, sure, but him? eh...

Well you can't really separate the two.  In the fall I have to vote for a party, and it sure as hell won't be the NDP.

[crazy canuck]

Actually you vote for a member of the legislature

[PRC]

Well you can't really separate the two.  In the fall I have to vote for a party, and it sure as hell won't be the NDP.

Are Conservatives people of good principle, holding moral authority in their politics high?  If so then the answer is clear, Jason Kenney has engaged in unethical conduct against his fellow Conservatives, and the people of Alberta, and he should not be supported.  If you can't vote for the NDP, then you should abstain.

[Barrister]

Actually you vote for a member of the legislature

...who is a member of a political party, and invariably takes his or her directions from the leader.

[viper37]

Your hero is a con man.

I agree.

[viper37]

Actually you vote for a member of the legislature

We all now, 95% of the time, we vote for the party.  Lots of people don't know their MPs, but they know the Premier/Prime Minister.  In some riding, just about anyone will win as long as he is in the right party (hint: Montreal's West Island ridings always lean Liberal).

[crazy canuck]

Actually you vote for a member of the legislature

...who is a member of a political party, and invariably takes his or her directions from the leader.

As was so aptly demonstrated by two former cabinet ministers.

[alfred russel]

Covertly backing a third candidate is just hard nosed politics.

Lying about it makes one a liar. Naughty, but I've been led to believe not unusual for politicians.

Campaign finance violations may make one a criminal, depending on the severity.

[merithyn]

Personally, I wouldn't be able to support this guy. However that looks in your government, that would be the final choice for me. It seems odd that you of all people aren't sure if this should matter for you. He's everything you espouse to find distasteful. I guess I'm not sure why you're struggling.

[Barrister]

Personally, I wouldn't be able to support this guy. However that looks in your government, that would be the final choice for me. It seems odd that you of all people aren't sure if this should matter for you. He's everything you espouse to find distasteful. I guess I'm not sure why you're struggling.

I was twice a campaign manager in a real election - once federally, once provincially.  They were efforts we were always doomed to lose as we were up against strong incumbents, but it gave me some appreciation for political campaigns.  And I, for one, respect and enjoy "hard nosed politics" that got right up to the line, but don't cross it.  There's no problem with negative campaigning, or trying to supress your opponents vote, for example.

As for the campaign finance violations - it appears to be more of an issue that the funds could have been used in this way, they just didn't want to admit it and thus failed to report it.  It's more of a regulatory offence than a criminal one.

Or maybe not - it has apparently been referred to the RCMP, which seems to mean something thinks it might be criminal.  That obviously would be a bigger deal.

[Eddie Teach]

Where's the option for Nobody should care about Alberta politics?