OPINION: Alberta election 2019: Economic worries trumped concerns about UCP. Now what? – by Gary Mason (Globe and Mail – April 17, 2019)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

In the end, a battered economy trumped everything. Jason Kenney and his United Conservative Party won a historic Alberta election Tuesday, overcoming concerns about his own moral and ethical imperatives and a string of controversies generated by UCP candidates linked to racist and homophobic commentary.

While the public storms these incidents caused undoubtedly cost Mr. Kenney support, it was not enough to jeopardize the lead his party had established over the NDP.

Now hold on to your hats. The province, and the country, will not have seen an Alberta premier this ready to rock conventions, to disrupt the status quo, since Ralph Klein.

This is why so many voters found Mr. Kenney an attractive option to NDP Leader Rachel Notley, who, despite her personal popularity, was seen as too cautious a choice for the perilous times that have enveloped the province.

Four years of high unemployment. A recession that left looming shadows on the horizon that could portend another. Stuttering economic growth. Burgeoning debt. No new pipeline.

For the rest of this article: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-alberta-election-2019-economic-worries-trumped-concerns-about-ucp/