Kenneyism? - Jason Kenney’s Pursuit of Power with speaker Jerremy Appel

Combining firm ideological commitments with shrewd political tactics, Jason Kenney was a key figure in bringing right-wing populism to the mainstream of Canadian politics, but in doing so he unleashed forces he couldn’t control, which eventually produced his downfall.

The speaker will argue that from Jason Kenney’s days as an anti-abortion activist at the University of San Francisco, and through his years as a Canadian Taxpayers Federation lobbyist, Reform MP, top cabinet minister in the Harper government, and Alberta premier, Kenney has been single-mindedly driven to bring his harsh moralistic worldview into the mainstream.

Kenney took on the old guard of Canada’s liberal consensus and won, playing a key role in shifting the country’s political discussion to the right. But the very right-wing populist forces Kenney cultivated would come back to haunt him.

Speaker: Jeremy Appel

Jeremy Appel has observed Alberta politics and reported on various aspects of Kenney’s agenda since 2017, when Kenney made his way across the province in his big blue pickup truck to rile up aggrieved conservatives. Appel’s book, Kenneyism: Jason Kenney’s Pursuit of Power examines Kenney’s political beliefs, his rise through federal political ranks, and his ultimate resignation from the leadership of the United Conservative Party.