Commentary
Shortly after being elected as Alberta’s premier in 2019, Jason Kenney launched what was called the Fair Deal Panel. The mandate of the panel was to gauge ways Alberta could assert itself within confederation and shield itself from federal incursions. The panel was comprised of a wide array of Albertans, from government members to academics, and it toured the province for months seeking input from citizens at public meetings.
In May 2020, the panel released a report with 25 recommendations, including forming a provincial police force, forming a provincial pension plan, and taking more control over immigration. Most of the recommendations died on the vine. The COVID-19 pandemic was just emerging and surely pushed the panel recommendations down on the government priority list. Nonetheless, the government’s inaction on the panel recommendations contributed to the member-driven coup leading to the removal of Jason Kenney as the leader of the UCP….