LISTEN: Extended transcript of Alberta Premier Jason Kenney’s secretly recorded meeting with UCP caucus staff

Editor’s word: International Information has redacted a portion of the recording because of allegations made which can’t be verified by International Information. As well as, feedback made by Jason Kenney concerning lockdowns in Asia are usually not correct. China enacted new lockdowns as early as March 14, 2022.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney stated he spent his Christmas break critically contemplating leaving his job as Alberta’s premier however he determined to remain on for the great of his social gathering, in keeping with an audio recording lately obtained by International Information.

Within the audio recording, which was secretly recorded assembly with members of his United Conservative Social gathering caucus workers, Kenney additionally stated he might go into the personal sector and dwell a “regular life.”

This comes as Kenney is at present dealing with a management evaluate compelled by members of his social gathering dissatisfied along with his efficiency. In keeping with Kenney, his views in the direction of a number of the members have satisfied him to battle for his job.

Under is a transcript of the leaked audio recording:

They’ve determined they’re going to take over the federal government of Alberta. Um, and that’s what’s taking place right here.

In a proper management evaluate (inaudible) is that 1,300 hungover PCs which might get up at a conference lodge on a Saturday morning they usually’d seize a espresso they usually’d stumble in to solid a poll within the management evaluate, and 75 or 80 per cent would vote for the chief… and 15 or y’know, 20 per cent or so, the people who didn’t get the appointment, didn’t get the funding or the premier didn’t ship flowers on a birthday or no matter, they’d come and vote in opposition to the chief and all the pieces was high-quality.

And if that was what I used to be coping with, no drawback. No drawback. Regular inner politics — I can deal with. I can deal with. 

However this, nothing regular about this. Individuals who suppose I’m concerned in a worldwide conspiracy to visitors kids actually, actually displaying as much as vote on April the ninth.

So what we are attempting to do, and I admire your assist on this, is to (unclear) activate the overwhelming majority of mainstream conservatives and simply like-minded folks, the 2.

As a result of if I, you recognize, what’s the simplest path for me? Simply to take a stroll. I don’t want this job. I’m positive I might go to the personal sector, and have my evenings and weekends off.

And doubtless be much more (unclear) and have a standard life, not dwell underneath bone-crushing stress day-after-day, not be viciously attacked, have demise threats on a regular basis. 

Like I, doesn’t sound so unhealthy to me. Uh, so why don’t I? I believed lots about it, truthfully, over Christmas, and I made a decision not, I made a decision that will be grossly irresponsible as a result of if we have been to have a management election on this context, it will, uh, I feel completely divide (inaudible). Hand the NDP the subsequent election.  

You may think about (unclear) management candidates going out to components of rural Alberta the place these sentiments are usually not, you recognize, the place these sentiments are shockingly widespread. It will toxify the social gathering ceaselessly.

So I um, I’ve determined that, once more, after lengthy session, uh, with my colleagues and with others that I’ve to remain on this, having now to construct this social gathering to make sure that it stays a mainstream social gathering.  

And It’s not simply COVID craziness by the way in which. Preston Manning used to say that vivid gentle attracts a number of bugs, effectively there’s various bugs drawn to us, this social gathering proper now due to COVID and different anger.  

However usually these are…I’m simply going to let you know guys, I don’t say these things (unclear), these are simply kooky folks, usually. I imply, all of that noise on social media, all of the chatter about these candidates that we lately screened out…

[REDACTED]

I excluded (unclear) as a candidate, and about 35 different folks within the final election. All 35 of them are coming for me on April the ninth.

The the the, uh, the lunatics are attempting to take over the asylum. And I’m not going to allow them to. I cannot let that occur. I cannot let this mainstream conservative social gathering change into a, uh, an agent for excessive, hateful, illiberal, bigoted and loopy views.  

Sorry to be so blunt with you, however you should perceive what the stakes are right here. Chances are you’ll not like me or my model or selections that I’ve made, I don’t, I welcome constructive criticism.

However my, my attraction to the members is, “Look, you requested how you can (unclear) transfer to the long run, by transferring (unclear) in the direction of the long run.”  

COVID, we all know the worst of it, I consider we now have purpose to consider the worst of it’s behind us.

Yeah, there’s going to be extra waves, the BA.2 wave that‘s in Europe and Asia goes to get us — however no person is locking down in these societies as a result of they don’t, as a result of it doesn’t present up in hospitals. Um, it’s mainly even apparently much less pathogenic than Omicron. So we are able to consider that the worst of COVID is behind.

(Recording ends)