1+1 E259 Youri speaks to Jeremy Appel on Alberta politics & the rise & legacy of Jason Kenney

Hello everyone welcome to another edition of 1+1, your place for inconvenient truthtelling and mythbusting. And on this edition of 1+1, this is our all things Canada edition, and we are joined by Jeremy Appel, Jeremy is an independent journalist based in Edmonton, Alberta, and he’s had fantastic work published in indie left leaning Canadian publication such as The Maple, The Breach, and his own substack and has a page called the Orchard or read the Orchard. Org . and on the program we’ll be talking about the province of Alberta, its former Premier Jason Kenney of the United Conversative Party who Jeremy has done a critical biography of and assessment of his legacy in his new book called Kenneyism: Jason Kenney’s pursuit of power, we’ll be talking about the unique right-wing, dare I even say far-right very Pro-Corporate politics of Alberta, so exploring Western Alientation, the roots of Jason Kenney so talking about the Reform Party and Canadian Alliance, former Premier Ralph Klein, the legacy of Jason Kenney, but also explore the NDP who Mr. Appel argues paved the way for the rise of the UCP, and also assess the current Premier of Alberta who hails from the UCP Danielle Smith. the table of contents are
1. first question is explain to an international audience and even Canadian audience briefly if possible the unique politics and culture that comes with it in Alberta
2. Talk to us about this whole thesis of Western Alienation in Western Canada, particularly Alberta, and is their any truth to Western Alienation that far too much focus and power lies in Ontario and Quebec gets special treatment whereas the Western provinces don’t and like places in the US like West Virginia and other places that still extract coal, the rest of the country gets all the benefits but the workers and people of the state hardly see the rewards of their labour, but certainly the big bosses do?
3. To understand Jason Kenney’s politics and Western Alienation which is cynical fake populism to a large degree we have to talk about the once mighty Reform Party and the movement behind it, talk to us about the Reform Party and its leader Preston Manning who Jason Kenney was a student/member of his party, the former Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper and I’m sure you’ll tell the audience how that party the Conservative Party came about and the current leader of the Conservative Party the official somewhat opposition hehe! The Conservative Party Pierre Poilievre also like Kenny and Harper, was a Reform Party member later Canadian Alliance and now the mighty Tory party in its current form.
4. Now a guy like Jason Kenney even Danielle Smith with their petro populism hehe!, can’t get into power without the like of very economically regressive douchebags like Ralph Klein. Can you talk about who Ralph Klein was the former Premier of Alberta of the Progressive Conservative Party who held power during much of the 90s until 2006, what is his legacy and how do you think he paved the way for someone like Jason Kenney?
5. And before the UCP came to power in Alberta the emergence of a very far-right party the Wild Rose Party came and they are the worst of both worlds because very socially regressive as well fiscally conservative right?
6. How did the Alberta NDP you think helped pave the way for the UCP? and from there you can explain to us now how Jason Kenney who was a a major foreign minister in the Stephen Harper Administration, how did he finally come to power and consolidate power in Alberta, what caused his downfall because he was overthrown by his own party, by party members, so talk about all of that and how do you assess his legacy?
7. How do you assess Danielle Smith’s who is in a nutshell safe to say she is the female version of Jason Kenney? How do you assess her tenure so far in Alberta?
8. What do you think its going to take for the Canadian left to end the right-wing terror in Alberta and similar places in the Western Canada, and if another federal election was to come about do you think the Conservatives under Pierre Poilievre will mount a comeback?
9. Jeremy responds to a quote of Yves Engler on the Real News Network calling out Western Alienation, the Wexit/West exit movement, & Alberta's fossil fuel industry
10. Jeremy responds to my question on the Straight-Cisgender Left's alliance and standing up for the Trans and Two Spirit/nonbinay/Queer community when far-right governments in Alberta and Saskatchewan where engaging in transphobic/queerphobic attacks on the community, there were large Parent's right's movement protests in favor for the anti-queer education reforms but they were met province-wide and nationwide by counter protestors defending the Trans/non-binary and larger Queer community at large. we hope the Straight-Cisgender left can be better allies elsewhere were transphobic policies are advancing.
11. what is your favorite word?
12. what is your least favorite word?
13. James Lipton Questionnaire