Alberta's premier recently pretended to care about racism.
He even spoke eloquently about the need to not only recognize that prejudice still exists all over, but also called to openly condemn it at every opportunity, prompting me to reluctantly write a piece about giving credit where it's due.
But, just as I suspected, his comments were nothing more than empty political platitudes that were absolutely bereft of the slightest shred of sincerity.
Jason Kenney recently decided to prove he was merely paying lip service when he said, "Racism is always everywhere, it’s a sickness of the soul and must be condemned at every turn."
The part he naturally left out was, "...except, of course, in the case of my specially selected party faithful and most loyal henchmen."
For given the chance to put his money where his mouth is and follow the example of his own words to "condemn" racism at "every turn," he instead stoutly doubled down to defend an unabashed racist within his own ranks.
After word surfaced that his speechwriter wrote some seven years ago that public schools are "uncritically regurgitating the genocide story as if it were fact," calls for his dismissal quickly grew. Those calls have only grown louder with further revelations the speechwriter has a lengthy history of spouting hateful rhetoric against not only First Nations and Indigenous peoples, but the LGBTQ+ community as well.
Perhaps predictably, the premier wasted little time with his political manoeuvring, and claimed he "fundamentally disagrees" with the column whose headline egregiously describes the residential school system as "The 'Genocide' That Failed."
Kenney proceeded to bloviate about how a journalist with 40 years of writing experience will have penned pieces he disagrees with, but that he doesn't see that as justification to fire the speechwriter.
But we're not talking about something written 40 years ago. Or even 30. Not even 20. In fact, less than 10 years ago. The speechwriter's comments are not ancient history, and he seems unrepentant about his inflammatory rhetoric.
Still, the premier defends him, as he defended the health minister who drove to a doctor's house to berate the physician in front of his family and neighbours.
I can't help but to think of the old adage, "Birds of a feather, flock together."
Make no mistake.
The dubious example set by our double-talking premier will embolden his base, who will see his defence of the speechwriter, and every other appointed crony who steps out of line, as Kenney's tacit, rubber-stamp approval of their behaviour.
Perhaps most surprisingly, despite a substantially dropping in the polls since the 2019 election, many Albertans still support the UCP.
Personally, I believe we can do better.