Alberta UCP ‘evasive’, faking public accessibility with premier’s Facebook Live: expert
Posted September 3, 2021 8:03 am.
Last Updated September 3, 2021 8:13 am.
CALGARY – Premier Jason Kenney’s approach to addressing the public through Facebook Live after weeks of silence may not have been the best way to address the COVID-19 situation, according to one expert.
The premier said during his live event on Wednesday that his decision to go on vacation was made in part because August is usually a quieter time for politics.
READ MORE: Premier Kenney breaks silence, answers questions on Facebook Live
But that’s not the most concerning part, says Associate Professor of Policy Studies at Mount Royal University Lori Williams.
She says it’s worrisome that other officials were not around to address the public health crisis unfolding in the province during Kenney’s absence.
“It looks evasive. It looks like they don’t want to answer questions because they don’t have the answers to provide it,” Williams said.
“It doesn’t look like the government knows how it wants to respond to this fourth wave, this crisis that Alberta faces in a worse way than any other province.”
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Wiliams adds the fact that Kenney’s first public address was during a Facebook Live event–and not one where people could truly ask questions–adds to the evasive look.
“Those who watched, saw the premier choose which questions he wants to answer. He also read the question, so you heard the question as read by the premier. There were no follow-up questions,” she explained.
“That isn’t full public accessibility.”
She says this is an example of the UCP once again breaking public trust, which will create an uphill battle for the party to regain confidence.
