Jason Kenney

Jason Thomas Kenney (born May 30, 1968) is a former Canadian politician who served as the 18th premier of Alberta from 2019 until 2022, and the leader of the United Conservative Party (UCP) from 2017 until 2022.

Jason Thomas Kenney was born on May 30, 1968, in Oakville, Ontario, the son of Lynne (Tunbridge) and Robert Martin Kenney.

His father was a teacher at Appleby College and was of Irish heritage.

Kenney's grandfather was jazz musician and big band leader Mart Kenney.

Kenney attended the Athol Murray College of Notre Dame in Wilcox, Saskatchewan, a private Catholic high school of which his father was president.

Kenney may have been inspired to enter politics following a brief discussion with former prime minister John Diefenbaker.

Kenney studied philosophy at the University of San Francisco, a Jesuit university in San Francisco, California, but failed to complete his coursework.

It was there that he discovered conservatism.

During his time in California, Kenney was interviewed by CNN for a segment exploring religious values.

In the segment, where he was credited as "Jason Kenny – Anti-abortion Activist," he argued against Jesuit professors who declared free speech as essential to a university.

Allowing pro-choice activists on campus, Kenney argued, was "destroying the mission and the purpose of this university."

In the student newspaper, the San Francisco Foghorn, he suggested that giving a platform to pro-choice groups would mean the school had no basis to refuse a similar platform to pedophiles or to the Church of Satan.

The Archbishop rejected Kenney's petition that summer, and he never returned to complete his undergraduate degree.

Instead, Kenney returned to Canada to begin work for the Saskatchewan Liberal Party.

He was "very involved in the young Liberals" as a young man, and in 1988 was executive assistant to Ralph Goodale, the leader of the provincial party at the time.

In 1989, he was hired as the first executive director of the Alberta Taxpayers Association before becoming the president and chief executive officer of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

Not long after, in 1989, Kenney was hired as the first executive director of the Alberta Taxpayers Association, which advocated for fiscal responsibility.

In 1990, Kenney was named president and chief executive officer of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, a self-described taxpayer's advocacy group that scrutinizes governmental expenditure from a conservative perspective.

Kenney was elected to the House of Commons in the 1997 federal election for the Reform Party.

Kenney was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons in 1997, at the age of 29.

In 2000, he was re-elected as a Canadian Alliance candidate and then was re-elected five times as a candidate for the Conservative Party of Canada.

Prior to entering Alberta provincial politics, he served in various cabinet posts under Prime Minister Stephen Harper from 2006 to 2015.

Kenney studied philosophy at the University of San Francisco, but returned to Canada without completing his degree.

Following the Conservative victory in the 2006 federal election, Kenney was appointed parliamentary secretary to Prime Minister Harper.

In January 2007, he was sworn into the Privy Council as the secretary of state for multiculturalism and Canadian identity.

Kenney held the post of minister for citizenship, immigration and multiculturalism from October 2008 to July 2013, when he became minister of employment and social development and minister for multiculturalism.

In February 2015, he was named minister of national defence.

Kenney was considered a potential party leader following the defeat of the Conservative government in October 2015 and resignation of Harper as leader.

In July 2016, Kenney announced his intention to run for the leadership of the Alberta PCs in that party's 2017 leadership election.

Kenney resigned his seat in Parliament on September 23, after sitting in the House of Commons for over 19 years.

He also served as the member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Calgary-Lougheed from 2017 until 2022.

Kenney was the last leader of the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party (PC Party) before the party merged with the Wildrose Party to form the UCP.

He was elected party leader on March 18, 2017, on a platform of merging with the Wildrose Party.

He was leader until the merger was effected on July 24.

Kenney was then elected United Conservative Party leader on October 28.

On April 16, 2019, Kenney led the United Conservative Party to a majority government in the 2019 Alberta general election, defeating incumbent Premier Rachel Notley of the New Democratic Party.

Kenney came under criticism for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic from members within the UCP and the general public, triggering a leadership review in May 2022.

On May 18, 2022, Kenney narrowly won the leadership review 51.4% to 48.6%, but announced that this support was insufficient and that he would step down as UCP leader.

Kenney remained premier until October 11, 2022.

Danielle Smith was chosen to succeed him by the United Conservative Party on October 6, 2022.