Premier Jason Kenney and Energy Minister Sonya Savage are once again travelling to Washington, D.C. this week to represent Alberta in meetings on Capitol Hill regarding energy security and affordability. The Premier will also hold a media roundtable in D.C. on Thursday.

On May 19th, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney announced he would resign as leader of the United Conservative Party (UCP) triggering a leadership race to select a new Premier and leader ahead of Alberta’s 2023 election.

The UCP Board has now announced the 2022 Leadership Election Rules and Procedures.

June 6-10 was declared energy week in Alberta by the province with the Global Energy Show held concurrently in Calgary. Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage reacted to the idea of a “windfall tax” like the 25% the UK government has introduced on oil and gas profits by saying that the province would consider a similar move from the Canadian federal government an “extreme act of aggression”.

On June 1, the Bank of Canada increased its policy interest rate by half a percentage point to 1.5%. Inflation, affordability and the cost of living are likely to be main topics of discussion during the UCP’s leadership race. In sharp contrast to those affordability discussions will be what the province should do with the windfall of money going to the province’s coffers with royalty revenue that could reach as much as $24 billion in just the next year alone.

The legislature is adjourned until October 31, where it’s presumed that a new Premier will take the front seat on the government benches. In total, 22 government bills were introduced and passed during the spring sitting.

The Government of Canada announced its commitment to reach net-zero by 2050 and is exploring a plan to cap emissions from the oil and gas sector starting in 2025. But what exactly that means, how we get there, and the impact it will have on Alberta’s energy sector remains to be seen.

As MLAs file back into the Legislature Tuesday, the seating arrangement will look exactly as it did before last Wednesday’s leadership review. But while Jason Kenney remains in the Premier’s chair, it is now on a finite basis until a new leader of the United Conservative Party is chosen at the “earliest opportunity

Jason Kenney resigns as Leader of United Conservative Party

Stating that he will step down and has asked party executives to “clear the air” and hold a Leadership Election at the “earliest opportunity,” Jason Kenney stepped down as Leader of the United Conservative Party tonight. Despite winning 51.4% of support in a Leadership Review vote.

Hydrogen is first on the periodic table and was top of mind for Alberta politicians last week as Edmonton played host to the Canadian Hydrogen Convention and Associate Minister of Natural Gas and Electricity Dale Nally declared it Hydrogen Week. The Premier also used the conference as an opportunity to announce $50M to launch the Clean Hydrogen Centre of Excellence.

Alberta’s legislature continues to sit with five new government bills tabled in the past week keeping the House busy and hopefully for Premier Kenney, keeping his caucus out of trouble. The Premier has stated that should he win the leadership vote, he will expect caucus unity and “a basic level of professionalism, discipline and unity.”