I’m not sure if the significance of the travelling at Christmas is well understood.

Kenney is thumbing his nose at Albertans.

This is no ordinary thumbing. He’s basically letting Albertans know that he and his MLAs will do as they please and there will be no consequences.

This is when following policy is helpful.

In March 2020 when Dr. Hinshaw closed schools down, Kenney was furious. He couldn’t reverse the order without seriously damaging his credibility & revealing his true nature. So he did the next best thing. He gave himself absolute power.

And, since it was during a pandemic, barely anyone noticed.

The powers he bequeathed upon himself and his political party are only in effect when a Public Health Emergency is invoked. Kenney invoked a Public Health Emergency in late November 2020.

The CMOH no longer has free reign to order public health orders and she no longer reports to the Deputy Minister of Health. She reports directly to the Minister of Health, who is guided by the premier in his decision making.

The other change was the addition of absolute power for the premier and ministers of cabinet, to repeal, amend or create ANY legislation, whether it has anything to do with the emergency or not.

Kenney & all Cabinet Ministers can do whatever they want to change any & all laws governing Alberta. They don’t have to run it by opposition. They can fast track it through the legislature & reach royal assent in days for new legislation & mere hours for amendments or repeals.

I realize many believe I overreact and use incendiary language to get a rise out of readers. And I’m willing to admit, I have used embellishment sparingly to admonish con behaviour.

This is not one of those occasions.

Absolute power means there are no checks and balances. It means the people in power can do whatever they want and there is nothing we the public can do about it.

We can complain, yell and scream, try to use the courts, the Lieutenant Governor, appeal to the federal government, even attempt a physical protest.

There is nothing stopping Kenney and UCP from enacting, changing and removing any law, including human rights legislation.

They don’t even have to inform the public immediately. When they get around to it is now legal.

So when the premier & his cabinet of miscreants who blatantly flout the law, public health orders & common decency in general by jet setting off on vacation tell you there will be no consequences, Kenney’s informing the public that he’s a dictator & there’s nothing we can do.

That explains Rick Bell and JCCF complaining about this power when it was legislated and currently, when it’s being exercised. In their own twisted and ridiculous political theatre, Kenney has Rick Bell tell the public he’s in charge.

How many think Kenney’s goose is cooked? How many realize there is zero any citizen can do to seek justice for the extreme disrespect and the abundant contempt displayed by UCP cabinet and political aids over Christmas?

Why? Because Kenney invoked a Public Health Emergency in late November 2020. Activating his absolute power. An emergency that he created by refusing to permit public health measures to mitigate transmission of covid.

In other words, Kenney enabled his own power grab by refusing to do his job appropriately.

Kenney’s decisions are directly responsible for covid becoming pervasive throughout the province and over 1000 people dying thus far.

The payoff for him? Unlimited power to do what he wants with limited resistance until covid emergency in Alberta is called off.

With schedule of fall administration of vaccines for the general population, that gives Kenney a full year of unfettered power.

So what has he done? Approved coal strip mining, plans to give away parks, permitted anti mask protests to spread the virus. And thumbed his nose by showing up late to every news conference.

He just made himself king of Alberta & I’m sure he’s feeling smug, not worried.

When I said this government was fascist, I meant fascist.

Not rigid and authoritarian. Not somewhat like an autocracy. I meant fascist.

But people don’t want to acknowledge and accept that UCP is not a regular political party.

It’s less scary and easier to swallow if people continue to delude themselves with the belief that Kenney is incompetent or inept. He isn’t.

Strategically, he’s several steps ahead of the vast majority of the public.

He’s given himself unlimited power, controls the levers for life and death of Albertans, and can offer whatever excuse he wants as the reason why he can do whatever he wants whenever he wants, however he wants. And all the public can do is get angry.

We can’t protest without severe health risks. We can’t hold Kenney or his MLAs accountable until there is an election. And we can’t prevent any deaths and illness.

We are being ruled, not governed.

Still think he’s an idiot? He’s playing the public like a guitar and he’s playing his favourite song.

This is how fascism works. It’s not like he’s going to blatantly announce that he’s installing a fascist regime. The public will eventually figure it out they have no power.

I’m asking you to figure it out now. Instead of 2 years from now when another fixed election is held. And shockingly UCP wins again.

Kenney is not an idiot. If you judge him using your standards, he seems like one. But he has his own agenda. And his own standards.

Did anyone come back early from vacation? I doubt it.

How about 14 days of quarantine? Anyone being asked to wait out their 14 days in isolation without pay? Highly doubtful.

Kenney didn’t just act weird on Friday.

He just told the whole damn country to fuck off. He will do what he wants and there’s nothing anyone but Trudeau can do about it.

So will Trudeau intervene with the Emergency Act. Nope. Not bad enough yet.

Now do you recognize it’s fascism?

@threadreaderapp please compile