MLA for Chestermere-Strathmore Leela Sharon Aheer has spoken out against the current Premier of Alberta, Jason Kenney.  

Over Twitter and in-person, Aheer has called for the Premier to step down from his position of leadership.

“The truth is that there's just too much ego and too little empathy. When you don't listen and you don't care about what's happening around you, this is the result.”

Aheer stated that she started to speak out in August when the Premier was on vacation during the fourth wave of COVID-19.  She explained that there was no communication between the Premier and elected officials during that time.

“He had failed to have people available to be there while he was gone. In the midst of the COVID-19 fourth wave going, I had called him out at that point in time because I honestly, I just couldn't believe that he had no faith in the leadership team around him in order to run the province while he was away.”

She said that the lack of communication was hard on all MLAs who were being flooded with questions from constituents on what the Alberta Government would be doing to decrease COVID-19 cases.

“At that point of time, if we'd had people that we could talk to, we could have told them what was going on in our own areas. On August 13, he decided to just say, ‘we're going to just drop all the protocols as the numbers go up.’ I was just having a complete panic attack. This was the wrong direction.”

Recent sexual harassment allegations against Premier Kenney’s office added to the bitter taste in Aheer’s mouth.  A former Alberta legislature staff member spoke out about the premier's office, saying she suffered from a toxic workplace culture, where she experienced sexual harassment.

“Premier Kenney's lack of leadership to be able to get a safe space to a woman who came to him and the leadership team with a situation like this resonates to anyone who is listening that is a survivor.” Aheer mentioned that this narrative of someone coming forward with sexual harassment claims, and it being ignored by people of authority, is something that happens too often.

“A lot of people keep saying, well, this is a UCP (United Conservative Party) issue. It's not a UCP issue. I'm disgusted that it's happening in my own party but it happens everywhere in all places of power and if we're going to see that culture shift happen, we have a responsibility to see that shift happen.”

Aheer, being the former Minister of Culture, Multiculturalism and the Status of Women, feels strongly about this situation, and has seen too many instances of this. “I stand by the fact that change cannot happen unless you are willing to stand there and make that change, and it doesn't happen overnight.”

When asked about the ramifications of speaking against the Premier, Aheer firmly said, “I will not be bullied out. I will not be told that I have to leave and if he wants me to leave, that's up to him, he can certainly make that decision to kick me out if he's not willing to listen to a strong woman, with a strong position and who is seeking leadership from him. It is time for him to hand this party back to the people.”

“There is a lot of competency surrounding him in the ministers that sit around his table, and particularly, there are so many strong women there that could easily sit as the interim until we have the COVID-19 situation in order.”

Aheer recognizes that her comments are being heard, especially in the political circle, which could jeopardize her position. To that she says. "It's never been about the politics for me.  I have a responsibility to people.”