Former Alberta premier Jason Kenney has found a job as a senior advisor to prominent Calgary law firm Bennett Jones LLP.
Kenney, who served as a federal Tory cabinet minister and as Alberta premier from 2019 until stepping down last October, made the announcement on Twitter Wednesday, saying he won’t be lobbying the provincial government.
“For the record, my relationship with Bennett Jones was reviewed by the Ethics Commissioner of Alberta, and found to be compliant with the Conflicts of Interest Act,” he wrote.
“I will not be engaged in lobbying the Alberta government or its agencies.”
The former premier said he’ll also be seeking other opportunities in the private sector with those choices made within ethical guidelines.
And he noted Bennett Jones’ reputation for attracting other people prominent in the political and government spheres.
“Bennett Jones has deep Alberta roots and a major national presence,” he said.
“I look forward to working with a distinguished group of former elected officials and public servants.”
Hugh MacKinnon, CEO of Bennett Jones, said Kenney’s addition to his firm brings a wealth of expertise and experience.
“We are delighted that Jason has joined Bennett Jones. He brings an extraordinary combination of leadership and public policy experience to the firm and our clients,” he said in a statement.
“Jason will be a member of Bennett Jones’ public policy group and make this unsurpassed team even stronger.”
Kenney not the first politician involved with Bennett Jones
Kenney has kept a low profile after he garnered 51.4 per cent of the vote in a UCP leadership review last May.
He’d run afoul with some of his party, mainly over his COVID-19 policies.
Last November, he stepped down as MLA for Calgary-Lougheed and expressed concern over the state of political discourse.
Danielle Smith succeeded him as premier in October 2022 after winning the UCP leadership on the sixth ballot.
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In the fall of 2017, Kenney became leader of the fledgling UCP after he spearheaded the merging of the Progressive Conservative and Wildrose parties.
Two years later, the RCMP launched an investigation examining if any voter fraud took place in that leadership race. Mounties have been investigating allegations that email addresses were fraudulently attached to party memberships to cast ballots in the contest.
After first being elected federally in 1997, Kenney served as minister for citizenship, immigration and multiculturalism, employment and social development, national defence; and chaired the Cabinet Operations Committee.
Other politicians that have been involved with Bennett Jones are former federal Liberal cabinet ministers John Manley and Anne McLellan, one-time federal conservative cabinet minister John Baird, former B.C. Premier Christy Clark and Peter Lougheed, who served as Alberta premier from 1971 to 1986.
Twitter: @BillKaufmannjrn
