Jason Kenney opens PC leadership office but won't open up about platform yet

He openedhis campaign office in Calgary onMonday,butJason Kenneysays he'snot yet ready to open up about his political platform as he continues his bid for the leadership of Alberta'sProgressive Conservative party.

The federal ConservativeMP for CalgaryMidnaporesaidhe's "trying not be too detailed in policy specifics" because his main focus right now is rebuilding the conservative movement in Alberta from the grassroots.

"If there's one common critique I hear from people, including lifetime PCs, about the recent Progressive Conservative governments is they were far too top down and out of touch and too often arrogant," Kenney told the Calgary Eyeopener on Monday morning.

"So I'm trying to learn that lesson by deferring detailed policy development to members in the future as opposed to seeking to impose them well in advance."

Still,Kenney did sayhe'd scrap Alberta's carbon tax, which is set to kick in in 2017, and repeal recently passed legislation that extendsworkers' compensation coverage and occupational health and safetyrules to farm labourers.

Kenney also saidhe's not opposed to increasing privatesector opportunities in health care.

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Kenney officially launchedhiscampaign office over the lunch hour on Monday, buthe's beentouringAlbertafor the last few weeks in his pickup truck,drumming up support for his bid to unite the right.

While Kenneysaidthe tour hasbeen "low budget," he'sbeen criticized by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation for collecting an MP's salary while seeking the PC leadership.

"Well,you know what, normally in August, in the past I'd be doing French immersion and nobody would be complaining,"Kenneysaid.

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"Some MPs take a little bit of time off in August. Instead, I'm driving aroundno vacationtalking to Albertans about issues that matter to them and I continue to perform my functions as an MP."

Kenney will be stepping down from his seat in the House of Commons when the PC leadership race formally begins on Oct. 1 something,he says, that has never been done before by an Alberta MP.

"Out of 35 MPs who have run for the provincial leadership, I'll be the first in history to do so so I'm creating a new precedent."

Kenney claims NDP voters will come to him

At his campaign office opening, Kenneytold reporters he believes a united right could not only collect the votes of both Wildrose and PC supporters, but also win over NDP voters.

"I've met NDP union members who said they didn't vote for a carbon tax and they didn't vote to shut down the coal industry," he said.

"I absolutely believe if we put together one big, broadnew party that we're going to get a lot of traditional NDP voters supporting it. I'll tell you, the kind of blue-collar NDP spirit that Brian Mason represented is not the spirit animating this current NDP government."

DuaneBratt, a professor of political science at Calgary's Mount Royal University,saidKenney'sefforts at getting his name out there, at the very least,are helping him gaina sizeable advantage over other contenders.

"He's got a complete summer lead over any body else in the PC race,"Brattsaid.

'Crazy people' making threats on social media

Asked what he thought about recent tweets among NDP opponents that includea crosshair overlaid on a photo of Premier Rachel Notley,Kenney didn't mince words.

"I think that's deplorable," he said. "Anything of that nature should be condemned unequivocally, and I do so."

The tweets are the latestchatter suggestingor outright threateningviolenceagainst Notley or members of her cabinet,and Kenney said social-media providers need to do more to curb it.

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"Unfortunately, there are some crazy people on Twitter and I think that company should block people who ever make a hint or a threat of violence of that nature," he said. "I'm all for freedom of speech but intimating violence crosses a huge red line and should be banned from that platform, as far as I'm concerned."

"I don't like to draw attention to those things because those people are just looking for attention," Kenney added.

"They're looking for an audience. They're just a bunch of losers who should be ignored by ordinary people."