Author Jeremy Appel reads from his book, Kenneyisms, during a book signing on Tuesday at the Medicine Hat Public Library.--News Photo Anna Smith
asmith@medicinehatnews.com
With his new book, Kenneyisms, new author and longtime Alberta journalist Jeremy Appel returned to Medicine Hat on Tuesday evening to share some of his findings on the former premier’s rise to power and his legacy.
The city is a space where he spent many of his formative years as a journalist, said Appel, working as a member of the Medicine Hat News editorial team during Kenney’s tenure. The evening featured a reading from the book itself, as Appel noted as something of an “exclusive,” as there was no audiobook version of his work.
“I was thinking I would start reading the beginning of a chapter that deals with Kenney’s time in the federal government. After all, we all lived through his premiership here,” said Appel.
“I also think where he probably had the most long-lasting influence, alongside Stephen Harper and others in that government, was in terms of transforming the Conservative Party into a party that was – on the surface – embracing multiculturalism and diversity.”
He went on to describe how this approach allowed Kenney to secure a number of voters who would have otherwise been written off as Liberal or NDP, and he showed up around the province courting further-right elements in these communities.
Appel also spoke at length on the differences in varying parts of the “new right” ideology, and how that can not just be applied to Kenney’s time in the spotlight, but to current Albertan and Canadian politics.
“I think a great example of a neoconservative policy is on the drug poisoning crisis, where Smith, who’s doing what I believe is exactly what Kenney wishes he could have done at the state of Alberta, is at some point this year going to make it so cops can force people into recovery,” said Appel.
He explained he believes this mindset paints things such as supervised consumption sites or safe supply not as harm reduction but as “enabling sinful behaviour and creating all this chaos and disorder on our streets,” for which the only solution is giving law enforcement more power.
The evening continued with questions and answers from the gathered crowd on various points in Kenney’s career, Steven Harper’s work and current politicians’ aims, as well as an opportunity to purchase a signed copy book itself in the lower levels of the Medicine Hat Public Library.
The book can be purchased on Amazon or directly from the publisher’s website at dundurn.com.
