Alberta government staffers told to take day off to campaign in advance of leadership vote
CBC
In advance of a leadership vote for Premier Jason Kenney, Alberta government political staffers received emails this week compelling them to take Friday off work and volunteer to call supporters.
The deadline for party members to register to vote in the April 9 leadership review in Red Deer is midnight on Saturday.
The premier has lagged in most public opinion polls and faces criticism for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. He and his team are tasked with persuading enough party members to go to Red Deer in person and vote for him to remain at the party's helm.
Earlier this week, people who work for the Kenney government received emails urgently requesting they book Friday off work and volunteer their Saturdays to make phone calls, according to emails obtained by CBC News.
Government staffers contacted for this story said they did not feel comfortable commenting, for fear of losing their jobs.
The emails, sent by a cabinet minister's chief of staff, say workers should be participating unless they have a medical appointment, wedding or another critical commitment.
The emails asked them to sign up on a publicly viewable Google document, which, as of late Thursday, showed more than 70 people, including press secretaries and chiefs of staff, signed up to make calls for part or all of Friday.
The chief of staff said they would be checking back with people who didn't follow through on their commitment to volunteer.
The premier's press secretary, Justin Brattinga, said it is not uncommon for political staff to take time off to volunteer on political campaigns.
"Any staff who do so will be required to take time off," he said in an email.
University of Calgary political science professor Lisa Young says it's common for political staffers to be expected to volunteer for their party. That's how most of them earned their roles, she said.
They shouldn't do party business while at work on the public dime, she said.
Pressuring employees to take a day off work to volunteer steps into an ethical grey area, she said.
Although the emails don't explicitly say jobs are on the line, Young said there's an implication there could be repercussions for failing to participate.
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