Kenney opens Calgary-Lougheed campaign office, says byelection a chance to send strong message to NDP

United Conservative Party leader Jason Kenny cut theribbon on his Calgary-Lougheed campaign office on Sunday, officially launching his bid for a seat in the AlbertaLegislature.

About 100 Kenney supporters were on-hand for the event, including former Calgary-LougheedMLA Dave Rodney, who resigned his seat on Nov. 1to make room forKenneyto run in the Dec. 14 byelection.

Rodney had served 13 years in the Legislature.

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"Dave has given the people of Calgary-Lougheedawonderful opportunity to send a strong and clear message to the NDP to stop raising our taxes, stop quadrupling our debt, stop killing our jobs, stop hurting Alberta and start standing up for this province," Kenney told the crowd.

Kenney is a former federal Conservative cabinet minister who helped mergeAlberta's Wildrose and Progressive Conservative parties this year.

Two of the three candidates running in the Calgary-Lougheedbyelectionare provincial party leaders without a seat in the legislature Kenneyand Alberta Liberal Party Leader David Khan.

Kenneywas named leader of the newly formed UCPin October, while Khan was elected Liberal leader in June.

Dr.Phillip van der Merwe is also running in the byelection under theNDPbanner.

Kenney said this byelectionis a chance for the people of Calgary-Lougheed to send a message to Rachel Notley and the Alberta NDP.

"The vast majority of Albertans and Calgarians disapprove of the tax-raising, job-killing economic job policies of the NDP government," Kenney said.

"We've united common-sense conservatives into one big party and this is thechance to have a leader of the opposition to hold the NDP to account."

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