Behind the scenes of the NDP government's Ford-Kenney offensive

ADoug Ford visit to Calgary last fall kicked off a propaganda campaign inside the Alberta government, as staffers saw the chance to exploit the Ontario premier's close ties to United Conservative Party Leader Jason Kenney, according to documents obtained by CBC through an access to information request.

The messaging campaign, developed behind closed doors by NDP staffers, was focused in part on linkingKenney to the education policies of Ford's Conservative government in Ontario.

"Ford has made his intentions for education clear: gut the classrooms, cut $100 million for much-needed school repairs and punish teachers for teaching a modern day sex-ed curriculum," read one talking pointforwarded to staffers by Jeremy Nolais, who works as issues directorin Premier Rachel Notley's office.

"We can see clearly that aPremierJason Kenney would follow Doug Ford's lead on education," read another talking point.

The messaging twice made reference to the "bromance" between the two conservative politicians, a term Kenney himself had previously used to describe his relationship with Ford.

In one note, Nolais asked other staffers to spread the word.

"[Issue managers], if you and your [press secretaries] can find places for your ministers to sprinkle this into their social media throughout the weekend, that would be great," he wrote. "You can also post these to your own social (Calgary team you too)."

Nolais also asked a colleague for "prep time" with Education Minister David Eggen, who had been chosen as the government'spoint person on the issue.

"Plan to have Eggen do a rotunda avail[ability] Friday early afternoon," Nolais wrote.

Speaking to the media on the day of Ford's visit, Eggenused the talking points.

"In the three months that Doug Ford has been the premier of Ontario, he has unleashed mayhem into the education system: attacking teachers, taking $100 million out of maintenance, attacking curriculum,"Eggensaid that day.

"And I just want to remind people and warn people that JasonKenneylooks enviously at Doug Ford and actively says he wants to emulate the Doug Ford model here in our province."

Ford visited Calgary on Oct. 5, 2018, where he attended a highly publicized anti-carbon tax rally with Kenney.

• 'The worst tax ever': Doug Ford and Jason Kenney hold campaign-style rally against carbon levy

The documents show a high level ofstrategizingand media savvy by the NDP andNotley'soffice, said Lori Williams, an assistant professor of political science at Mount Royal University in Calgary.

"She was very good in opposition at this sort of thing, and she continues to do that, or at least her government does, as premier."

However, she said, there could be some questions asked to NDP staffers whoretweetedsome of the same talking points, or ones with similar sentiments, without disclosing they actually worked for the government.

SamDinicol, an issues manager inthe premier's office, wrote anemailmassagingthe talkingpoints into potential posts onEggen'sFacebookand Twitter accounts, the documents obtained by CBC show.

On Twitter,Dinicolidentified himself as a New Democrat but did not say he worked forNotley. Between Oct. 5 and Oct. 11, he tweeted orretweetedabout theFord-Kenneyconnection five times.

Another staffer who received the talking points, KatePundyk, a researcher in issues management, tweeted orretweetedthree times about Ford andKenneybetween Oct. 5 and Oct. 12. She presented herself as "progressive" and a "policy researcher" on her profile, but also did not mention she worked for the government.

Documents show campaign's been "on for a long time"

Kenney has repeatedly urged Notley to call the spring election and officially launch the campaign.

The internal NDPdocuments obtained by CBC show that, unofficially, the campaign has been going on already for "a very long time," Williams said.

Normally, when premiers travel to another provincethey meet their counterparts. But Notley and Ford did not seeeach other during his time in Alberta last fall.

"I think what is fairly clear is, that wasn't the priority when Doug Ford came out," Williams said. "His primary purpose in coming to Alberta ... was to join together with those who oppose the carbon tax."

The UCP advertised Ford's visit to Calgary on itswebsite a week before the rally.

The day before he joined Kenney in Calgary, Ford met with Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, also a carbon tax opponent, in Saskatoon.

In an email, Notley's communications director told CBC that Ford did reach out about a potential meeting with Alberta's premier.

"Nothing was scheduled because their schedules did not align," Cheryl Oatessaid.