'Co-operation, notconfrontation': Kenney hopes to avoid public service walkout in 2020

In his stately wood-panelled legislature office, Premier Jason Kenney sits in a deep-set black leather chair and predicts2020 will be a better year.

Alberta isat a "turning point," Kenneysaidduring a wide-ranging year-end interview with CBC News.

The annual one-on-one discussion is an opportunity for the premier toreflect on the year, which saw his United Conservative Party win its first Alberta election, and talk abouthispriorities for 2020.

The interview comes during a period when the eight-month-old United Conservative Government has turned the Alberta agenda upside down by repealing a range of NDP policiesand vowingto slash spending to reduce the size of government.

'I do think we are at a turning point here'

5 years ago

Duration 5:02

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney talks about the economy, labour unions and corporate taxes in a year-end interview with CBC's Kim Trynacity.

Kenney, noting that a long-anticipatedmajor pipeline project,Line 3, is up and runningand significant progress isbeing made on the Trans Mountain pipeline-expansion project, says, "we're far from out of the woods."

If everything goes as planned, Kenney expects that by this time next year, Alberta will be sending several hundred thousand more barrels of crudeto market every day.

• Alberta NDP launching efforts to regain support among rural voters
• OPINION | 'You ain't seen nothing yet': A look at what's ahead in Alberta politics

Butthere is trouble looming inanother sector whichcould disrupt government servicesand rattle the public.

The relationship between the government and its public sector unions has been deterioratingsinceKenney took office in April.

General strike

To reduce spending, the government is threatening wage rollbacks and job losses in the thousands.

On top of that, the provincepassed legislation affectinghow public-sector pensions are invested, whilecuts to post-secondary institutions have already resulted in the elimination of hundreds of jobs.

Unions are raising the possibility of staging a general strike which could paralyze the public service.

"I really don't think that's likely to happen," saidKenney, noting he values the work of public servants, but that Albertans gave him a strong mandate in the last provincial election to rein in spending.

A concertedattempt at "co-operation, notconfrontation" will go a long way to avert the chance of a wide-scale walkout, the premier said.

The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees ask of up to an eight-per-centpay raise is likely posturing, a starting point for bargaining in public, Kenneysaid, cautioning about escalating rhetoric.

"Well, perhaps that cuts both ways," he said."That's why we should perhaps sit down and seek sensible solutions that preserve and protect high-quality public services."

Not 'chief negotiator'

In his office are busts of admired conservative political leaders, including past British prime ministers Sir Winston Churchill andBenjamin Disraeli, and former Alberta premier Ralph Klein.

Klein, who is remembered for his drastic spending cuts in the 1990s, managed to forge lasting personal relationships with provincial union bosses in the post-cutyears.

Although Kenney speaks frequently about "Ralph" and how he did things, Kenney said putting union leaders on speed-dial is not a practice he's likely to copy.

"I don't think it's the premier's job to be the chief negotiator," Kenney said.

When he was a federal cabinet minister under then-prime minister Stephen Harper, Kenneywas willing to work across party lines tofindmiddle ground.

Entering collective bargaining with government unions in 2020, he saidit's a strategyhe hopes to continue.

With a new budget in February, asserting Alberta's role in Canada will bea dominant theme in the new year.

Kenney is promising new legislation dealingwith "democratic reform" in the spring.

Hesaidhe'll travel across Canada, and visit Europe and Asia to promote Alberta in an effort to attract investment.

"A lot of my time will be spent out there pounding the pavement to bring investment here."