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EDMONTON, ALBERTA — I rarely write about Jason Kenney, one of the most interesting phenomena in Canadian politics, due to the fact that we have been friends for 28 years, long before I was in the seminary or he was in elected office. And the testimony of friends is considered suspect in the columnist business.

But now that Alberta’s 18th premier will be introducing himself — again — to the nation in Ottawa on Thursday and in Toronto on Friday, I offer this public service for those who are interested in what he might bring to the national stage. Most media appear to be stubbornly incapable of recognizing what it is that he does, and thus they consistently insist that what he does cannot be done. And when he does it, they misunderstand how he did it.

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What Premier Kenney has done since the early 1990s is to change the parameters of the possible in politics. It is true that he works harder than anyone else, and has a combination of philosophical gravitas, strategic political acumen and ability to connect on the stump. But others — not many, mind you — also have that combination. What sets Kenney apart is that he does not accept that he must advance on the current terrain; rather he moves the entire theatre to more favourable ground.