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Jason Kenney and his United Conservative Party have been demanding a quick byelection in the vacant riding of Calgary-Lougheed.

Now they’ve got it.

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As Postmedia reported here early Thursday, the vote will be held Dec. 14. Premier Rachel Notley confirmed the date at noon.

Long-serving MLA Dave Rodney obligingly resigned the seat on Oct. 29, right after Kenney won the UCP leadership.

Ever since, the UCP caucus and Kenney himself have been demanding an early vote to get the official Opposition leader into the legislature.

This call isn’t just quick, it’s light-speed for a byelection, especially when decision day will come so close to Christmas.

The NDP lost the riding to Progressive Conservative Rodney in 2015 by only 502 votes. But the conservative vote was split, with Wildrose finishing a strong third.

Today there’s no Wildrose and no PCs, only the united conservatives. In a south Calgary area where Kenney has won six federal elections, and former prime minister Stephen Harper won another six nearby, it’s hard to imagine anything but a wipeout.