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He said the opposite will take place under a Kenney government.

“He (Kenney) wants cuts, he wants privatization, he wants to move fast so that the opposition doesn’t have a chance to get organized, and he won’t blink,” said Mason.

“Have we seen this movie before? Well, it’s a horror movie and we don’t want to see it again. The movie is called ‘Ralph Klein:The Sequel,”‘ Mason said, referencing the steep budget cuts imposed by Klein when he took the reins as premier in the early 1990s.

Mason also criticized Kenney for what he called his “flirtation with extremist groups,” such as the anti-immigration Soldiers of Odin, climate-change deniers and anti-abortion activists.

“There is an element to the UCP that is very disturbing and very frightening, and something that Jason Kenney has refused to disavow,” said Mason.

“We have so much at stake, really we do.”

Some candidates running for UCP nominations in recent months have been disqualified or allowed to run despite previous intolerant comments about groups such as Muslims or members of the LGBTQ community.

Kenney has made it clear his party will not countenance hateful views, and has said if elected his caucus will pursue a spending freeze or modest cuts in order to get the current multibillion-dollar budget deficits back to balance.

Mason will not run in the election, ending three decades in public life, first as an Edmonton city councillor and then moving to provincial politics in 2000. He is the longest serving current member in the house.