NDP's Ghosts of PC Past campaign 'bizarre,' says Jason Kenney camp

The Jason Kenney campaign team is calling a new Alberta NDP social media campaign on twitter as "desperate and bizarre."

Entitled Ghosts of PC Past, the reel contains names of six past PC MLAs who support Jason Kenney's leadership bid.

The six include Sohail Quadri who it says spent $12,500 hosting a "lavish Christmas party. Billed to taxpayers."

It also pokes fun at former Canadian Alliance leader and Alberta cabinet minister Stockwell Day and his infamous news conference on a jet ski as a "highlight in a long series of low-lights."

Kenney spokesperson Blaise Boehmer said in an email, he finds it "bizarre" the NDP is attacking a three-week-old news release that names more than 50 former PC MLAs who endorse him.

"It's clear that the NDP is desperately looking to distract from their multi-billion-dollar, job-killing carbon tax that starts hitting Albertans' wallets in less than 2 weeks," he said.

Meant as 'a little fun'

The NDP said the social media post is meant as "a little fun," now that the legislative session has wrapped.

"He (Kenney) is a very public figure," Roari Richardson, NDP provincial secretary, said.

"He's put his name out there in terms of the leadership race and we're just trying to draw attention to the kind of people he is surrounding himself with."

But Richardson does take issue with how the Kenney camp characterizes the campaign.

"I certainly don't think it's desperate. It's maybe a little bit cheeky," he said, predicting there will be much more "back and forth" with the Kenney campaign leading up to the PC leadership election on Mar. 18.

Kenney is one of four candidates seeking the leadership of the PC party. So far, he is the only one targeted in the "ghost" campaign by the NDP.