Canadian premier abruptly quits amid surge in far-right influences

Conservative Jason Kenney, Alberta premier, leaves province's top job after barely surviving a leadership review

The abrupt resignation of Alberta's premier has shocked the western province and raised questions about the ideological direction of Canada's conservative movement amid a surge in far-right and populist influences.

Jason Kenney announced late on Wednesday that he was leaving the province's top job after barely surviving a leadership review. A slim majority of party members - 51.4% - had voted in favour of keeping him in power but Kenney said that support wasn't enough to justify remaining head of the governing United Conservatives.