United Conservative Party leader Danielle Smith told members to "not sink to the level of our opponents, by attacking, vilifying one another, breaking into factions,” during an address at the party's annual meeting in Red Deer, Alta., on Nov. 2, 2024.Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith raked in support from 91 per cent of United Conservative Party members who voted in her leadership review Saturday, crushing internal pockets of dissent and solidifying her place as the head of the province’s right-wing.
The UCP said 6,085 people registered at its annual meeting in Red Deer, and 4,633, or 76 per cent, cast ballots in the leadership review.
“Our party is more united than it has ever been,” Ms. Smith told thousands of UCP members Saturday afternoon, after the results of the review were announced. The crowd cheered and applauded throughout her unscheduled speech, which concluded the party’s two-day gathering.
“Together we will soundly defeat Naheed Nenshi and the NDP,” she said.
Mr. Nenshi, the former mayor of Calgary, won the New Democratic Party’s leadership race in June, with support from 86 per cent of members who voted in that contest. The results of Ms. Smith’s review exceeded expectations of even her most optimistic cheerleaders.
Ms. Smith faced bubbling opposition from disgruntled members, largely on the right flank, who argued she has not lived up to her promise to legislate in a way that reflects their values. The Premier, however, has moved the UCP to the right, pressing forward with laws designed to roll back access to medical care for transgender youth and reaffirm the right to own firearms.
The Premier, in a speech Saturday morning, urged members to hold her and her government to account, but not to splinter into competing camps.
“Let’s not sink to the level of our opponents, by attacking, vilifying one another, breaking into factions,” she said while members lined up to vote.
The audience responded by drowning her out with supportive cheers and applause. Ms. Smith then described the UCP as a loud, raucous and opinionated family that is stronger together.
“Our opponents – whether that be the NDP in Alberta or the Liberals in Ottawa – have no chance to defeat us when we, as party, are strong, unified and boldly governing our province,” she said.
Jason Nixon, the Minister of Seniors, Community and Social Services, said Ms. Smith’s landslide victory underscores how her opponents are out of touch with the rest of the party.
“There are some groups that tried to work against the Premier – that’s their right, our party strongly believes in democracy – but it’s very clear where the membership stands, which is behind Premier Smith, behind her cabinet and her caucus,” he told reporters after the AGM wrapped.
“I would really suggest that those groups listen to the Premier’s comments at the end of her speech: That’s it’s time for us to go back to being a united party, focused on what unites us and stop focusing on what divides us.
“And clearly that’s where the majority of our membership was at.”
Rebecca Schulz, Alberta’s Minister of Environment and Protected Areas, said she was not surprised by the results of the review.
“This is what we hear when we’re out there door-knocking and talking to our constituents – that they’re happy with the direction of the government,” she told reporters. “I think Albertans and, of course, our party members alike, are very supportive of Premier Smith’s conviction in standing up to Ottawa and standing up for Albertans.”
The UCP hosted the AGM at Red Deer’s Westerner Park, a sizable venue in central Alberta. The main hall, however, was not large enough to contain all attendees. Some watched the speeches and debate from an overflow room.
UCP members also voted on a raft of policy proposals that they hope the government will reflect in legislation, including a version of the Alberta Bill of Rights that goes much further than the amendments Ms. Smith introduced on Oct. 28. The 30-minute special session ended with members voting overwhelmingly in support of the proposal, which will put pressure on Ms. Smith to revise the amendments her government tabled last week.
The Premier’s proposed amendments include reiterating the right to own firearms and to choose whether to receive vaccines or any medical procedures.
The amendments were designed to satisfy some party activists, but did not do enough to win over those who wanted to limit the government’s ability to infringe on their rights.
Justice Minister Mickey Amery, on Thursday, met with at least one influential party member who had concerns about Ms. Smith’s legislation. Rob Smith, the UCP president, confirmed the meeting during to the AGM, when he explained the justification for the special session. (He is not related to the Premier).
Ms. Smith, at a press conference after her morning speech but before the debate on the Bill of Rights at the AGM, said she is open to amending her initial proposal.
“There has to be some substantive justification if you’re going to violate people’s rights,” she said. “Maybe the language we used is not satisfactory to convey that. Maybe we have to change a little bit of the language, so that our members understand that we really are creating a higher standard for government if they’re going to violate rights.”
UCP members also voted overwhelmingly in favour of eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion training for Crown corporations and the Alberta Public Service; declaring carbon dioxide a foundational nutrient for life on Earth; reserving facilities such as washrooms and shelters for “biological females” who were “female at conception,” among other proposals.
The government is not required to legislate the proposals passed at the AGM, but Ms. Smith has proven she takes her cues from the party membership.
During her Saturday morning speech, she encouraged members to express their views and concerns.
“Advocate loudly through our party policy process, our constituency associations. And hold accountable our MLAs, most especially me, to keep us on track,” she said.
Conservative parties in Alberta, including the UCP, have a habit of tearing down their leaders. Jason Kenney, the former premier and inaugural UCP Leader, stepped down after he received support from 51 per cent of members in a 2022 leadership review.
His opponents coalesced around their fierce opposition to vaccination mandates and public-health restrictions during COVID-19. Mr. Kenney’s downfall launched a leadership race, during which Ms. Smith courted the UCP’s right flank.
This year’s crop of disaffected members did not have a unifying theme.
The UCP does not have an official threshold defining what counts as a win for leaders undergoing a review, although former conservative leaders Alison Redford and Ed Stelmach were both ousted after receiving 77 per cent support.
Ms. Smith told reporters she would be satisfied if she had more support than the 53.77 per cent she received when she became the leader of the UCP, after multiple rounds of voting.
“I just hope that I’ve managed to gain ground on the last time they had the chance to offer their opinion,” she told reporters Saturday, before all the ballots were cast.
With files from Alanna Smith