United Conservative Party leader Danielle Smith walks on stage to address party members at their annual meeting in Red Deer, Alta., Nov. 2.Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s fellow party members have voted overwhelmingly in support of her leadership, solidifying her place as head of the province’s conservative movement while crushing internal pockets of dissent.
The governing United Conservative Party said Ms. Smith received endorsements from 91 per cent of the 4,633 members who participated in her leadership review on Saturday, exceeding expectations of even her most optimistic cheerleaders. The vote was the centrepiece of the UCP’s annual general meeting in Red Deer, attended by roughly 6,000 members.
“Our party is more united than it has ever been,” Ms. Smith told 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.
Within the UCP, the victory validates Ms. Smith’s governing speed and style. The Premier has moved the party to the right in response to demands from its members, and is pressing forward with laws designed to roll back access to medical care for transgender youth and reaffirm the right to own firearms. She has also emphasized defending her province against what the UCP view as a federal government hostile to Alberta’s interests.
Ms. Smith faced some 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. But these disaffected members did not have a unifying theme to rally around. And Ms. Smith’s legislative achievements, such as dismantling Alberta Health Services and stripping health professionals of decision-making power, undermined arguments that she is not aggressively pursuing change.
With the party faithful solidly in her corner, Ms. Smith looked toward her next political battle: the provincial election scheduled for 2027.
“Together we will soundly defeat Naheed Nenshi and the NDP,” she told the AGM crowd.
Mr. Nenshi, the former mayor of Calgary, won the NDP’s leadership race in June, with support from 86 per cent of members who voted in that contest.
Jason Nixon, the Minister of Seniors, Community and Social Services, said Ms. Smith’s margin of victory underlines how her detractors within the party are out of touch with the rest of the UCP.
“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 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.”
Rebecca Schulz, the Minister of Environment and Protected Areas, said she was not surprised by the results of the review.
“Albertans and, of course, our party members alike, are very supportive of Premier Smith’s conviction in standing up to Ottawa,” she told reporters.
Ms. Smith urged members in an earlier speech Saturday morning to hold her 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.
Ms. Smith, drowned out by supportive cheers and applause, 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 a party, are strong, unified and boldly governing our province.”
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.
In addition to the leadership review, UCP members 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 last Monday. 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. They were designed to satisfy some party activists, although some remained nervous about the government’s ability to infringe on their rights.
On Thursday, Justice Minister Mickey Amery met with at least one influential party member to assuage concerns ahead of the leadership review.
Ms. Smith said at a press conference after her Saturday morning speech, but before the debate on the Bill of Rights at the AGM, that 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; and reserving facilities such as washrooms and shelters for “biological females” who were “female at conception.”
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.
Conservative parties in Alberta 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.
Former conservative leaders Alison Redford and Ed Stelmach were both ousted after receiving 77-per-cent support.