Alberta premier Danielle Smith will stay at the helm of the United Conservative Party after an overwhelming result in her first leadership review in the role.
UCP members voted 91.5 per cent in favour of Smith’s leadership at the party’s annual general meeting in Red Deer this weekend.
“I’m truly humbled and honoured by the overwhelming support of our party members, and your vote of confidence in my leadership,” Smith said after the result was announced. “Our conservative movement is as strong as its ever been, and our party is more united than it has ever been.”
This year’s gathering of UCP faithful is believed to be one of the largest political conventions in Canadian history with 6,085 registered attendees.
Previously, Smith had said a favourable result would be more than the around 53 per cent she received during the 2022 UCP leadership race to replace outgoing leader Jason Kenney.
Smith made her final pitch to UCP members during a keynote address Saturday morning ahead of the vote on her leadership.
The premier touted her party’s record since winning a majority government last year, as well as recently tabled legislation on youths using preferred pronouns in schools, and restrictions transgender surgeries and transgender athletes competing in amateur sports in the province.
Smith also spoke about her party’s plan to revamp Alberta’s Bill of Rights to give people the right to refuse medical treatments like vaccines; and her government’s commitment to fighting the federal government on climate policies related to the province’s oilpatch and electricity grid.
However, it was her push for party unity that prompted a standing ovation amongst the party members in attendance.
“Hold accountable our MLAs, especially me, to keep us on track,” Smith said.
“But let us not sink to the level of our opponents by attacking and vilifying one another or breaking into factions.”
Smith’s messaging and track record seemed to resonate amongst many in attendance at the AGM, with most in the room wearing buttons and t-shirts that showed support for the premier.
“I support Danielle Smith,” UCP member Priscilla Lipp told Global News. “I think she has showed a lot of courage and she’s not afraid to tackle issues that are controversial.”
Gregory Hartzler, a UCP member from Calgary, told Global News he is impressed with the actions of Smith’s government to date.
“To me, it was looking at what hasn’t she done, and there’s nothing on that list that is substantial enough for me to vote no.”
However, not all in the room were supporting Smith’s leadership including David Parker with Take Back Alberta.
In an interview Saturday, Parker said his group felt Smith hasn’t gone far enough on promises made in the last election, with continued anger from some members about restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic and what he feels is “corruption” within caucus.
“I believe we need to hold leaders accountable. I don’t think she’s done anything on the COVID file, she let the Coutts boys go to jail, there’s just a lot of things that aren’t happening,” Parker said.
Smith and her UCP caucus will return to the legislature next week to continue the fall session, which began last week.
Colin Aitchison, a senior consultant with Enterprise Canada and former UCP press secretary, said he’s expecting a shift from “red meat” policies aimed at the party’s base.
“They were elected by the province to a majority to implement conservative policies, so we will still see that,” he told Global News. “But I think there will be a shift away from more of those policies that are a bit controversial to some who aren’t in the conservative movement, and just focus on the work they have been doing.”
Party bylaws only required Smith to get more than 50 per cent approval from the membership to stay at the helm of the UCP.
But, all but three premiers have been ousted by their party’s memberships over the last two decades in Alberta, even with a passing grade in leadership reviews.
In her closing address following the leadership review result, Smith thanked party members and joked the vote was done “without tabulators,” which her government has banned in the upcoming municipal elections in 2025.
Smith finished the closing remarks with a shot at Alberta’s opposition NDP, with the next provincial election still three years away.
“Together we will soundly defeat Naheed Nenshi and the NDP in 2027,” Smith said in her speech. “United we will not be defeated.”