Alberta Premier gets 91% of vote in party review

Photo: Jeff McIntosh The Canadian Press “I am truly humbled and honoured by the overwhelming support from our party members for my leadership,” Smith said as thousands roared their approval and gave her a standing ovation that lasted nearly a minute.

Jack Farrell – The Canadian Press in Red Deer, Alberta

Published at 9:31 p.m.

• Canada

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith received an overwhelming 91.5 per cent support from her party members in a leadership review vote scheduled for Saturday.

That’s a lot higher than the 54 per cent Smith received when she won the party leadership in 2022. That same year, her predecessor, Jason Kenney, received 51 per cent of the vote and resigned shortly after.

“I am truly humbled and honoured by the overwhelming support from our party members for my leadership,” Smith said as thousands roared their approval and gave her a standing ovation that lasted nearly a minute.

“I want to thank all of you for everything you’ve done to grow our movement and make it stronger. Our party is more united than it has ever been,” she added.

Photo: Jeff McIntosh The Canadian Press Delegates gather at the United Conservative Party's annual meeting in Red Deer, Alta., on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024.

About 6,000 members registered for the meeting and the party said 4,663 voted to endorse Danielle Smith.

Former Alberta Conservative premiers Ed Stelmach and Alison Redford won 77 per cent of the vote in their leadership votes before being ousted later in caucus controversy.

The party's bylaws require a leadership review every three years, meaning Smith likely won't face one until the next provincial election in 2027, if she runs for a second term.

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Earlier on Saturday, in a speech to party members at the start of the vote, the premier said not everyone would agree on everything all the time, but they must avoid destructive infighting and stick to their conservative principles.

While concerns have been raised about a concerted drive by some party members to oust Ms Smith over broken campaign promises. Many members and Smith’s cabinet itself donned buttons and T-shirts urging the rank and file to support her.

Political analysts said they did not expect Smith’s leadership to be threatened and said the question going forward was whether she and her cabinet would stick to the policy wishes of party members.

Ms. Smith assured the cheering crowd that she would stay the course.

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“Together, we will vigorously protect the rights and freedoms of Albertans and Alberta parents and children. Together, we will build health and education systems that are among the best in the world,” she said.

In recent months, Smith has toured the province speaking to party loyalists while introducing policies that critics say are designed to prevent the party’s restive social conservative wing from voting against her in the review.

This week, her government introduced bills to impose rules on young people using preferred pronouns or names in school, as well as restrictions on transgender surgery and transgender athletes competing in women’s amateur sports.

She also announced a new legal battle against the federal carbon tax and introduced legislation to revamp Alberta’s Bill of Rights to give residents the right to refuse medical treatment, including vaccines.

Members also overwhelmingly approved a motion calling on the government to ban transgender women from using women’s washrooms, locker rooms and shelters. Edmonton party member Michelle Bataluk said the policy “shouldn’t be a controversial belief at all. Including non-biological women in these spaces and categories is both a violation of our privacy… and poses several safety risks.”

Members also overwhelmingly approved a motion to limit all government forms and documents to two gender options.

Another policy that received support from most in the room was to have the Alberta government abandon net-zero greenhouse gas emissions targets, while removing the designation of carbon dioxide as a pollutant and instead having it recognized as “a fundamental nutrient for all life on Earth.”

Party member Christopher Bell of the Chestermere-Strathmore riding association said he supported the policy because if carbon dioxide were considered a “fundamental nutrient,” there would be no need for carbon-neutral targets.