Premier Danielle Smith answers questions at a news conference in Calgary on Feb. 1.--cp file photo
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Key local leaders in the United Conservative Party say they are in Red Deer to support Premier Danielle Smith in a leadership review, even though they have mixed reasons and mixed reviews of how the government is operating.
Another conservative says a signal needs to sent to get Smith’s attention on fiscal, federal and social conservative issues.
That’s as several groups are reportedly mounting a challenge to Smith at this weekend’s party policy convention, including a leadership review vote Saturday.
“It’s a real thing,” said Alan Rose, a former riding association president in Cypress-Medicine Hat. “I’ve got three letters this week asking me, not to vote no on Danielle, but to think about it.
“I’d vote for her again.”
Smith, also the MLA for Brooks-Medicine Hat, faces criticism that she’s soft-peddled promises to cut spending and taxes, or enact “Alberta first” programs, and failed to come out strongly enough on social conservative issues.
That’s after she introduced stringent transgender policy this week, and as well introduced potential changes to the Alberta Bill of Rights.
Ian Parkinson, a member of the Cypress-Medicine Hat board, says his own “Black Hat” group was pushing for changes to enshrining gun ownership, property rights and bodily autonomy, but is unhappy with the final draft of updates presented this week in the legislature.
Still, he blames apparatus around Smith, not the premier herself, and says rumours of rifts are overblown.
“I’m a huge, in capital letters, “yes” for Danielle Smith remaining premier – I expect she’ll get 95 per cent support,” said Parkinson, who was in Red Deer on Friday and expects 100 or more delegates from the southeast region to attend.
“(The Bill of Rights changes) It’s legalese that doesn’t do anything good. I don’t think Smith is responsible. I think she was stabbed in the back.
“There have been rumblings from some circles (about her leadership review), but I chalk that up to usual squawking.”
Former MLA Drew Barnes isn’t a party member or attending, but is watching the results.
He says Smith promised to deliver “smaller government, lower taxes and a better, fairer deal with Ottawa, and failed at them all,” and should be challenged.
“It’s more than fair to be dissatisfied,” he said. “Especially down here, where she represents Medicine Hat, and just look at all the money being pumped into Calgary, Edmonton and Lethbridge.”
Barnes was removed from the UCP caucus for criticizing former premier Jason Kenney, then remained an independent under Smith before deciding not to run in the 2023 election.
This month he appeared on a panel discussion at an “Arrival of Accountability” event in Red Deer held by two groups attempting to challenge Smith, Take Back Alberta and the 1905 Committee.
Barnes spoke with former Drumheller MLA Rick Strankman and MP Art Hanger, while other speakers included COVID-denier William Makis, political activists Nadine Wellwood, Marco Van Huigenbos and David Parker.
He said federalism is his biggest issue, along with other concerns for personal freedoms.
“When Smith wasn’t in government she was against government overreach and lockdowns, and now she’s in government, we see one of the weaker bill of rights (proposals) imaginable, and no protections going forward should another pandemic situation happen,” said Barnes.
Rose, the former president of the constituency association of Cypress-Medicine Hat riding, says less time and effort needs to spent on social issues and needless controversy.
“People need to pay their bills and feed their families, period; the rest is BS,” said Rose. “But that doesn’t make headlines. Instead it’s got to be all these conspiracy theories.”
As for her performance on economic files, where a promised tax cut in the election is now years away, Rose says the government is in a difficult position needing to spend money to fix programs and address problems.
But they could have been less rosy in their revenue predictions.
“They made a common mistake that all Alberta governments do in that you have to budget the price of oil at $65 a barrel,” he said.
Two Medicine Hat-area riding associations are not sponsoring any policy changes, but Taber-Warner proposes enacting laws to force funding disclosure by all groups that lobby government on policy.
Other items include:
– Banning political donations from unions, and make membership in the Alberta Teachers Association specifically, optional;
– Halting transgender athletes from taking part in school sports and creating a “Parental Bill of Rights,” and halting public funding for gender surgeries and treatments; allowing only biological “male and female” options on government statistics and identification;
– “Continue to distance itself from Ottawa in as many facets as possible” and gain provincial veto power on all deals between cities and Ottawa or non-governmental agencies;
– Re-examine utility delivery charges;
– Abandon net-zero goals and “recognize the importance of CO2 to life”;
– Develop Alberta-run immigration program;
– Require cities to hold public hearings on large planning changes;
– Increase forest and wildfire risk management;
– Eliminate retention bonuses for government workers.
