For What It’s Worth: Danielle Smith’s bold political style could prove problematic

By Cash Moore on October 20, 2022.

If there’s one thing for certain, Danielle Smith isn’t afraid of speaking her mind.

When you listen to her, she speaks somewhat off the cuff and limits the amount of canned, scripted speech that is so common amongst politicians (see: Trudeau).

This speaking style combined with her willingness to think outside the box and dive into controversial topics is what has given her success as a public figure and win the UCP leadership. In a word, her political style could be described as bold.

This is a double-edged sword for Smith now as premier, where everything she says will be put under a microscope and dissected.

Just a few hours after being sworn in as premier, Smith stated in a press conference that unvaccinated people were the “most discriminated-against group” that she had seen in her lifetime.

Regardless of how one finds the merit of that remark, and despite the fact the headlines pulled the comment out of context, it’s clearly a comment that’s best left unsaid. Media and the opposition made a field day out of it.

This is the reason why most present-day politicians give non-answers to questions, read from bland scripts and refuse to offer unorthodox solutions. Like any person, politicians are more prone to make mistakes or say something that doesn’t come out right when they think out loud or when they explore new ideas. With the nature of living in a hyper-sensitive society, many political careers have been ruined by comments that weren’t thought out beforehand.

It remains to be seen whether Smith will reign in her bold style. Within the conservative base, Smith’s style appears as genuine and passionate. But for many of those outside the base, it appears reckless and abrasive.

The general election is only half a year away. In order to woo swing voters, it would be wise for Smith to steer clear from reigniting divisive COVID/vaccine debates with impromptu comments like the one she made last week. A bold political style is only effective when dealing with issues which are pertinent to the general population. Issues like inflation, fixing our health-care system and reducing addictions and crime are going to be top of mind for voters, not vaccines.

I think there is significant desire amongst the population for a leader like Smith who is willing to communicate beyond the grip of pre-written talking points and offer unconventional solutions to societal problems. Smith has the ability to be successful as premier if she avoids moral grandstanding on polarizing social issues.

Cash Moore is a political science student at the University of Alberta from Medicine Hat