UCP Leader Danielle Smith makes her victory speech in Calgary on Monday May 29, 2023. Alberta's United Conservative Party rode a wave of rural support Monday to win a renewed majority in the provincial election - but not before the NDP took a big bite out of its support. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
EDMONTON – The United Conservative Party has won a majority government in Alberta’s provincial election and Danielle Smith has been re-elected premier.
Here are some biographical details:
Age: 52. Born April 1, 1971.
Pre-Politics: English and economics degrees from the University of Calgary. Columnist with the Calgary Herald and show host at Global TV.
Politics: Elected leader of the Wildrose Party in 2009. Elected to the Alberta legislature as the member for Highwood, becoming leader of the official Opposition to the governing Progressive Conservatives in 2012. Led a mass Wildrose floor crossing to the PCs in 2014. Lost the PC nomination in Highwood in 2015. Won leadership of the United Conservative Party to become premier in October 2022. Won the byelection in Brooks-Medicine Hat in November 2022.
Personal: Second of five children. Worked as radio talk-show host before winning the UCP leadership. Married to David Moretta with a stepson.
Quote: “Just as I would like to thank the hundreds of thousands of Albertans who voted for the UCP today, I want to speak for a moment to every Albertan who did not. I want you to know my oath is to serve all Albertans no matter how you voted. And though I didn’t do enough in your judgment to win your support in this election, I will work every day to listen, to improve and to demonstrate to you that I can be trusted to improve on the issues you can so deeply about.” – May 29.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on May 30, 2023.
