Danielle Smith Completes Her Political Comeback
“Well, I’m back”.
Premier Danielle Smith.
From the halls of Calgary’s BMO Centre, cheers emanated from the crowd as the new leader of the United Conservative Party was announced on the evening of October 6th. This moment caps off what could quite easily be considered one of the most unexpected political comebacks in Alberta history. It has been eight years since the then leader of the official opposition crossed the floor with a number of fellow Wildrose MLAs to join the Premier Jim Prentice-led Progressive Conservative government – seven years since she lost her nomination for the 2015 general election.
Fast forward to 2022, and the very same Danielle Smith will soon become the 19th premier in Alberta’s history.
If you can sincerely say that you could see this coming back in 2015, please send me an email because I would love to shake your hand and ask how you knew.
Yes, Danielle Smith has pulled off what may go down as the most unlikely political comeback story in Alberta’s history – perhaps Canada’s as well. There is still much that needs to happen prior to Smith moving her affects into Room 307 in the Legislature – but indeed, the work has begun.
Of course, Premier Designate Smith will need to earn a seat in the Legislature. All reports seem to indicate that she will not be pursuing the existing vacancy left by Doug Schweitzer in Calgary-Elbow. She will likely need to find a rural seat which could involve an MLA stepping down prior to the general election next year.
First, she will travel to Edmonton on Tuesday to be sworn-in as premier – this will officially bring Jason Kenney’s tenure to an end.
The outgoing premier has indicated he will stay on as an MLA, but has not committed to staying on until the general election in May.
In addition to a by-election, the premier-designate will announce her first cabinet roster which will need to be sworn-in before session resumes. There is plenty of speculation about who could become a cabinet minister in a Smith government. If you would like to read more about that, please read my colleague Heather Feldbusch’s article later on in this issue.
Finally, given the time that it will take to complete all of this work and to roll out a transition plan, we expect the fall sitting to begin sometime in middle to late November rather than October 31 as currently scheduled. Stay tuned to The NEWS for those updates.
How The Vote Played Out
Throughout the race, speculation flip-flopped between following a path we witnessed for Pierre Poilievre’s coronation for the federal conservative party (first ballot victory) or a race that ended up being more drawn out.
Of course, we saw the latter.
Ultimately, it was not all that surprising to see the race decided in the final round. Given the low percentage of support for the first candidates who fell off, there were not enough votes to carry over and put Smith over the top. Smith experienced a decent bump when Rebecca Schulz fell off in round four and ultimately was handed the win by Jean voters.
While the balloting did not end in a first round knockout, the results were reflective of how the race played out – Smith took the lead and never looked back.
Smith’s Victory Speech
Often during a leadership race, we witness successful candidates move towards the centre of the political spectrum as the focus begins to shift to winning a general election. However, this is not always the case, and Smith did not appear to show a desire to deviate from her leadership campaign messaging.
“Tonight marks the beginning of a new chapter in the Alberta story. It is time for Alberta to take its place as a senior partner in building a strong and unified Canada. No longer will Alberta ask permission from Ottawa to be prosperous and free.”
Indeed, Smith’s “Alberta First” platform will become provincial government policy over the coming months. While she did use her speech as an opportunity to tone down the rhetoric that has surrounded her controversial Alberta Sovereignty Act to shake away some people’s fears that this legislation would be a precursor to separation talks, that was about far as a centre-shift as we heard.
She used her time on the stage to paint a target on the Liberal-led federal government as well as the federal New Democrats.
“We will not have our resources landlocked, or our energy phased out of existence by virtue signaling Prime Ministers.”
One thing Smith can be credited with doing in her victory speech is getting ahead of expected NDP messaging come time for the general election. She spoke directly to concerns that the UCP may be experiencing a fracture which could hinder their ability to be re-elected into government.
Not unexpectedly, unity was a key theme.
“Unity is not a talking point – it is an action. It is something you practice rather than preach. Now is not the time for settling old scores or rivalries. It’s not the time to punish our fellow conservatives for past mistakes. This is why, as premier and leader of this party, I am wiping the slate clean. The membership has spoken.”
Finally, Smith doubled down on her campaign rhetoric surrounding her concerns with Alberta Health Services. She had promised during the race that she would put in new leadership for AHS, something that becomes a possibility with her election last night. She also gave notice to AHS regarding directions she will give leadership.
“As premier, when I direct AHS management to double ICU capacity by a specific date and give them the resources to do so, that direction is followed – immediately. And if they can’t do that, then we will find others who can do it for them.”
Final Thoughts
Danielle Smith has acknowledged her past mistakes in provincial politics and signaled a desire to move forward with conservatives of all stripes. She even announced that fellow candidate Todd Loewen would be welcomed back into the UCP caucus. From this point on, many questions will need to be answered. Who forms cabinet? Will any UCP MLAs announce that they do not intend to seek re-election? How will the NDP respond to Premier Smith?
Ultimately, the biggest question that remains to be answered is simply this – who will Albertans select as their premier in 2023: Danielle Smith, or Rachel Notley?
Let the race begin.
