UCP riding group demands leadership review as separatist leader criticizes Danielle Smith's unity stance

UCP riding group demands leadership review as separatist leader criticizes Danielle Smith's unity stance

First of 22 associations needed to force vote on premier's party leadership

A UCP riding association in southern Alberta has formally urged a party vote to review Premier Danielle Smith’s leadership, in the latest sign of simmering frustrations surrounding the Oct. 19 referendum on the province’s future within Canada.

The Highwood UCP association cannot trigger a leadership review on its own. At least 21 additional party constituency groups would need to adopt similar positions to require a special vote on a leader’s future, similar to the internal dissent that ultimately led United Conservatives to prematurely end Jason Kenney’s leadership four years ago.

But the Highwood riding group is not only led by someone who’s also a vice-president on the party’s board, Helen Holder — it also includes Tanya Clemens, co-leader of prominent separatist group Let Alberta Decide.

Clemens defended her support for a leadership review Saturday in a video posted to social media. In it, she said she was motivated largely by the premier’s vocal support for the “stay” option in the referendum.

“I disagree with the adversarial role she has taken toward independence during this referendum, because I believe our highest elected representative should have remained neutral and allowed Albertans to make this decision,” Clemens said in her post.

The pro-independence organizer said she still respects Smith and would likely support her UCP leadership if a review was held today. But Clemens added that Smith’s approach in the referendum’s aftermath “will naturally inform how I will vote in a leadership review.”

Clemens did not reply to CBC News’ interview request.

Let Alberta Decide’s other leader, Keith Wilson, has been supportive of Smith and her decision to give voters a referendum on whether Alberta should remain a Canadian province or plan a subsequent binding referendum on secession. That position was in contrast to the leaders of Alberta Prosperity Project, Jeff Rath and Mitch Sylvestre, who have soured on Smith’s leadership and her pro-unity position.

Sylvestre, himself a UCP riding president in northeast Alberta, told CBC News in May he would organize a party movement to force a leadership review or to make the UCP endorse independence. That stated initiative never showed any public signs of progress.

Highwood is a riding south of Calgary that includes the town of Okotoks. It previously included Danielle Smith’s hometown of High River and she was its MLA for a term last decade when she led the Wildrose Party, but she now represents Brooks-Medicine Hat in the province’s southeast.

Highwood’s current MLA, Affordability Minister RJ Sigurdson, is seeking to distance himself from the decision of his riding’s party association.

“Let me be clear that Premier Danielle Smith has, and will continue to have, my full support,” Sigurdson said in a statement.

“I firmly believe that the decision of the Highwood Constituency Association does not reflect the views of my constituents broadly.”

United Conservative members gave Smith a resounding endorsement in the last scheduled review — 91.5 per cent support at the 2024 annual party convention. That was before the independence movement became more vocal and organized last year, with many of its leaders, activists and organizers within the UCP.

The next UCP convention is scheduled for late November, after the referendum, but no leadership review is scheduled.

Last week, the Smith government launched a $4 million ad campaign on the 10 referendum questions facing Albertans. While the videos have largely focused on the ballot measures dealing with immigration and constitutional reforms, it referenced the unity question at the end, urging voters to “stand up for a strong and sovereign Alberta within a united Canada.”

While independence remains popular among many backers of Smith’s party, polls have shown the vast majority of Albertans support staying in Canada.

The Alberta NDP contend that public distaste for separatism helped the party flip Calgary-Shaw, a former UCP cabinet minister’s riding, in a by-election last Monday. Some independence advocates, meanwhile, have argued that separatist UCP supporters may have stayed home, turned off by Smith’s pro-unity advocacy.

Holder, the party’s vice-president of fundraising, did not reply immediately to a request for comment on Saturday.

In a statement, a party spokesperson said Smith’s 91.5 per cent score in the leadership review two years ago points to resounding support for her leadership.

“Under her leadership, we are shattering all-time fundraising records, consistently out fundraising the NDP, and drawing sell-out crowds at events across the province,” Dave Prisco said in an email.

“You only see results like that when you have a strong leader with overwhelming support.”

In 2022, the required number of UCP riding associations forced a special general meeting to force a leadership review of Kenney, amid party unrest about the then-premier’s policies on COVID vaccination and other pandemic health measures. The 51.4 per cent support he received was enough for him to remain, but Kenney announced he’d resign as leader because he believed it wasn’t a strong enough mandate to legitimately stay on.

One constituency president leading that anti-Kenney march was Rob Smith, currently president of the party. He did not reply to a request for comment.

Premier Smith didn’t mention any internal party pushback Saturday when she spoke at the Alberta and the West Assembly, a virtual conference focused on the October referendum.

She reaffirmed in her speech that she backs the “stay” option, but emphasized her support for “yes” on the immigration and constitutional questions.

“My advocacy is around the nine questions. I mean, I put nine questions on the ballot because I genuinely want to get a mandate to start working on those things that will fix the country,” Smith told the online event, organized by Preston Manning, former leader of the federal Reform Party.

The premier also recounted the financial struggles she said Albertans have relayed to her, and that she understands why they’re angry, hurt, and intrigued by independence as a solution.

“So when proud, hard-working people feel their contribution is taken for granted and their livelihood is treated as something to be phased out, some begin to ask a painful question: Does this country actually want us?” Smith said, showing visible emotion as she spoke.

“Even many of those who are voting to remain are fed up. And the Albertans considering the other option are not, for the most part, against Canada or fellow Canadians. They're just heartbroken by it. And that distinction matters.”