Premier Danielle Smith was taking heat from other western premiers over separatism Tuesday when an astonishing statement hit the airwaves. The president of the United Conservative Party (UCP), Rob Smith, declared that the governing party will not take a stand on whether Alberta should separate from Canada.
That is Danielle Smith's party. The one that made her leader and, hence, premier. This party now refuses to endorse Alberta staying in Canada, even as Smith begins her pro-Canada campaign.
Party Refuses to Take a Stand
“It's an absolute fact that a substantial number of our members are very pro on the concept of independence,” Rob Smith told an interviewer. “We are a big tent of conservative-minded people, where divergent opinions are absolutely allowed.”
If Premier Smith had not allowed the referendum, he said, “I think we could very much be a divided party. Recognizing that we have a significant number of our members that are pro-independence, we will not be coming out in favour or against as a political party. But the representatives who have been elected as MLAs, they're going to be making their stances known.”
Alberta now has a pro-federalist government based on a party that is not federalist. Ex-premier Jason Kenney said that when the UCP was created in 2017, loyalty to Canada had to be written into its constitution. That was his bottom line as co-founder. That pledge is still there but the party now ignores it.
Internal Divisions and Referendum Rationale
The growing chasm in the UCP has been obvious for months. A recent poll shows 64 per cent of members favour independence. Smith herself has warned the party could split. That is the whole reason for this referendum. And yet, it is startling to have a clear statement that Smith and her party are now formally offside.
Separatist firebrand Jeffrey Rath has said for months that his militants dominate the party and they might kick Smith out. Maybe it was not just bluster.
Western Premiers Push Back
Meanwhile, Smith was not having a great day as she hosted the annual Western Premiers' Conference at Kananaskis. The group put out a solid pro-Canada communique at the end, with Smith's hearty approval. But the two NDP premiers — David Eby of British Columbia and Wab Kinew of Manitoba — voiced strong objections to the referendum. Saskatchewan's Scott Moe, usually a solid Smith ally, stayed silent about it.
Kinew shared a poignant anecdote: “When we were leaving Calgary, we stopped at an A&W, and there was an older woman who was working there. She was handing me the brown paper bag, and she goes, 'Wab, tell our premier we don't want to separate from Canada.' So, I'm passing that message on to you, Danielle, and saying on behalf of the rest of Canada — we're with that lady from the A&W.”
