The battle for the heart of the United Conservative Party (UCP) has finally commenced. Premier Danielle Smith and her allies are mobilizing to reclaim the party from separatist elements that have gained significant influence.
Mobilizing the Base
Smith's ministers and MLAs are actively reaching out to current and former party members, urging them to rejoin the UCP and attend the next general meeting. The goal is to vote federalist candidates onto the party board, countering the separatist faction that reportedly holds at least half of the elected seats.
The Separatist Threat
The current board, led by President Rob Smith (no relation to the premier), includes 17 elected members. The premier is automatically the most senior member, with two MLAs serving as non-voting members. However, many rural regional directors are separatists, some of whom were involved in ousting former Premier Jason Kenney and have since turned to separatism.
A hostile board can unseat a premier, as happened to former Progressive Conservative Premier Alison Redford in 2014. By March of that year, board hostility became the final straw. Now, hardline separatists like Jeffrey Rath vow to enroll masses of new UCP members to drive out Danielle Smith.
Rob Smith's Controversial Statement
On Tuesday, Rob Smith refused to commit the party to federalism, stating, "It’s an absolute fact that a substantial number of our members are very pro on the concept of independence. 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."
This statement placed the UCP president in direct opposition to the premier, who had been campaigning for Alberta to remain within Canada. Smith's stance created an untenable situation for Danielle Smith, who quickly confronted him.
Backtracking
The following day, Rob Smith issued a retraction, stating, "The position of our party, the UCP caucus and the UCP government is that we believe in a sovereign Alberta within a united Canada. That is the position our party has taken from the very beginning. It’s in our founding principles."
However, critics note that the Sovereignty Act was introduced six years after the UCP's formation in 2017, and the commitment to Canada was clear from the start. Rob Smith's initial statement had effectively disowned that commitment.
Implications for the UCP
The biggest threat to the UCP may be the loss of conservative moderates. If the party continues to be perceived as separatist-leaning, it risks alienating mainstream conservatives. The struggle for the party's soul is now fully underway, with Premier Smith leading the charge to restore federalist principles.
