The grassroots base of Alberta's United Conservative Party delivered a stunning rebuke to Premier Danielle Smith during the party's annual convention, loudly booing her mention of successful federal cooperation on a pipeline and signaling a desire for a more confrontational, MAGA-inspired political path.
Convention Chaos: Boos for Pipeline Success
The United Conservative Party Annual General Meeting, held from November 28 to 30, 2025 at the Edmonton Expo Centre, became a scene of open dissent. Delegates reacted with vocal disapproval, including booing, when Premier Smith highlighted her work with the rest of Canada to secure another pipeline to the West Coast. The message from the party faithful was stark: it's an embrace of Trump-style MAGA politics, or nothing.
Observers noted the parallel to former Premier Jason Kenney's final days, suggesting Smith may now be grappling with a similar erosion of her core support. The premier's attempt to showcase a major policy achievement was met not with praise, but with a demand for more extreme partisan warfare, leaving her political future in question.
Beyond the Boos: A Hidden Threat to Seniors in Bill 11
While the convention drama captured headlines, another critical policy shift affecting Alberta's seniors has drawn serious concern. Buried within the publicity around Bill 11 and its push for a parallel private healthcare system is a major change to the seniors' drug benefit program.
Currently, the government covers 70% of approved drug costs, with a co-payment cap of $31 per prescription (rising to $35 by April 1). Bill 11 would flip this model, making private insurers the first payer. The cost-sharing split would shift dramatically from a 70-30 government-private ratio to 20-80.
The Alberta government estimates this will transfer $35 to $54 million in costs to private insurers. Experts warn this is not a simple cost-saving measure but a significant benefit cut. With an estimated 50% of Alberta seniors holding private insurance, premiums could skyrocket by $1,000 to $1,600 annually.
Political and Personal Consequences
The dual crises—internal party revolt and a controversial policy affecting a vulnerable demographic—paint a picture of a government at a crossroads. For Premier Smith, the convention's reception forces a reckoning with her base. As one letter writer, Jim Pernsky of Edmonton, bluntly put it, retirement might be the only appeasement left.
For seniors, the changes in Bill 11 could have dire real-world effects. Fixed-income retirees may be forced to drop their now-unaffordable private coverage, potentially leading them to forgo necessary medications. This could result in worse health outcomes and increased pressure on the acute-care hospital system, negating any intended government savings.
The events of the UCP convention weekend reveal a party deeply divided between pragmatic governance and populist fervor, while proposed legislation threatens to undermine the security of Alberta's aging population.
