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On October 6, Daniel Smith defeated Travis Storrs in the sixth ballot to become the leader of the United Conservative Party. She will become Alberta’s 19th prime minister on her October 11th.
For longtime friend and colleague Smith, this is an exciting moment. When the pomp and circumstance ends, she knows the hard work begins.
Smith must not only look ahead to the upcoming Alberta elections, which are mandated by the state to take place by May 29, 2023, but also find ways to work with Ottawa. It’s a tough balancing act that most prime ministers have had to face. It will be especially difficult for her.
Alberta has been Canada’s most consistently conservative province for 80 years. The Social Credit Party led the state from 1935 to 1971, while the Progressive Conservative Party held him in power from 1971 to 2015. Prime Ministers during this period differed in terms of political ideologies, policies and visions, from William Aberhart to Jim Prentiss. Right-wing support for small government, low tax rates, economic freedom, and greater individual rights and liberties was shared by many Alberta politicians and voters.
This changed in 2015 when Prentiss lost to Rachel Notley and NDP. It wasn’t because of a sudden fascination with Hartland’s socialism and leftist policies. Some of the reasons behind this unexpected cataclysm include frustration with the PC regime, the slow “ditch the crumbs” sentiment in politics, changing urban demographics, Prentiss and other Temporary severance with right-wing groups.
Smith was among them. She was then leader of the Wild Rose Party and the official leader of the opposition in Alberta. She was frustrated by the antics of some caucuses. There was also a difficult annual meeting where the anti-discrimination resolution she supported was defeated.
Dec 17, 2014 She and 8 Wild Roses MLA crossed the floor Joined PC. This was done to unite the right in Alberta and keep Prentice as Prime Minister. This strategy was not well received and she lost to Highwood in her 2015 PC Candidate bid. She left politics and found success as her radio host on CHQR’s Talks, which helped her rebuild her image in the public eye.
During this time, respected Conservative MP Jason Kenny left Ottawa on March 18, 2017 to become Alberta PC leader. He merged the party with Wild Rose and then-party leader Brian Gene on his May 18, defeating Gene and Doug his Schweitzer to become the UCP. On April 16, 2019, Kenny defeated Notley to become the Premier.
With a strange twist of irony. Smith (along with Prentice) helped lay the groundwork for UCP’s founding and electoral success with Kenny. Few would have predicted this. Again, few would have predicted Kenny’s shocking rise and fall in Alberta, largely due to his government’s poor performance during COVID-19.
Smith is trusted by UCP members. She still needs to build bridges with disillusioned Alberta conservatives and independents, and create an appropriately sized cushion of support.
Online Angus Reed Poll September 19-22 Indicated The UCP outperformed the NDP at 47-41%, with 52% of respondents thinking Notley was “bad or terrible” as prime minister. Smith won his 54% in that poll. This was higher than her two main leadership rivals, Toews and Jean. It’s not the end of the world, but it’s something she needs to deal with and adjust to.
Others are concerned about Smith’s ability to lead the state. They identify her as some kind of dangerous far-right fanatic, but not the libertarian-leaning prime ministerial nominee. There are also concerns about the potential for an icy relationship between Ottawa. Not only is this completely unfounded, but it’s not based in reality since she hasn’t started yet.
Smith’s work is therefore put under the microscope. It’s to her advantage.
She is an intelligent, capable, and affable individual who enjoys everything from studying policy to building bridges with her political opponents. She doesn’t meet Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on most issues, including federal carbon taxes, Alberta oil sands development, and equality payments. Still, she will likely find common ground with Ottawa in terms of social policies, job creation, and promoting Canada to the world.
Smith was and still is wise and practical. She knows what it takes to be successful with voters and negotiate with Ottawa. She carefully avoids the pitfalls she has encountered before. She remains a true advocate for Alberta’s political and economic rights and a strong supporter of conservatism, liberty and liberty.
Smith’s new political adventure is just beginning, and the path to political victory looks clear. He will look very interesting.
Views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Epoch Times.
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Longtime newspaper columnist and political commentator Michael Taube was a speechwriter for former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
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