United Conservative Party members will have an opportunity to oust Alberta Premier Danielle Smith at the party’s upcoming annual meeting.
The party’s upcoming Annual General Meeting on Nov. 1 and 2 will include a scheduled vote on Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s leadership performance as well as governance and policy resolutions.
Leadership reviews are held at one out of every three AGMs in non-election years. Members will vote by secret ballot on the question, “Do you approve of the current leader?”
The review will be the first Smith has faced since she became leader in 2022.
Former premier Jason Kenney resigned after receiving only 51.4% approval in the last review, despite surpassing the 50% approval threshold required to avoid a leadership election.
To be eligible to vote in the leadership review, voters must have been party members since at least Oct. 11, 2024, register for the AGM, and attend in person.
A total of 35 policy resolutions have been put forward by UCP members this year.
Some of the proposed resolutions mirror similar resolutions proposed at last year’s AGM.
“The policy process is one of the measures that our cabinet and caucus use in making a decision, but we also confer with stakeholders, and we also talk to Alberta,” said Smith.
A few proposed policies involve eliminating DEI within Alberta public service and crown corporations and ensuring that hiring practices are based on merit alone.
Another policy calls to protect female-only spaces and categories from transgender intrusion.
Smith has already promised upcoming amendments to the Alberta Bill of Rights, some of which will strengthen parental rights. However, one of the policies takes it a step further and calls for the provincial government to implement a Bill of Parental Rights to ensure that parents’ rights precede government legislation.
Some of her other promised amendments address points called for in some resolutions.
Another resolution calls for Alberta to “recognize the importance of CO2 to life and Alberta’s prosperity by implementing the following measures: i) abandoning ‘net-zero targets, ii) removing the designation of CO2 as a pollutant, and iii) recognize that CO2 is a foundational nutrient for all life on Earth.”
One resolution calls on the provincial government to support any efforts to “Axe the tax,” including supporting the federal Conservatives’ movement.
Alberta should follow Quebec’s lead when it comes to provincial autonomy, according to another proposed resolution. The resolution calls for Alberta to negotiate an accord with the federal government to grant the province more control over immigration.
“As Quebec has asserted its right to define and to protect its cultural heritage and has a role in determining the total numbers of immigrants allowed into the province, Alberta is equally entitled to define and protect our own unique heritage, and we only need to assert that right to improve our quality of life,” reads the resolution.
Other members want the province to acknowledge that there are only two biological sexes, making them the exclusive options on any government documents.
One resolution calls on Alberta to continue distancing itself from the Liberals in as many ways as possible.
“Any policy that is implemented outside of Alberta that impedes good management and government on behalf of Albertans should be challenged at a constitutional level,” reads the resolution.
Another resolution calls on the Government of Alberta to live up to one of its key campaign promises.
“Implement an 8% personal income tax bracket for middle-income Albertans and restore the provincial tax rate of 10% as the highest personal income tax bracket,” reads the resolution.
The tax break would save over $1,500 per family, according to the resolution.
Party policy resolutions are non-binding, meaning the UCP government would not be required to act on the policy if it passes. Nor would they be required to pass something that did not garner majority support.
