Braid: Smith takes her stand, bans separatists from all party, government roles

Finally, Premier Danielle Smith says separatists are no longer welcome in UCP positions, in her government or her caucus.

Anybody who “speaks for the party” in any way must openly accept the big federalist victory in the referendum, she told reporters Wednesday.

This is the moment many federalist UCP members have been waiting for.

Now we’ll find out if separatists embedded in the UCP fall in line or fight back, sending the party into open warfare.

We’ll learn if the bluster of separatist leaders who promise to kick her out is simply hot air.

This confrontation had to come. Stretched into an election year, the tension could blow the UCP apart at a crucial moment.

Now, Smith has the 75 per cent federalist victory to wave at the party. It’s her moment of maximum leverage.

As party leader and premier, Smith also has raw power she’s used sparingly until now.

She has ultimate authority to decide on candidates, party board memberships and cabinet appointments.

Noted caucus separatist Jason Stephan, from Red Deer, said this week he won’t run for re-election as MLA.

The word was already out. Separatists won’t be nominated.

Smith is likely to win this struggle, if only because she cannot afford to lose.

When the vast majority of Albertans vote for Canada, a governing party that won’t make up its mind is fatally compromised.

Smith’s words at the news conference bear some quoting, because they are genuinely important.

“If you want to be a candidate, you will be in a role as a representative speaking on behalf of our party,” she said.

“If you are on the provincial board, you are in a role where you will be speaking on behalf of our party.

“If you are in a constituency association, you are in a role where you will be speaking on behalf of our party.

“Those are the positions that I would expect that anyone who’s putting their name forward to be a spokesperson for our party has to accept what we heard on Monday.”

She stated the party was founded on a declaration of loyalty to Canada and she means to honour that.

“I think the message should be pretty clear,” she added.

“People will have to do some self-reflection.

“People can have whatever views they want, but if they want to speak on behalf of the United Conservative Party and be a caucus member within the United Conservative Caucus, those are my expectations.”

As I’ve often noted here before, more than half the party’s elected central board is separatist. That is now intolerable.

In Highwood, the riding Smith represented as Wildrose MLA, 65.6 per cent of voters chose Canada in the referendum.

But the UCP Highwood board recently voted 14-4 in favour of a party vote to oust Smith from the leadership.

In many rural ridings these UCP boards are more separatist than the local voters.

Of course, Smith courted the support of separatist leaners to win the party leadership in 2022.

It was always a devil’s bargain she would have to eventually confront.

Smith must manage this without bruising party support in rural Alberta, the wellspring of both UCP power and UCP separatism.

The party holds 47 seats in the legislature. Thirty-six are in rural Alberta.

Even a minor NDP intrusion into the rural areas could defeat the government.

Smith needs solid support from her UCP boards and candidates.

Now, she must bar many loyalists from party positions unless they repent their separatism.

Smith’s main argument in the private rooms will be simple — if you want the party to stay in power, you need to go with me on this.

In Alberta politics, that usually gets the job done.

Don Braid’s column appears regularly in the Herald