CBC
Sat, November 4, 2023
Delegates lineup to register at the United Conservative Party annual general meeting in Calgary, Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press - image credit)
A strikingly large crowd streamed into Calgary's BMO Centre on Friday afternoon for the first day of the United Conservative Party's annual general meeting, expected to be a crucial weekend to gauge party unity in light of the involvement of the social conservative group Take Back Alberta.
Friday was a chance for attendees to get oriented, and to vote on less dramatic governance resolutions — such as whether leadership reviews should take place two years instead of three after an election, and whether paper membership cards could be issued to party members. Both of those did not pass.
But most of the fireworks will come on Saturday, with controversial policy resolutions to be voted on and board elections to be held.
Political watchers are paying close attention to see how this weekend's meeting, the second under Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, will be received by the crowd of at least 3,728, a figure the party says is the largest in Alberta's history. The UCP's founding convention in 2018 drew around 2,500 members.
Crews ready the venue of the United Conservative Party annual general meeting in Calgary, Friday, Nov. 3, 2023.
Crews ready the venue of the United Conservative Party annual general meeting in Calgary. Alberta's United Conservatives are holding their second annual general meeting under Premier Danielle Smith on Friday and Saturday. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press)
Many attending for the first time
As the doors opened to the event centre, members filed into the meeting hall along stanchions divided by black curtains. Many in this line said they were attending a political AGM for the first time, and many said it was the efforts of the social conservative group Take Back Alberta that had drawn them there.
Some still expressed grudges over how pandemic-era policies were handled by government, while others said they were here to weigh in on policies tied to the economy.
"I guess we tend to be Take Back Alberta people, but we'll see. I hope the people who work in there really do unify," said first-time attendee Verlin Rau.
First-time annual general meeting attendee Verlin Rau said he has been impressed with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith so far, though he said he recognizes she has been under pressure. (Joel Dryden/CBC)
"I want to see what they're doing on things like policy and governance, and things like that," said Tom Howard, another attendee in line.
A short walk away, in Stampede Park's Big Four Roadhouse, tables clad with black cloth were littered with pamphlets and handouts from party board hopefuls.
"There's a lot of talk about party unity. How do we build unity? By building trust," read one printed on yellow paper.
These normally sleepy elections have drawn increased attention this year due to Take Back Alberta's goal of taking a majority of the board for the stated reason of guaranteeing grassroots representation in government.
David Parker, the group's leader, was visible on the meeting floor on Friday. The night prior to the event, he wrote on X, previously Twitter, that this weekend would begin "a new age in Alberta."
"After this AGM, the grassroots of the UCP will be in charge," he wrote. "Those who do not listen to the grassroots or attempt to thwart their involvement in the decision making process, will be removed from power."
Social issues clearly front-of-mind
On stage in the Big Four Roadhouse, sessions with provincial ministers were underway even as registrants in the BMO Hall waited in line.
The sessions, focused on crime, energy and the environment, kicked off with a talk from Energy and Minerals Minister Brian Jean and Environment and Protected Areas Minister Rebecca Schulz. Their efforts talking up Alberta's opposition to federal net-zero rules and to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were warmly received by the party faithful.
"Smith is gonna kick some butt," Jean said, referring to the prime minister.
A registrar hands out vote cards to delegates at the United Conservative Party annual general meeting in Calgary, Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press)
But where the crowd really came alive was during the question-and-answer sessions with Jean and Schulz, and with Minister of Justice Mickey Amery and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services Mike Ellis. During one of those portions, an attendee referenced what they said were pressing issues of gender and sexuality in schools, something often referenced by Take Back Alberta leader Parker and others as "parental rights."
The crowd loudly applauded those sentiments. Requiring the written consent of parents whenever a student under 16 wants to change their name or pronouns at school is one of many controversial party positions reflected amongst the30 policy resolutions that will be voted on by party members on Saturday.
Other resolutions include prohibiting the implementation ofso-called '15-minute cities,' ending funding for supervised consumption sites and opposing net-zero power rules in Canada by 2035.
Party resolutions are brought forward by party members and are non-binding, but they do provide grassroots direction on what it thinks the government's policies should be.
Mixed views on unity
Talk to people ordering tacos from food trucks outside the Big Four Roadhouse, or party members lingering in the hallways, and opinions vary on how much unity there is currently in the party.
Many, including those affiliated with Take Back Alberta, say they think Smith is equipped to help keep people across the conservative spectrum together.
Delegate Scott Payne of Medicine Hat arrives at the United Conservative Party annual general meeting in Calgary on Nov. 3. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press)
Others aren't so thrilled with the influx of members from Take Back Alberta and its implications for party policy moving forward. Denise Hamilton, a director with the Calgary-Beddington constituency association, said she would welcome the members as friendly members of the UCP, but didn't want them to take over the party.
"We can't just go one way or the other. You tip the scales, and you're way off balance. So it worries me, worries me a lot," Hamilton said. "If they had just wanted to come and run for each board, and just like the rest of us, want to do the hard work — sure, please join us.
"But if you came in here, just to take us over, because you have your own agenda, and you don't want to fit in with the regular agenda, then I'm not with that."
Such dynamics are likely to continue on Saturday, when most of the action is scheduled to take place. Speeches from candidates running for seats on the party's board will begin early in the morning, and voting will take place until 2 p.m. Smith will also deliver her keynote address on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.
Danielle Smith signals support for 'parental rights' as party members pass controversial resolutions
CBC
Sat, November 4, 2023
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith speaks to party faithful at the United Conservative Party annual general meeting in Calgary on Saturday. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press - image credit)
In a speech to party members on Saturday, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith expressed her opposition to federal net-zero rules and called out her federal counterparts in Ottawa, but received the loudest approval of the day after signalling her support for "parental rights."
"Regardless of how often the extreme left undermines the role of parents, I want you to know that parental rights and choice in your child's education is and will continue to be a fundamental core principle of this party and this government," Smith said.
This weekend's annual general meeting in Calgary, one the United Conservative Party has referred to as the largest in Alberta's history, drew a large contingent of members affiliated with Take Back Alberta, a social conservative group.
David Parker, the leader of that group, has made the subject of "parental rights" among his chief areas of interests. Over the past number of months, some parents and socially conservative groups have been protesting LGBTQ-inclusive education policies in the classroom and in extracurricular settings under that term.
Attendees at this weekend's AGM passed a non-binding resolution that would require the written consent of parents whenever a student under 16 wants to change their name or pronouns at a school.
Party faithful cheer Alberta Premier Danielle Smith as she speaks at the United Conservative Party annual general meeting in Calgary on Saturday. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press)
The Saskatchewan government recently passed a similar bill. Critics and researchers say the term "parental rights" isn't accurate, because it doesn't include the concerns of LGBTQ parents or parents of LGBTQ children.
Smith herself has, in the past, spoken about how she didn't want to turn this issue into a political football, mentioning a non-binary family member. Speaking to reporters after her speech, she said she was still hopeful that it was possible to "keep the temperature down."
"Whether you're a straight couple or a gay couple or whether you're a trans individual, you want to know what's going on with your kids," she said.
"I don't think it needs to be polarizing. I think that we have to make sure that we're respecting the rights of parents, but also making sure kids feel protected and supported."
While the premier didn't make any policy commitments, it was a way for her to indicate to members that that she shared their concerns, said Lisa Young, a University of Calgary political science professor.
"I think that the reaction from the party members who were there really did signal how important this issue is to them," Young said.
"So it will be interesting to see how this plays out in the policy debate, and in the days to come if there's pressure on the government to act, as opposed to simply expressing sympathy."
Attendees at the UCP AGM also voted on a number of other policy resolutions. They approved resolutions banning race-based admissions in post-secondary institutions and a resolution that would prohibit the implementation of so-called "15-minute cities."
Delegates cast their votes at the United Conservative Party annual general meeting in Calgary on Nov. 4. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press)
They've also approved resolutions that would ban the use of electronic voting machines, end provincial funding of supervised consumption sites and refuse transgender women in women's correctional facilities. Members also voted to approve a resolution that would oppose net-zero power rules in Canada by 2035.
Party members voted on 30 policy resolutions in total. Policy resolutions are brought forward by party members, and are non-binding, but they do provide grassroots direction on what it thinks the government's policies should be.
Smith references AHS decentralization
Smith, in her speech at the BMO Centre, also received a big response from the crowd after saying her government would have more to say "in the coming weeks" on health reforms that would "decentralize decision-making and resources from AHS down to our front lines."
Young, the U of C political science professor, said there have been a number of people recruited into the party as members over the past year or two who were unhappy with the provincial government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically when it came to mandates.
"The policy stance that seems to be favoured by those groups is that there needs to be decentralization of Alberta Health Services," Young said.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith promised to continue to reduce taxes, balance budgets, pay off debt and eventually build a high-speed rail link between Edmonton and Calgary as a part of her speech to almost 3,800 delegates at the United Conservative Party's annual meeting in Calgary on Saturday. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press)
During her speech, Smith also touched on familiar topics such as her opposition to federal net-zero rules, receiving loud applause from the crowd when she referred to federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's "green czar."
"They are still hell-bent on imposing these destructive leftist policies on the people of Alberta. You know what I say to them. Not so long as I am premier. Not a chance," said Smith.
Smith did not mention the ongoing battle over the Canada Pension Plan during her remarks. Based on a report from the consultant LifeWorks, the province has claimed that if it pulled out of the CPP, it would be entitled to $334 billion, which would represent more than half of the fund's assets.
Rob Smith new party president
One of the other main areas of focus at this year's AGM has been the question of unity — in particular, how Smith might respond to Take Back Alberta and the members it drew to the event.
"I think a strong message is going to be sent to our government that the grassroots is very interested in protecting their rights," said Parker, the leader of the group, on Saturday afternoon.
David Parker, centre, founder of Take Back Alberta, looks on as delegates debate resolutions at the United Conservative Party annual general meeting in Calgary, on Nov. 4. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press)
Parker has said the group's goal is to take a majority of the seats on the UCP board so as to ensure the goals of his group's members are represented in government.
Before this weekend's event, Take Back Alberta already held half of the board seats, with Parker saying he wanted his group to control an "absolute majority" of the seats after the AGM.
Two Take Back Alberta-affiliated individuals, Sonia Egey-Samu and Vicki Kozmak-LeFrense, filled spots by acclamation on Saturday, with Egey-Samu the new vice-president of fundraising and Kozmak-LeFrense a northern director. Attendees at the AGM voted for Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills constituency association president Rob Smith to become the new party president. As a riding president, Smith challenged the leadership of former premier Jason Kenney.
United Conservative Party member Ron Pearpoint said he was concerned about unity within the party moving forward. (Joel Dryden/CBC)
Though Take Back Alberta drew plenty of supporters to this weekend's events, its large presence drew concern from some attendees, too.
In line for the lunch buffet on Saturday afternoon, Ron Pearpoint said he was concerned about how long conservative premiers have typically lasted in Alberta, including Smith's predecessor, Kenney.
"That bothers me more than anything else. We eat our own, right?" he said.
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