Alberta Premier Danielle Smith at a conference in April, 2025. On Saturday, Smith says she intends to use the Alberta Sovereignty Act to introduce block Ottawa’s gun buyback program.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith walked a thin line at this weekend’s annual United Conservative convention trying to appease the pro-independence grassroots base of her party while simultaneously touting a new energy deal with her frequent foes in Ottawa.
While the she faced loud boos attempting to sell her energy accord with Prime Minister Mark Carney on Friday, and a combination of cheers and jeers when she asked the crowd to “not give up on our country” in her speech on Saturday, the Premier believes she won some of the party faithful over.
“Not everyone in that room agreed with me, but I think more did in the room today, and that’s my job, is to make sure that the people see what I’m trying,” Ms. Smith told reporters on Saturday.
Ms. Smith leaned on her pitch for a “sovereign Alberta within a united Canada” when asking the party membership to trust her government’s bid to work with Ottawa, which scrapped several federal climate and energy policies to make way for a potential bitumen pipeline to B.C.’s north coast.
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But even if the Alberta government’s war with Ottawa on energy policy is reduced to a simmer, Ms. Smith foreshadowed new battle lines she’s preparing to draw with the federal government.
On Saturday, the Premier announced that she intends to use her Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act to introduce a motion that would essentially block Ottawa’s gun buyback program in the province and would protect people’s right to defend their property.
The announcement received a standing ovation.
“Here’s a tip for low-life criminals out there: If you don’t want to get shot, don’t break into someone’s house. It’s really that simple,” Ms. Smith said.
The legality of her Sovereignty Act has not been tested in court.
Ms. Smith later said the mechanics of not enforcing the gun buyback program would be “fairly technical” with more details coming next week.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Prime Minister Mark Carney sign an energy MOU on Thursday, signalling major shift in relationship.Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press
Despite the prominent independence-minded contingent among the 4,000 or so people gathered at the Edmonton Expo Centre over the weekend, there were clear moments when the Premier’s popularity among the membership appeared to remain strong. They stood and cheered loudly on Saturday when she stepped onstage for her rabble-rousing keynote speech that leaned on grievances from the Trudeau era and trumpeted a change in policy direction from Mr. Carney’s government.
Other tenets of Ms. Smith’s government – including its sweeping health care reforms, recovery-focused addiction strategy and allusions to “woke” policies such as drug-consumption sites – also earned loud applause.
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Separatist leaders had signalled before the convention that their goal was to elect allies to the party board. Flyers for “pro-establishment” and “pro-independence” candidates circulated around the convention hall ahead of the vote.
Half the UCP’s board seats, including the president’s, were up for election.
But incumbent President Rob Smith survived a challenge from Darrell Komick, a constituency association president who was endorsed by pro-independence leaders.
“I believe our party [does] stand together,” Mr. Smith said after his re-election. “Whether I’m establishment or not, I don’t honestly know, but I’m not even entirely sure what that means.”
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Though polling has previously suggested a majority of UCP members endorse separation, the weekend appeared to highlight a growing conflict within the party.
John Williams, a founding UCP board member, argued most people were not booing Ms. Smith, and that most of the membership remains satisfied with her leadership.
“They were not booing the Premier. They’re booing the situation … and we are pissed off with Ottawa,” said Mr. Williams.
UCP Member Paul Chauvet, who was strolling the aisles wearing a shirt that read “My country is Alberta,” said he endorses independence but did not jeer Ms. Smith on Friday.
“I don’t agree with everything Danielle Smith does, but for the most part, I’m very happy,” he said. “She’s our iron lady.”
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Jeff Rath, a prominent independence advocate who led raucous cheers for separation on Friday night, argued the opposite: “She’s got a problem. She’s completely lost her base. People think she’s delusional,” he said of Ms. Smith.
“That’s not where her base is. That’s not where her party is. If that’s what she wants to do, maybe she needs to cross the floor again and join the frickin’ PC’s.”
Diane Kreuger, a member who said she doesn’t endorse independence, said she has a major problem with how the province is handling disability programs – but said she appreciates how frequently Ms. Smith engages with the public.
Members, on the weekend, also voted in favour of non-binding motions to end public funding for third-trimester abortions, to reintroduce coal-fired power and to ban fluoride from municipal drinking water.