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Separatist leader Jeff Rath, who rose to prominence in the lead-up to the Alberta referendum in his white cowboy hat, has had his membership revoked by the governing United Conservative Party.
In an email sent to Rath on Thursday and viewed by CBC News, Dustin Van Vugt, the party’s executive director, said that Rath’s “words and actions have made clear” that he does not support the party or its objectives.
“Your public conduct in relation to our party and leader has not met the basic standard of decency we expect of our members when they disagree or otherwise.”
His membership was revoked immediately, Van Vugt wrote.
After Albertans voted decisively to remain within Canada on Oct. 19, Premier Danielle Smith made it clear the UCP would be a federalist party going forward. But with pre-referendum polling suggesting that independence was popular among UCP members, there’s been much speculation about how she would address the separatist faction within her base.
Ahead of next month’s party AGM, any aspiring board members are now required to sign a declaration that they’ll abide by the results of the referendum.
Rath is the first separatist leader to be asked to leave.
In a phone call, Rath said his ouster had less to do with his separatist beliefs than with how he’s expressed his criticisms more broadly.
“I’m a very loud and effective critic of Danielle Smith,” he said.
“She obviously does not want free speech in the party.”
In an email, a party spokesperson said the decision was made because of Rath’s “public conduct toward the party and its leader.”
Rath said he also received an email from the UCP notifying him the party had refunded the $239 he paid in order to attend next month’s AGM.
Rath and Smith have publicly sparred over their differing views on Alberta’s place in Confederation. Rath has dismissed the premier as an “avowed federalist” and mused about trying to push her out of the party leadership.
Smith, meanwhile, has maintained that she was always on team Canada and, after the referendum, warned anyone not on board that they would need to join a different party.
But their debates have occasionally veered into more personal territory.
Earlier this week, Rath accused Smith of colluding with federalist leader Thomas Lukaszuk in a personal text exchange he posted online. When pressed by NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi during question period Thursday, Smith appeared to try to distance herself from Rath by noting his past financial contributions to the Opposition party.
“He’s actually an NDP supporter,” she said.
Rath told CBC News he once attended a leadership event for then-NDP leader Rachel Notley, largely because, he said, she was once his classmate in an honours political science class.
Speaking to reporters Friday, Smith confirmed the party’s executive director had pulled Rath’s membership.
“He’s never supported me … He never supported me during the leadership, he never supported me in my time in office, and he certainly doesn’t support me now,” she said.
“That’s irrelevant,” she added. “What is relevant is that he has said publicly things like he wants to come to the AGM to turn the UCP into an independence party. And we are not an independence party.”
Rath says he will be consulting with legal counsel and will “likely” file an appeal of the decision.
Either way, he says his work trying to speak to members and have Smith replaced as party leader isn’t over.