\u0027It’s Danielle Smith … against Rachel Notley and I think the party is starting to unite, it\u0027s starting to come together\u0027
Holding a glass of white wine, she shook hands and exchanged hugs, visiting with the party faithful who had travelled to Edmonton for the gathering. As Alberta conservatives sipped beer and ate pizza and hors d’oeuvres, Smith gladhanded and took photos while hulking security guards — a new feature now that’s she’s also premier — loomed in their black suits.Sign up to receive the daily top stories from the National Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.
With the excitement of a new leader came the sense that there needed to be unity among those on Alberta’s right if they’re going to win an election against the NDP, which must be held before May 29, 2023. Jensen, a delegate from Edson, Alta., a town of some 9,000 people a couple hours west of Edmonton, said the party needs to come up with ideas “that appeal to the broader Alberta population,” and concentrate on “very basic things that every Albertan enjoys,” such as infrastructure and roads. Jensen added that in rural and small-town Alberta, people feel like they’re forgotten as governments sling cash at flashy urban projects.
On Friday evening, as delegates gathered in an atrium outside the events space, there was less animosity than might have been expected, given the party just finished a leadership race, observed one political staffer. That said, the former premier himself wasn’t in attendance, and Kenney loyalist Jason Nixon, a rural Alberta MLA and the former environment minister who was demoted from cabinet Friday, was not seen at the convention.
“I feel like there’s a lot more energy here than there was in previous years, especially the last time around,” said Malkin. “The conservative party that I see today is not the conservative party that’s an old boys club — it’s people of all ages.” Some were clearly thrilled about Smith’s victory. This was evident from the enthusiastic applause and standing ovations during Smith’s speech Saturday — and the largely celebratory atmosphere, certainly compared to 2021, when the party, despite professing unity, was wracked with infighting.
New Democrats would be thrilled to duke it out over health care and affordability — issues they feel are well within their bailiwick, especially if the UCP decides it does indeed want to keep fighting over COVID, and if they prove unable to plaster over internal divisions. It may have been a sign that Smith is choosing to pivot towards issues that resonate with a more diverse swathe of Alberta voters, such as affordability. But, given her press conference immediately afterwards, in which she defended promises to deliver amnesty to those who found themselves on the wrong side of the law over pandemic-era health measures, she’s also clearly standing by the people who put her in power.