By Chris Brown

Unity questions persist for UCP following Smith’s win

Oct 7, 2022 | 4:29 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – A local political scientist says the United Conservative Party needing full six rounds of voting to pick a leader raises questions about whether the party is truly behind Danielle Smith.

“It wasn’t a Pierre Poilievre type of blowout like they had in the national party,” said Medicine Hat College’s Jim Groom on Friday, the day after Smith was elected UCP leader and became Alberta’s premier-in-waiting. Unity was a major part of Smith’s speech following the win.

Smith led after round one of voting on Thursday with more than 41 per cent of the vote. Five rounds later in the ranked ballot system used by the party, she finally cracked 50 per cent, ending with 53.77 per cent of the vote, beating former finance minister Travis Toews, who got 46.23 per cent.

Groom said there’s already been talk that she might have to pivot some on her plans and policies to absorb some of the other parts of the party so that she has a broader approach and broader appeal.

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“But I don’t see her doing that because that would really be contradictory to her status as an ideologue and having that solid position, and that’s what the UCP members voted for,” he said.

Brooks-Medicine Hat UCP MLA Michaela Frey says she thinks the caucus is united and will hit the ground running under the new leader.

Elected in 2019, Frey resigned her seat on Friday and encouraged Smith, who does not currently have a seat in the legislature, to run in the riding.

“It was absolutely incredible to be in the room last night with 1,500 other conservatives who are excited about the future of our province, the future of our party and now it’s time to focus on the 2023 elections and making sure that we win another majority,” Frey said.

In a social media post, Drew Barnes also encouraged Smith to run in Brooks-Medicine Hat.

Barnes was elected in Cypress-Medicine Hat in 2019 as a UCP member but has sat as an Independent MLA since May 2021 when he was kicked out of caucus for criticisms of Premier Jason Kenney and the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said he’s interested in a potential return to the party and will continue to talk to former UCP caucus colleagues and the premier-designate.

“The whole UCP idea was put together on the idea of unity on the idea of Alberta being the freeest and most prosperous place,” he said.

Groom said that if Smith sticks hard to her ideological positions it will present a stark choice between the UCP and NDP for voters at the polls in the spring

“They’re so distinct and so different which in a way is nice,” he said. “We can see where the electorate really, really sits when we have an election that’s that polarized. And maybe we’ll get some really good turnouts which is always good when people are engaged in the political process for sure.”