St. Albert's two MLAs couldn't be further apart on their opinion of Alberta's new premier.
Dale Nally, MLA for Morinville-St. Albert and Associate Minister of Natural Gas and Electricity, said he looks forward to Danielle Smith leading the UCP to victory in the next provincial election.
“I am thrilled that she won and I'm absolutely looking forward to defeating the NDP in 2023 with Premier Smith as our leader,” he said. “We are a caucus that is absolutely united and united around the single cause of defeating the NDP in 2023. I'm very, very optimistic about that moving forward."
Nally said he would encourage people who have concerns about Smith to listen to what she has to say and read some of the things she has written.
“From what I've seen (and) from what I've read, (Smith) is a passionate conservative and she's a compassionate conservative as well,” Nally said.
Nally cited Smith’s health spending account as a policy issue example of her compassion. Smith's health spending account would give each Albertan $300, managed through a smartphone app, and would give residents money to pay for services not covered by medicare. Services would include prescription drugs, dentistry, physiotherapy, mental health services, and long-term care.
“I think the health spending accounts are a wonderful way for our government to demonstrate that we continue to have Albertans' backs by supporting young families,” he said.
St. Albert's NDP MLA, however, has a different take.
“I actually thought Travis Toews probably had a chance,” Marie Renaud said.
Renaud is concerned Smith will create more division in the province and a lack of focus on Alberta, but her big concern is with Smith’s “number one priority” in the Sovereignty Act.
“As she continues to talk about it — her Sovereignty Act — which, it's not just the opposition and the NDP saying that this is a colossal waste of time and money, and that this is illegal, and that this will create a lot of investor uncertainty and will harm our economy."
“It's really just a distraction from the very real problems that we have,” she said.
Overall, Renaud said it’s important to have some perspective.
“She was chosen to be leader and premier-elect by just over one per cent of the population, and just over 50 per cent of the UCP membership. While she will be sworn in as a new premier, this party is still a divided party, and she certainly doesn't have a mandate from the people of Alberta,” said Renaud.
The UCP had around 120,000 party members who were eligible to vote, of those members approximately 85,000 cast their votes said UCP president Cynthia Moore.
Smith was one of seven candidates in the leadership race. She won on the sixth ballot with 53.77 per cent of the vote.
Travis Toews, former finance minister and MLA of Grande Prairie-Wapiti, came in second place with 46.23 per cent of the vote.
MLA for Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche, Brian Jean came in third place. The other candidates who were running included former children’s services minister, Rebecca Schulz; Former transportation minister Rajan Sawhney; Chestermere-Strathmore MLA Leela Aheer; and Independent MLA Todd Loewen.
Smith currently does not hold a seat in Alberta Legislature, but she will be running in the Brooks-Medicine Hat byelection after Michaela Frey resigned from the position on Oct. 8.
St. Albert local Jack Rafuse is disappointed with the results from the United Conservative Party leadership vote.
“(I’ve been) conservative for 50-some years and I won't be this year — the next election I won’t be,” Rafuse said.
Danielle Smith, who was sworn in as 19th premier of Alberta on Tuesday, might be back, but it’s going to take some work for the new leader to win over the hearts of some.
Of the fifteen or so people polled in various locations by the Gazette on Friday, five said they were not aware there was a leadership vote. Many did not want to comment.
The people who were willing to comment had concerns about Smith.
Rafuse, who is retired, was on his way to exercise at Servus Credit Union Place on Friday and said he was disappointed when Smith crossed the floor in 2014 when she was leader of the now-defunct Wildrose Party to join the then-governing Progressive Conservatives.
“She’s been talking pretty radical to me, as far as I’m concerned," Rafuse said.
Rafuse would have liked to see just about anyone else win the leadership vote.
“I just believed that Albertans were smarter than this,” he said.
Virginia Szabunia, who was out walking near the Shops at Boudreau, was hesitant to give an answer about her thoughts on Smith.
“I would rather have (Jason) Kenny than Danielle Smith. I was sad that he got pushed out when he did. I think we should have kept him,” she said.
Szabunia said she didn’t care for Smith when she was the Wildrose Party leader, but she is hopeful Smith will do a better job than last time.
Morinville-St. Albert MLA, Dale Nally said he is extremely optimistic over Smith’s win of the leadership race.
St. Albert NDP MLA Marie Renaud said she wasn’t hugely surprised Smith won the leadership vote.
Back on the streets of St. Albert, in the parking lot of Servus Place, Lloyd Giebelhaus said he was one of those UCP members who did not cast a ballot.
Giebelhaus had one thing to say about Smith as leader.
“The jury is out.”
