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Premiership of Danielle Smith

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This article is about Danielle Smith's time as premier of Alberta and her policies. For the membership of the ministry and cabinet, see Smith Ministry.

Danielle Smith
Premiership of Danielle Smith
11 October 2022[1] – present
CabinetSmith ministry
PartyUnited Conservative Party
Appointed byLieutenant Governor of Alberta
SeatEdmonton
ConstituencyBrooks-Medicine Hat
Official website

The premiership of Danielle Smith began on 11 October 2022 when she was sworn in by Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, Salma Lakhani.[1] Smith won the 2022 United Conservative Party leadership election to replace then Alberta Premier Jason Kenney on October 6, 2022, and was appointed as the 19th Premier of Alberta. Her cabinet was sworn in on 22 October.

2022 United Conservative Party leadership election

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Main article: 2022 United Conservative Party leadership election

Smith won the 2022 UCP leadership election on October 6, 2022, defeating six candidates with 53% of the UCP caucus vote. The 30th Alberta Legislature was constituted on 11 October 2022.

She won the by-election as MLA for Brooks-Medicine Hat on November 8, 2022.

Cabinet and Office of the Premier

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Main article: Executive Council of Alberta

On October 21, 2022[1] the cabinet was sworn in by the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, Salma Lakhani. Ministers in the newly formed cabinet who had held key ministries and responsibilities during the Premiership of Jason Kenney, included Jason Copping as Minister of Health, Tyler Shandro as Minister of Justice, Adriana LaGrange as Minister of Education, Demetrios Nicolaides as minister of Minister of Advanced Education, and Rick Wilson as Minister of Indigenous Relations.[1]

By October 21, the total roster of 27 cabinet members and their eleven secretaries represented nearly "two-thirds of the entire governing United Conservative Party caucus.[1] This includes Kaycee Madu and Nathan Neudorf as Deputy Premiers of Alberta on 21 October, Matt Jones as Minister of Affordability and Utilities, Nate Horner as Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, Mickey Amery as Minister of Children's Services, Jason Luan as Minister of Culture, Peter Guthrie as Minister of Energy, Sonya Savage as Minister of Environment and Protected Areas, Travis Toews as Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board, Todd Loewen as |Minister of Forestry, Parks and Tourism]], Brian Jean as Minister of Jobs, Economy and Northern Development, Nicholas Milliken as Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, Rebecca Schulz as Minister of Municipal Affairs, Mike Ellis as Minister of Public Safety, Jeremy Nixon as Minister of Seniors, Community and Social Services, Dale Nally as Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction, Nate Glubish as Minister of Technology and Innovation, Rajan Sawhney as Minister of Trade, Immigration and Multiculturalism, Rajan Sawhney, and Devin Dreeshen as Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors who were also sworn in on October 21.

Bill 1

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Main article: Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act

As promised in her election campaign as a contender for the leadership of the UCP replacing then Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, the first piece of legislation Premier Smith introduced on the first day of the fall sitting of the 4th Session of the 30th Alberta Legislature was Bill 1: Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act, commonly known as the Alberta Sovereignty Act.[2] It was introduced on 29 November 2022 on the first day of the fall sitting of the 4th Session of the 30th Alberta Legislature by Premier Smith and passed on December 8, 2022. The final requirement before it passes into law is the royal assent, which is mostly viewed as ceremonial.[3][4] Lieutenant Governor Lakhani told media on 2 September, after Smith had announced her intention to introduce Bill 1, that she would be seeking legal advice before giving assent to the Act, in order to ensure she would be "do[ing] the right thing for our people and for our Constitution".[3][4]

The Act was a key component of Smith campaign during the United Conservative Party (UCP) leadership election in 2022, contributing to her election as UCP leader and appointment as Premier of Alberta.[5][6]

Bill 2

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Affordability and Utilities Minister Matt Jones introduced Bill 2: Inflation Relief Statutes Amendment Act on 7 December.[7][8] If passed, Bill 2 would provide targeted relief through monthly cash payments of $100 to some families and seniors with combined incomes of less than $180,000 following submission of applications. Opposition Shannon Phillips said that the bill as it stands reflects a "back-of-the-napkin approach" lacking critical details while neglecting many who struggle with their finances.[9]

Ministry of Health

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Included in Health Minister Jason Copping's 14 November mandate letter from Premier Smith, was a reminder to consider the affordability crisis and inflation in decisions related to the eleven expectations or commitments listed in the health portfolio.[10][11] First on the list was a call to assess and reform the health care system including the Health Quality Council of Alberta (HQCA) and Alberta Health Services (AHS). This includes an immediate response to issues such as lengthy ER wait times and EMS response times.[10] [11]

On January 10, 2023, Premier Smith told reporters that she had asked Nate Glubish— Minister of technology and innovation—to move forward on the creation of Health Spending Accounts, similar to those offered by some industries and professions.[12] The accounts—if implemented—would be funded with a combination of $300 seed money from the provincial government supplemented with equal payment from individuals based on a sliding-scale.[12] In a 2021 University of Calgary, School of Public Policy academic paper, Smith described the concept of user fees in the form of Health Spending Accounts as one of the solutions for Alberta's key challenges.[13] Smith's concern, at that time, was to reduce the $12 billion "structural shortfall" of expenses-versus-revenue by slowly introducing scaled-to-income user fees of $3 billion, with Health Spending Accounts as only one prong on the multi-pronged proposal.[13] Because the Health Spending Account can be spent on a wider choice of health care options—orthodontics, physiotherapists, dieticians—individuals can use the $600 on preventative healthcare that is not covered by the public system.[13] The goal is to "change the conversation on health care" and revisit the concept of "universal social programs that are 100 per cent paid by taxpayers."[13]

Ministry of Justice

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The two top priorities in the mandate letter to Minister Tyler Shandro were the Alberta Sovereignty Act and amendments to the Alberta Human Rights Act (AHRA) to protect people from losing their jobs because of COVID-19 vaccination and/or booster status.[11][14][15] An amendment to AHRA if passed, would allow complaints to be made Alberta Human Rights Commission if a denial of work, housing or other services was related to their vaccine status.[15] If the complaint were considered valid they would then advance to the Alberta Human Rights Tribunal where an assessment would be made.[15] The Tribunal may find that "vaccination was a justifiable requirement for the workplace, facility, or service in question".[15]

In a January 21, 2023 in a radio call-in show, Premier Smith announced that there would be a review of email contacts between Alberta Crown Prosecution Service (ACPS) and the office of the premier's staff in response to the January 19 CBC News article questioning the way in which Crown prosecutors were handling cases related to the February 2022 blockade at the Canada-U.S. border.[16] The CBC article was based on an unnamed source about alleged correspondence the CBC staff had not read, saying that there were emails sent from the office of the premier to Crown prosecutors.[17][16][18] On January 23, the Justice Department reported that following an Alberta Public Service investigation no evidence of these allegations had been found.[16][18][19] ACPS assistant deputy minister Kimberley Goddard said in a January 23 email said that it was wrong to continue to criticize the ACPS for inappropriate and unethical behaviour based on unwarranted and unsubstantiated allegations of "impropriety without evidence."[19] CBC's Head of Public Affairs said they are still questioning whether there were emails "but not on the government email system."[19] On March 29, Calgary pastor Artur Pawlowski's YouTube video, since removed, entitled "January 26, 2023" of a 11-minute telephone call between Premier Smith and Pawlowski, was aired in the Alberta Legislature, raising fresh calls for an investigation into potential political interference.[20] In the conversation the premier explained to Pawlowski that she could not grant him amnesty. She said that she only has the authority to ask the Justice minister and his senior bureaucrats about the "reasonable likelihood of convictions and whether going to trial would be in the public interest".[21] Smith has been very open about her criticism of COVID-19 public health measures and was sympathetic with Pawlowski who is facing charges under the province's Critical Infrastructure Defence Act.[22] The Alberta ethics commissioner started investigating Smith in April, 2023 for her alleged interference with the administration of justice.[23] In May 2023 the ethics commissioner found that Smith had contravened the Conflict of Interest Act by discussing criminal charges against Artur Pawlowski with the justice minister Tyler Shandro and with Pawlowski himself.[24]

LGBT policy

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In January 2024, Premier Smith announced major reforms releated to LGBT issues.

Gender pronouns

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Plans that will require parental consent when students under 16 years old wish to change their gender pronouns.[25][26][27]

Gender affirming surgeries

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Plans to ban gender affirming surgeries for minors under the age of 18 and hormones and puberty blockers for minors under the age of 16.[25][26][27]

Sports

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Plans to ban transgender women and girls from competing in women's sports.[25][26][27]

Passage

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On December 3 2024, the Alberta legislature passed these bills. One banning doctors from treating those under 16 with puberty blockers or hormone therapy, One banning transgender athletes from competing in female sports, and another one requiring children under 16 to have parental consent if they want to change their names or pronouns at school.[28][29][30]

Smith has said she might use the notwithstanding clause to protect these laws.[31]

AIMCo

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In November 2024, Premier Smith appointed former Prime Minister, Stephen Harper as Chair of the Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo). Harper will oversee AIMCO's $160 billion which includespension funds and the Heritage Savings Trust Fund.[32] This move has been seen as a departure from the traditional Canadian pension model, which emphasizes independence and political neutrality.[33]

See also

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Citations

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  1. ^ a b c d e Bennett 2022b.
  2. ^ Dawson 2022.
  3. ^ a b Bennett 2022a.
  4. ^ a b Johnson 2022.
  5. ^ Braid 2022.
  6. ^ Graveland 2022.
  7. ^ Bill 2 2022.
  8. ^ Bill 2 Introduction 2022.
  9. ^ Bellefontaine 2022.
  10. ^ a b CTV News Health mandate 2022.
  11. ^ a b c Office of the Premier Health 2022.
  12. ^ a b Chini 2023.
  13. ^ a b c d Smith 2021, pp. 20–21.
  14. ^ Markusoff 2022.
  15. ^ a b c d Koshan & Watson Hamilton 2022.
  16. ^ a b c Tait 2023.
  17. ^ Grant & von Scheel 2023.
  18. ^ a b Staples 2023.
  19. ^ a b c Archer & Heidenreich 2023.
  20. ^ Toy 2023.
  21. ^ Gunter 2023.
  22. ^ Smith 2023.
  23. ^ Dryden 2023.
  24. ^ Canadian Press, The. "Alberta Premier Danielle Smith violated conflict of interest rule: ethics probe". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  25. ^ a b c "Alberta proposes parental consent for name changes in schools, age limits on gender affirmation care | Globalnews.ca".
  26. ^ a b c [1]
  27. ^ a b c "Alberta to require parental consent for name, pronoun changes at school". 31 January 2024.
  28. ^ [2]
  29. ^ "Three bills affecting transgender Albertans pass debate, set to become law".
  30. ^ "Three bills affecting transgender Albertans pass debate, set to become law | Globalnews.ca".
  31. ^ [3]
  32. ^ "Stephen Harper appointed to oversee Alberta's $160B AIMCo fund | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  33. ^ Austen, Ian (23 November 2024). "Alberta Breaks With the Canadian Pension Model". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 23 November 2024.

References

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Albertan premierships
Preceded by Danielle Smith
2022–present 		Incumbent
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