The United Conservative Party (UCP) has positioned Danielle Smith, the previous leader of the now defunct Wildrose Party, on the helm because it appears to solidify assist forward of the following provincial election.
The 51-year-old, who lives in High River along with her husband, will turn out to be Alberta’s subsequent premier however will first have to safe a seat within the legislature.
Smith was named leader of the Wildrose Party of Alberta in 2009 and was elected as MLA for Highwood in 2012.
She crossed the ground to affix the governing Progressive Conservatives underneath Premier Jim Prentice, alongside eight Wildrose caucus members, in December 2014. The transfer left the Wildrose Party, the Official Opposition, with solely 5 sitting members.
She sought the PC Party nomination for Highwood in 2015 however was defeated by Okotoks councillor Carrie Fischer.
The PC Party misplaced handily to the Notley-led NDP within the 2015 normal election, ending third behind the Wildrose Party with Brian Jean on the reins.
The UCP was created in 2017, bringing the Wildrose and PC events collectively as a united entrance in an effort to oust the NDP.
During her departure from politics, Smith spent six years as a chat present radio host with Corus Entertainment earlier than transferring on to turn out to be president of the Alberta Enterprise Group.
In April of this 12 months, Smith introduced her plans for a foray again onto the provincial political scene as a UCP member along with her sights set squarely on the get together’s management place by the use of a nomination for the Livingstone-Macleod driving. Roger Reid was, and stays, the UCP MLA for Livingstone-Macleod.
At the time, Premier Jason Kenney was going through a management vote as questions swirled round his standing inside the get together amid dwindling approval scores.
Smith pulled few punches in April concerning the optics of the cancellation of the UCP’s normal assembly in Red Deer — “When it regarded just like the premier was going to lose, (the get together) cancelled it” — or how she seen the premier’s standing with rural Albertans — “There are people who find themselves offended that he does not appear to grasp rural Alberta. And there are folks which can be offended that he does not seem to place Alberta first.”
After declaring her intention to run to turn out to be UCP leader after Kenney introduced his plans to resign, Smith stated her first order of enterprise as premier could be to carry forth Bill 1, often called the Alberta Sovereignty Act, to extend Alberta’s autonomy over the federal authorities.
Earlier this month, Smith stated she would search “an early alternative to get into the legislature” if she gained the management vote, stating her desire could be to run in a by-election in a rural driving and never Calgary-Elbow, which stays vacant following Doug Schweitzer’s departure. She additionally stated she wouldn’t name a snap normal election and would possible hold some members of Kenney’s cupboard of their present roles.
Alberta’s subsequent normal election is at the moment scheduled for May 29, 2023.