Premiership of Danielle Smith

Danielle Smith's time as premier of Alberta and her policies

Danielle Smith
Premiership of Danielle Smith
11 October 2022[1] – present
Premier
Danielle Smith
CabinetSmith ministry
PartyUnited Conservative Party
Appointed byLieutenant Governor of Alberta
SeatEdmonton
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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gender pronouns

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

Gender affirming surgeries

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

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

See also

Citations

  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. sfn error: no target: CITEREFDryden2023 (help)
  24. ^ Canadian Press, The. "Alberta Premier Danielle Smith violated conflict of interest rule: ethics probe". Calgary Herald. Calgary Herald. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  25. ^ a b c [1]
  26. ^ a b c [2]
  27. ^ a b c [3]

References

A

  • Archer, Meaghan; Heidenreich, Phil (23 January 2023). "Alberta Justice says probe uncovered no evidence of emails between Smith's office, Crown prosecutors". Global News. Retrieved 4 April 2023.

B

  • Bellefontaine, Michelle (7 December 2022). "Alberta introduces inflation relief bill, but key details still to come". CBC News. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  • Bennett, Dean (2 September 2022a). "Alberta Lt.-Gov. willing to block sovereignty act if it's found unconstitutional". Canadian Press via National Post. Retrieved 10 December 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
  • "Alberta premier's new cabinet includes familiar faces in prominent roles". Global News. 21 October 2022b. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  • Inflation Relief Statutes Amendment Act, 2022 (Government Bills). Legislative Assembly of Alberta. 2022.
  • "Introduction of Bills: Bill 2 Inflation Relief Statutes Amendment Act, 2022" (PDF). Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Alberta: Legislative Assembly of Alberta. 7 December 2022. p. 16.
  • Braid (29 November 2022). "The Alberta Sovereignty Act finally lands. It's so tough Ottawa might consider disallowing". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 10 December 2022.

C

  • "Smith moving ahead with promised AHS overhaul based on directions to health minister". Edmonton, Alberta. 16 November 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  • Chini, Joey (10 January 2023). "Alberta looking at moving forward with Health Spending Accounts". Retrieved 16 April 2023.

D

  • Dawson, Tyler (17 June 2022). "UCP leadership contender Danielle Smith wants Alberta to ignore federal laws it doesn't like". National Post. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  • Dryden, Joel. "Alberta's ethics commissioner investigating whether premier interfered with administration of justice". CBC. CBC News. Retrieved 12 April 2023.

G

  • Graveland, Bill (10 November 2022). "Justice minister's mandate includes Alberta sovereignty act, protection for the unvaccinated". The Canadian Press via CBC News. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  • Gunter, Lorne (2 April 2023). "Smith recording embarrassing, but not what some make it out to be". Edmonton Sun. Retrieved 4 April 2023.

J

  • Johnson, Lisa (1 December 2022). "Alberta's Lt.-Gov. says she's willing to toss Smith's sovereignty act if unconstitutional". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 10 December 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)

K

  • Koshan, Jennifer; Watson Hamilton, Jonnette (14 November 2022). "Grounding the Alberta Human Rights Act and the Proposal to Protect Vaccination Status". ABlawg. Retrieved 12 December 2022.

M

  • Markusoff, Josh (14 October 2022). "Danielle Smith wants vaccine status to be a human right. Expect a petri dish of problems". CBC News.

O

  • "Health mandate letter" (PDF). Office of the Premier. 14 November 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  • "Justice mandate letter" (PDF). Office of the Premier. 9 November 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2022.

S

  • Smith, Alanna (3 April 2023). "Alberta Premier says she won't comment on allegations of political interference, threatens legal action against media". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  • Smith, Danielle (September 2021). McKenzie, Kenneth; Mansell, Robert L. (eds.). "Alberta's Key Challenges and Opportunities" (PDF). The School of Public Policy, University of Calgary. Alberta's Economic and Fiscal Future. Calgary, Alberta. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  • Staples, David (2 April 2023). "Danielle Smith her own worst enemy on COVID court cases but that doesn't make her guilty". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 4 April 2023.

T

  • Tait, Carrie (23 January 2023). "Review has found no 'evidence of e-mail contact' between Premier's office and prosecutors, Alberta says". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  • Toy, Adam (29 March 2023). "Alberta's premier says she asked about COVID-19 charges 'almost weekly'". Global News. Retrieved 4 April 2023.

V

  • Grant, Meghan; von Scheel, Elise (19 January 2023). "Alberta premier's office contacted Crown prosecution about Coutts cases: sources". CBC. Retrieved 4 April 2023.

External links

  • Premier of Alberta Official Site
  • "Bills and Amendments". Legislative Assembly of Alberta. 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
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