“We are here united in our opposition to a political position – the Alberta Sovereignty Act,” said candidate Travis Tuss, who took the floor first. “The deed is a false bill of goods.” Co-nominees Brian Jean, Leela Aheer and Rajan Sawhney also spoke at the event. Candidates Rebecca Schulz and Todd Loewen were invited but did not attend, with the former tweeting that she also does not support the policy but is concerned about division in the party. CBC News has reached out to Loewen for additional comment.
Support of the parliamentary group
All four present at the Westin hotel said that if Smith wins the leadership, they would not support the proposed legislation as they understand it in its current state. “Either the Sovereignty Act is something that is a symbolic gesture, like proposals passed by the Quebec National Assembly, or the Sovereignty Act is blatantly unconstitutional and tantamount to starting a bar fight in the middle of confederation,” said Aheer. “Either way, Danielle Smith is playing with fire and selling a fantasy to her supporters. Speaking to reporters after the event, Toews was asked how the caucus would support the act if it came to the floor, given that his campaign has secured the most endorsements in the campaign. “Let’s put it this way. I think that passing the sovereignty bill, certainly in the form that I’ve seen and in the sense that I’ve seen, would be very difficult to pass through the legislature, based on the feedback that I’ve had from members of parliamentary group that support my leadership,” he said. Alberta UCP MLA Tracy Allard said she doesn’t think enough details have been released about plans for Danielle Smith’s proposed Alberta Sovereignty Act. (Janet French/CBC) Smith said the actual bill language will be drafted with full caucus input. But at this point, cross-caucus support for the legislation is far from certain, which would complicate its passage. “I want to read in detail [of the act] before I can say definitively. But with my limited understanding today, I couldn’t support it,” said UCP MLA Tracy Allard, who supports Toews. UCP MLA Tany Yao, who supports Jean, said he respects Smith’s desire to be more aggressive in negotiations with Ottawa, but he’s not sure about that particular mechanism. “I’m not sure if this particular tactic would be effective in achieving his goal,” he said. In a statement from her campaign, Smith said “tens of thousands” of UCP members had embraced the plan to introduce the law. She said she respects the right of her fellow leadership candidates to criticize the plan. “I fully trust the judgment of our UCP members to choose the leader they believe will best defend them against Ottawa’s continued unconstitutional attacks on our province,” Smith said. “I will respect their decision when it is made. I would expect my future colleagues to do the same.”
The debate has shaped the race
The candidates took particular aim in a press release issued by the Smith campaign earlier this week. In that announcement, Smith argued for the mechanisms that, in her view, would allow the act to be implemented. But the group of candidates claimed the act would not stop equalization, the carbon tax, federal travel mandates or allow the province to build interprovincial corridors. “The act of dominance is just useless and meaningless virtue signaling,” Sawhney said. “Danielle needs to be honest. She needs to spell out her act so we’re clear on exactly what she’s going to do.” Jean claimed that the act of sovereignty focused on things that were either “things that could never happen” or “things that [Smith] it could never change.” “Danielle is deceiving UCP members about reality,” he said. “I have strong political differences with some of the people in this scene, on issues like lockdowns, mandates and many other things. “We may disagree vehemently about politics and freedoms. But we don’t disagree about reality.” Aheer, Jean, Sawhney and Toews speak at the Westin Hotel in Calgary on Thursday. Toews, pictured at the podium, said Danielle Smith’s Alberta Sovereignty Act would cause anger and frustration in the province. (Helen Pike/CBC) In recent weeks, the fight has largely revolved around the act, which has alarmed legal experts and drawn criticism from Premier Jason Kenney, who earlier this week said it would turn the province into a “banana republic.” Smith, meanwhile, accused the “woke” media, vested interests and the “political establishment” of using fear-mongering to discredit the act. “In my view, restoring and reasserting provincial rights across our country will protect all provinces from Ottawa’s destructive excess,” Smith wrote in a statement issued Tuesday. The UCP is due to announce the results of the leadership vote on October 6.
