Rath threatens Smith with leadership review

Alberta independence advocate, Jeff Rath, threatens that Alberta Premier Danielle Smith may face a leadership review, as UCP constituency associations speak out against Bill 14. “And I mean, I like, I have Constituency Association Presidents, UCP Constituency Association Presidents, calling me and saying that if Danielle does not fix this problem that I'm about to tell you guys about, that they're going to be demanding a leadership review,” said Rath in a YouTube interview with John Bolton. Rath claims that some associations are upset with a section in the newly introduced Bill 14, which requires party leaders to approve endorsements before an official can run for election under a party name. “But if you're an MLA that's seen as a bit of a ‘maverick’, right, Danielle can choose not to sign your nomination papers, just the way that Justin Trudeau did when he told people running for the Liberals, well, ‘if you're not pro-choice, you know, and you're pro-life, I'm not signing your nomination papers,’” Rath said..Current regulations under the Elections Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act specify that a candidate’s endorsement may originate from a principal officer within the party or the relevant constituency association. Bill 14’s changes would mean that the endorsement must come from the party leader. “I mean, I think she understands that Alberta Porperity Project (APP) has been very busy taking over Constituency Association boards in the province,” said Rath. “And we have a lot of pro-independence constituency boards in Alberta now, and they don't like it." Rath states that the current cabinet still includes members from Jason Kenney’s cabinet, whom the APP and certain associations want to replace. According to him, Bill 14 is a way for Smith to prevent that. “Obviously, they do not want, you know, a caucus full of people that are in favour of independence,” Rath said. “They do not want the UCP, you know, to formally become an independence party, which is what it is now, if you look at if you listen to the base.”.In the meantime, Rath says there is time for Smith and her cabinet to address this potential issue before it is too late. “I mean, the bill is just tabled, so they still have an opportunity to amend the bill, you know, at second reading or whatever,” Rath said.“But if she doesn't back down on those clauses, you know that there's likely to be an SGM called, a Special General Meeting, called in the New Year to review her leadership, because people are not in the mood to have Danielle declare herself as the god Empress of the UCP.”Bill 14 is scheduled for its second reading during the Assembly's Monday evening session, before potentially advancing to the Committee of the Whole on Tuesday. Smith faced a leadership review in November 2024, and she passed with 91.5% voting in her favour. Bolton's full interview with Rath can be found on YouTube.

Rath threatens Smith with leadership review

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