What happens to a United Conservative Party constituency association (CA) president who won't sign a purity pledge?They can't stay president.The Western Standard has obtained a letter addressed to riding presidents, authored by provincial board president Rob Smith, stating that those who do not sign a declaration that they "recognize, respect, and will abide by the majority decision made by Albertans on Question #10" will no longer be allowed to remain in their positions.The letter was provided to the Western Standard by a party official and confirmed by a constituency association president.The Western Standard contacted Rob Smith by email for comment on November 14. He had not responded by publication time.Rob Smith's letter draws the line.Sign it, or they will remove you.There is a consolation prize, though, if presidents choose not to sign it..Smith says UCP representatives need to accept the referendum and get on board with winning the 2027 election .They can serve "in any other role on your CA board, but not as the President." And the letter said, "There is no effect on your membership."There is good news, though.The signing deadline, originally reported as Friday, November 13, has been extended until Thursday, November 19, according to sources.Rob Smith's letter is a direct response to a November 11 statement from 15 constituency association presidents outlining their opposition to signing the declaration.They are opposed on the grounds that the party executive does not have the authority to suppress free speech — let alone compel silence."There will be NO retribution for expressing your opinion as a UCP member. There never will be," Rob Smith wrote.How is it "no retribution" if the party is removing people from their duly elected positions?I don't know.A president who differs from the majority on Question 10 "may still stand for election to and serve as a CA President," the letter said. But such a president is not "permitted to express that opinion," nor may they "be a noted activist to achieve an outcome, contrary to most Albertans."In other words, shut up or you are fired."This isn't about free speech or reducing free speech," Premier Danielle Smith said on November 13."Any [UCP] member is allowed to think or say whatever they want. However, if they are in a spokesperson role for our party, then the job is to make sure that they're reflecting the policies and principles of our party."UCP spokesman Dave Prisco told CBC News in an emailed statement reported November 10 that "anyone who wants to represent the UCP in a leadership role must uphold our party's position, and the provincial board is putting processes in place to ensure that."When would the board actually remove someone?The letter describes two different things..UCP constituency presidents refuse to sign independence referendum pledge.Not signing makes a president ineligible. Separately, Rob Smith wrote that a president who won't sign would be violating articles 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, and 3.6 of the party's governance manual."If this occurs, the Board may choose to remove the offending CA President," Rob Smith wrote, citing Section 7.10 of the bylaws.Who decides, on what grounds, and when?Has it happened to anyone yet?The letter doesn't say.The board says it has "the jurisdiction and control" to impose the requirement, based on "the written opinion of our UCP legal counsel."I have yet to see this legal opinion.CBC News reported that the document presidents were asked to sign was a combination non-disclosure agreement and code of conduct.Rob Smith insists the code has nothing to do with it."Presidents who do not sign the declaration have nothing to do with the Code of Conduct, which is a separate process entirely," he wrote.The board says it will impose consequences on volunteers over a declaration those members never voted on.Robert Such of Calgary-Klein, one of the holdouts, told CBC News he was "happy" the referendum is over.But he said the party had "overstepped their boundaries, and really I wanted it just to go away."Here's what bothers me.I understand wanting to turn the page after a divisive referendum campaign. But threatening to remove duly elected constituency presidents, just a month after a disastrous referendum, is hardly a recipe for bringing the party back together.It's throwing gasoline on a fire.And for what? To make sure everyone agrees with a referendum result that nobody is disputing?Nobody is asking the UCP to overturn the result. Nobody is suggesting that 75% of Albertans didn't vote against proceeding toward independence.The issue is whether the people who disagreed with that result are still allowed to say so.Forcing senior party officials to sign a loyalty pledge under threat of being removed from their positions is like adding a nuclear element to an already explosive situation..MACLEOD: The UCP's loyalty pledge muzzles the members it needs most.It won't defuse anything.It will just make people angrier.And where does it stop?Once the party starts making declarations of political conformity a condition of holding elected office, what's to stop it from doing the same thing on another issue?The party's lawyers may well argue that the provincial board has the authority to do this.Fine.But having the authority to summarily remove a constituency association president because they oppose the concept of a purity test does not mean it's a smart decision to make.These are volunteers. They book the venues, host the fundraisers, and donate money and time.Premier Smith told the Western Standard in October that "we've got 500,000 people who vote a certain way and demonstrate that they still are feeling like Canada is not working for them or their family. We have to take that seriously."Apparently, taking it seriously means, literally, making senior party officials sign declarations forcing them to shut up.You can force someone to sign a piece of paper.The cost of that signature might just be their loyalty.
