The most significant development in Alberta politics this year is the maturing of Danielle Smith as a political leader.Having known her off and on for several years, there was never much doubt that she was academically intelligent. She was persuaded of the soundness of her basic approach to economic realities as an undergraduate at the university. They were filled out in more detail when she was an intern at a free-market think-tank. As an undergraduate many years ago, one of my teachers at UBC remarked rather offhandedly that academic accomplishments — brains —were of limited importance in political life. Later on, I learned that Aristotle said the same thing. As did Norm Atkins, a Conservative senator from Ontario. Senator Atkins once remarked that politics was “about friendship, loyalty and ideas. In that order.” At the time he was criticizing Pierre Trudeau who had things exactly backward.I mention these comments because in her earlier political life Premier Smith was also inclined to over-value and over-emphasize the importance of ideas and academic insights. This approach led her to make a very bad decision in December 2014, when she led eight other Wildrose Party members across the floor in Edmonton to join the Conservatives led by Jim Prentice. Her reason was that Wildrose and the Conservatives held very similar views. Ideas, not the recollection of the loyalty to those who voted Wildrose, drove her choice.Albertans disagreed and six months later inflicted the NDP on themselves.That was nearly a decade ago. In the interim Premier Smith has clearly learned the importance of loyalties and at the same time has seen the limitations of relying so much on ideas, however sound they may be.Consider just two by now familiar bits of evidence: her opposition to the predations of the Trudeau government, first in terms of their environmental policy and second in terms of pensions.Steven Guilbeault, the environment minister, is the complete embodiment of an Ottawa “idea-man.” He has but one (very bad) idea and that, quite simply, is to destroy the Alberta economy, starting with oil and gas. For that reason alone, he is a fanatic. But he has more in mind than shutting in petroleum: he also wants to destroy the iconic beef industry by regulating cow burps and, eventually, cow farts as well. Dairy cattle, located primarily in Quebec and the lower Fraser Valley, would be exempt. That is why all the chatter about climate is ideological bafflegab.Premier Smith sensed this intense hostility months ago. Indeed, when she first met Guilbeault’s boss, Justin Trudeau, and Trudeau squeezed her hand hard enough to leave a mark, she knew she was dealing with a pair of bullies. Like most sensible human beings, she knew that bullies were not just weak but also were cowards.This was one reason why the premier attended the COP28 meeting in Dubai. Among other things she reminded Guilbeault his ambitions were not only “incoherent and illegal” but evidence of “his continued treachery against our province and millions of other Canadians.”As Don Braid pointed out in the Calgary Herald, treachery is a strong word. More to the point so far as Monsieur Guilbeault is concerned, it is an accurate one. Guilbeault has allowed what Smith called his “misguided personal obsessions” to cloud whatever good sense he once may have had and to dictate Ottawa’s position. This move on his part was a really dumb idea and one that Smith discerned with great clarity.The other policy initiative the UCP government introduced that caused the Laurentians to sit up and howl was the proposal to reform radically the Canada Pension Plan, by leaving it.This has been a no-brainer for the past twenty-five years. But only Smith has had the courage and prudence to do anything about it. So far there have only been consultations, but that has spooked the opponents of Alberta prosperity to denounce any tiny step in the direction of fairness. Every Albertan should take this as a good sign. At the very least, it increases Alberta’s bargaining power.In both her opposition to Guilbeault’s fanaticism and her promotion of Alberta’s interests, Danielle Smith has been the voice of moderation and common sense. Behind her specific proposals in defence of Canada’s federal constitution, of course, lies the Sovereignty Act.That piece of legislation also provided the Laurentians with another excuse to freak out. But here is the interesting thing: Danielle Smith did not make any rash proposals to leave Canada (though some of us think that outcome is inevitable). She didn’t make her arguments or her actions depend much on ideas or ideologies at all. Her loyalty is first of all to Alberta and to what Canada at its best might be. That loyalty is one more reason why denouncing the treachery of the bad idea-man in Ottawa is both accurate and moderate.This is a major change in Alberta politics, something not seen since the days of Ralph Klein. It will continue into the New Year when, as the Liberals grow ever more desperate over the upcoming federal election, they will continue to attack this province. And Danielle Smith will resist.
The most significant development in Alberta politics this year is the maturing of Danielle Smith as a political leader.Having known her off and on for several years, there was never much doubt that she was academically intelligent. She was persuaded of the soundness of her basic approach to economic realities as an undergraduate at the university. They were filled out in more detail when she was an intern at a free-market think-tank. As an undergraduate many years ago, one of my teachers at UBC remarked rather offhandedly that academic accomplishments — brains —were of limited importance in political life. Later on, I learned that Aristotle said the same thing. As did Norm Atkins, a Conservative senator from Ontario. Senator Atkins once remarked that politics was “about friendship, loyalty and ideas. In that order.” At the time he was criticizing Pierre Trudeau who had things exactly backward.I mention these comments because in her earlier political life Premier Smith was also inclined to over-value and over-emphasize the importance of ideas and academic insights. This approach led her to make a very bad decision in December 2014, when she led eight other Wildrose Party members across the floor in Edmonton to join the Conservatives led by Jim Prentice. Her reason was that Wildrose and the Conservatives held very similar views. Ideas, not the recollection of the loyalty to those who voted Wildrose, drove her choice.Albertans disagreed and six months later inflicted the NDP on themselves.That was nearly a decade ago. In the interim Premier Smith has clearly learned the importance of loyalties and at the same time has seen the limitations of relying so much on ideas, however sound they may be.Consider just two by now familiar bits of evidence: her opposition to the predations of the Trudeau government, first in terms of their environmental policy and second in terms of pensions.Steven Guilbeault, the environment minister, is the complete embodiment of an Ottawa “idea-man.” He has but one (very bad) idea and that, quite simply, is to destroy the Alberta economy, starting with oil and gas. For that reason alone, he is a fanatic. But he has more in mind than shutting in petroleum: he also wants to destroy the iconic beef industry by regulating cow burps and, eventually, cow farts as well. Dairy cattle, located primarily in Quebec and the lower Fraser Valley, would be exempt. That is why all the chatter about climate is ideological bafflegab.Premier Smith sensed this intense hostility months ago. Indeed, when she first met Guilbeault’s boss, Justin Trudeau, and Trudeau squeezed her hand hard enough to leave a mark, she knew she was dealing with a pair of bullies. Like most sensible human beings, she knew that bullies were not just weak but also were cowards.This was one reason why the premier attended the COP28 meeting in Dubai. Among other things she reminded Guilbeault his ambitions were not only “incoherent and illegal” but evidence of “his continued treachery against our province and millions of other Canadians.”As Don Braid pointed out in the Calgary Herald, treachery is a strong word. More to the point so far as Monsieur Guilbeault is concerned, it is an accurate one. Guilbeault has allowed what Smith called his “misguided personal obsessions” to cloud whatever good sense he once may have had and to dictate Ottawa’s position. This move on his part was a really dumb idea and one that Smith discerned with great clarity.The other policy initiative the UCP government introduced that caused the Laurentians to sit up and howl was the proposal to reform radically the Canada Pension Plan, by leaving it.This has been a no-brainer for the past twenty-five years. But only Smith has had the courage and prudence to do anything about it. So far there have only been consultations, but that has spooked the opponents of Alberta prosperity to denounce any tiny step in the direction of fairness. Every Albertan should take this as a good sign. At the very least, it increases Alberta’s bargaining power.In both her opposition to Guilbeault’s fanaticism and her promotion of Alberta’s interests, Danielle Smith has been the voice of moderation and common sense. Behind her specific proposals in defence of Canada’s federal constitution, of course, lies the Sovereignty Act.That piece of legislation also provided the Laurentians with another excuse to freak out. But here is the interesting thing: Danielle Smith did not make any rash proposals to leave Canada (though some of us think that outcome is inevitable). She didn’t make her arguments or her actions depend much on ideas or ideologies at all. Her loyalty is first of all to Alberta and to what Canada at its best might be. That loyalty is one more reason why denouncing the treachery of the bad idea-man in Ottawa is both accurate and moderate.This is a major change in Alberta politics, something not seen since the days of Ralph Klein. It will continue into the New Year when, as the Liberals grow ever more desperate over the upcoming federal election, they will continue to attack this province. And Danielle Smith will resist.
