Danielle Smith wins Alberta UCP leadership, named premier-designate
After a night of delays, the vote counts came hard and fast, resulting in Danielle Smith being named the UCP’s new leader and Alberta's next premier.
“I’m back,” Smith told the room after taking the stage.
Smith said the night marked the beginning of a new chapter for Alberta.
“It is time for Alberta to take its place as a senior partner in building a strong and unified Canada,” she said.
“No longer will Alberta ask permission from Ottawa to be prosperous and free.
“We will not have our voices silenced or censored.
“We will not be told what we must put in our bodies in order that we may work or travel.
“Albertans, not Ottawa, will chart our own destiny on our terms, and will work with our fellow Canadians to build the most free and prosperous country on earth.”
Smith won on the sixth and final ballot of the night, defeating her closest challenger Travis Toews, a former minister under outgoing UCP leader and premier, Jason Kenney.
She had 53.77 per cent of the votes to Toews' 46.23 per cent.
Brian Jean, Rebecca Schulz, Todd Loewen, Rajan Sawhney and Leela Aheer were all eliminated in earlier rounds.
Smith thanked her fellow candidates, “for their commitment to our party, but also to democracy,” and said she looked forward to working with many of them.
She also thanked Kenney, saying he has fought for Albertans for decades in various capacities.
“First as an advocate for taxpayers, then as one of the most influential conservative cabinet ministers in Canadian history, then leading the charge on unifying the conservative movement, running and beating Rachel Notley's NDP, and then governing as premier for one of the most tumultuous times in Alberta history,” she said.
It apparently won’t be a long wait before Smith takes over the premier’s office.
She said Thursday night she would travel to Edmonton this coming Tuesday to be sworn in.
She said she “can’t wait” to get started.
“If there's one thing I've learned about Albertans, it is that we don't expect our leaders to be perfect, but we do expect them to stay humble, admit when they are wrong and to learn from their mistakes,” she said.
“I love that about our province and am grateful to have earned this second chance from you.
“I will never forget it, and I pledge to you tonight, I will not let you down.”
Loewen, after he was eliminated from the race, said he felt he gave some Albertans a voice in this campaign.
"There were a lot of Albertans that felt they were unheard the last three year," he told CTV News on Thursday.
"I had a lot of support across the province, of course not as much as I'd hoped and not as much as I needed, but we ran a good, hard campaign and we ran a positive campaign."
He says he is still proud of his campaign and that it was good to see so many Albertans buying memberships in the party.
"I'll congratulate (Danielle) happily."
Loewen was not alone in his acceptance as that the vote wasn’t going to go his way.
“I am a team player. I've said that all along. So we will spend every day for the next seven or eight months making sure that we see a conservative government elected here again in Alberta,” Schulz said following her elimination from the race.
Jean, shortly before he was ousted, said whatever comes, it’s a result of the membership speaking, and that’s what matters.
“The main thing is the members have had their say and this is what they want to have happen,” Jean said.
“We'll see where it leads, but we've got to make sure that whatever happens, we stay united.”
Originally, the UCP event and leadership results were expected to begin at 5:30 p.m. MT but were delayed.
More than 250 volunteers were called in to help count about 85,000 ballots, the vast majority of which were cast by mail.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Being harassed at work? What to consider when deciding what to do next
If you've been the victim of workplace harassment, it can be difficult to feel you're not alone - and even more difficult to know where to go with a complaint.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Half of Canadians support TikTok ban, with U.S. concerns 'trickling' north: poll
A new poll indicates 51 per cent of Canadians support banning the social media app TikTok, after a U.S. bill aiming to do just that passed in the House of Representatives.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.