Danielle Smith

Early life and education

Marlaina Danielle Smith was born in Calgary on April 1, 1971, the second of five children. She is the daughter of Sharon (Hawkins) and Doug Smith, an oilfield consultant and previously a board member for the Wildrose Party. She is named after the song "Marlena" by The Four Seasons. Her paternal great-grandfather, Philipus Kolodnicki, a Ruthenian from Austria, changed his surname to Smith after arriving in Canada in the early 1900s. Her maternal ancestors came to Canada via the United States. In 2022, Smith's claims of "mixed-race ancestry" and indigenous ancestry on her maternal side were questioned.

Growing up, her family lived in subsidized housing. As a student she worked at McDonald's, at a bingo parlour and at restaurants bussing tables.

Smith described her parents as "reliably conservative" in an interview with the National Post. When Smith was a grade 8 student, she said she came home praising a teacher who spoke positively about communism, and her father argued otherwise. Smith said she had family in Ukraine, which was part of the Soviet Union at the time. "Then he realized we needed to talk a lot more around the dinner table," Smith told The Canadian Press in 2014.

She is also a past member of the Girl Guides of Canada and was featured in a 2013 museum exhibit about prominent Girl Guides at the Red Deer Museum and Art Gallery. She is a fan of the young-adult fantasy novel Eragon by Christopher Paolini, and once considered becoming a novelist in the science fiction and fantasy genres.

Smith attended the University of Calgary and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1993 and economics in 1995. The university had a strong culture of conservative and progressive political activism and debate when Smith was a student. Her classmates included Ezra Levant; Rob Anders; Naheed Nenshi; and Kevin Bosch, who became an adviser to prime ministers Paul Martin and Justin Trudeau. One of her classes was taught by former Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed. The same class had Ian Brodie, who became chief of staff for Prime Minister Stephen Harper, as a teachers' aide. It was at the University of Calgary where she met Tom Flanagan, a conservative political activist and advisor, who was a professor in the political science department while Smith studied economics.

In 1996, Flanagan recommended Smith for a one-year public policy internship with the Fraser Institute. During her time here, she coauthored a climate change denialist paper called "Environmental Indicators for Canada and the United States" with Boris DeWiel, Steven F. Hayward, and Laura Jones - which sought to "separate the facts from alarmist misinformation," and "bring balance to the environmental debate". The report argued that "contrary to public opinion, in most instances objectives for protecting human health and the environment are being met, pollution and wastes are being controlled, and resources and land are being sustainably and effectively managed".

Flanagan later became her campaign manager during the 2012 Alberta general election. She was active in the campus Progressive Conservatives and was eventually elected president of the club. She also became involved in political campaigning and met her first husband, Sean McKinsley. After graduating with an English major, Smith briefly lived in Vancouver where she worked as a waitress and as an extra in movie and TV productions.

Early political and media career

Calgary Board of Education

In 1998, Smith entered politics when she ran for the board of trustees of the Calgary Board of Education. She won, but less than a year later, the chairwoman complained that the board had become dysfunctional. In response, the provincial Minister of Learning, Lyle Oberg, dismissed the entire board after 11 months into their term.

Years later, Smith said she had been far too strident during her tenure as a board trustee and said the experience taught her to be more tolerant of those with whom she disagreed. Subsequently, Smith pursued work as an advocate for ranchers, farmers and other rural landowners with the Alberta Property Rights Initiative and the Canadian Property Rights Research Institute. During her time at the Canadian Property Rights Research Institute, she coauthored a paper on endangered species.

Career as Calgary Herald columnist and talk radio host

After her time as a school board trustee Smith joined the Calgary Herald as a columnist with the editorial board. During the 1999–2000 writers' strike at the Herald, she crossed the picket line as a strikebreaker writer for the paper, at that time owned by Conrad Black. Her columns included coverage of city hall and health reform, but also ventured into other topics. In 2003, she wrote a column supporting the legalisation of sex work and proposed the creation of a red-light district in Calgary. That same year, she also wrote an article titled "Anti-smoking lobby does more harm than good", in which she stated that smoking cigarettes can "reduce the risk of disease".

She then went on to succeed Charles Adler as host of the national current affairs program Global Sunday, a Sunday-afternoon interview show on Global Television. She also hosted two talk radio programs focused on health policy and property rights.

She met her second husband, David Moretta, who was an executive producer with Global Television at the time and would go on to be a former executive producer with Sun Media.

In 2004, Smith was named one of Calgary's "Top 40 Under 40".

In September 2006, she co-hosted the Calgary Congress, a national assembly of citizens and economic and constitutional specialists to consider basic federal reforms for Canada.

Smith was hired by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business in 2006, becoming a provincial director for Alberta. While employed here, she coauthored a paper called "Achieving Eco-prosperity"

Early provincial political career (2009–2015)

During the 2006 PC leadership election, Smith supported Ted Morton. Morton lost to Ed Stelmach, and Smith became increasingly disillusioned with what she called Stelmach's "free-spending ways". She cited the 2008 provincial budget as the point where she determined that Stelmach's government had 'lost its way'.

Wildrose Party

Smith quit the PC party in 2009 and joined the Wildrose Alliance. The Tories sent MLA Rob Anderson, one of the more fiscally conservative members of their caucus, to talk Smith out of it. Years later, Smith recalled that Anderson told her that despite the Tories' reckless spending and unwillingness to listen to the backbench, they were the only credible centre-right party in the province. Smith refused to stay, saying that there was no hope of restoring Alberta to fiscal sanity under the Tories, and that the Wildrose was the only credible chance at electing a fiscally conservative government. As far as she was concerned, she told Anderson, "This (Tory) government is beyond redemption. It's out of control."

Later that year, Smith was recruited by Wildrose officials to run for the leadership of the party. During the course of the leadership campaign outgoing leader Paul Hinman won in a by-election in the riding of Calgary-Glenmore. His win meant he was one of four in the Wildrose caucus; by the time Smith was elected leader on October 17, 2009, support for the party had quadrupled since the 2008 election. After Smith was elected leader, support for the Wildrose Party continued to grow. Smith convinced three PCs who served in government to cross the floor to join the Wildrose Party: Rob Anderson and Heather Forsyth, and later Guy Boutiller.

In early 2011, she was featured in an episode of CBC Television's Make the Politician Work.

2012 election

The Wildrose Party won 17 seats on 34.3% of the popular vote, and took over Official Opposition status from the Alberta Liberal Party. Smith was elected to the Legislature from Highwood, just south of Calgary, on the same day, defeating John Barlow, editor of the Okotoks Western Wheel and two other candidates.

Political pundits suggested Wildrose lost their early polling lead over the Progressive Conservatives due to Smith's defence of two Wildrose candidates who had made controversial remarks. Allan Hunsperger, running in an Edmonton riding, had written a blog post claiming that gays would end up in a "lake of fire" if they did not renounce their lifestyle. Ron Leech had claimed he would have a leg up on the competition in his Calgary riding because he was white. According to the National Post, Hunsperger and Leech's extreme views, as well as Smith's refusal to condemn them, cost her a chance of unseating Redford. Ultimately, Wildrose was denied victory mainly because it was unable to get any foothold in the urban areas. It won only two seats in Calgary and was completely shut out in Edmonton.

In appraising the election results at the Wildrose 2012 annual general meeting, Smith advocated freezing out candidates who cannot respectfully communicate their views in future elections. Smith asked members to adopt a forward-looking policy platform for the next election.

Rejoining the Progressive Conservative Party

After Redford left politics in the spring of 2014 due to allegations of corruption, the Wildrose party was initially the major beneficiary. But this momentum stalled when former federal cabinet minister Jim Prentice became PC leader and premier. Under Prentice, the PCs swept four by-elections in October. Smith was dealt a second blow at the Wildrose annual general meeting, when an anti-discrimination resolution she strongly supported was voted down while she was out of the room. Smith told CBC News that the defeat of the anti-discrimination resolution led her to consider returning to the PCs.

On December 17, 2014, Smith announced that she, deputy leader Rob Anderson, and seven other Wildrose MLAs were crossing the floor to join the PCs. Smith had criticized two other Wildrose MLAs for defecting to the PCs a month earlier; she had publicly said, "there'll be no more floor crossings." But it was later revealed that Smith and Prentice had been in talks about a possible merger for months. Smith said that several conversations with Prentice revealed that they shared much common ground, particularly on fiscal issues. Ultimately, she concluded that it made little sense for her to continue in opposition. "If you're going to be the official Opposition leader," she said, "you have to really want to take down the government and really take down the premier. I don't want to take down this premier. I want this premier to succeed." Several weeks after Smith joined the Progressive Conservatives, in a Facebook post, she apologized for the anger her move caused and for not consulting with Albertans before making the decision. At the same time, she stood by her decision to "unify conservatives" in the province and said she intended to seek the Progressive Conservative nomination in Highwood for the next election.

Smith was defeated in her bid for the PC nomination in Highwood by Okotoks Councillor Carrie Fischer on March 28, 2015. Smith's defeat was attributed to her floor-crossing, which angered many in her riding. Fischer lost to Wildrose candidate Wayne Anderson in the general election.

Out of politics (2015–2022)

Talk radio

In the intervening period, Smith hosted a talk radio program on CHQR in Calgary. On January 11, 2021, she announced that she was leaving her talk show and Twitter, citing attacks from Twitter trolls, effective February 19, 2021.

On March 2018, wrote an opinion article supporting the defunding of public schools. In July 2021, Smith wrote an opinion article supporting Jason Kenney's referendum on equalization payments, held on October 18, 2021.

Career as a lobbyist

In June 2019, Smith registered as a lobbyist for the Alberta Enterprise Group, an association where Smith was also the president. At that time Smith lobbied the provincial government on behalf of industry for the RStar program.

UCP leadership race

On May 18, 2022, Smith announced that she was launching a campaign to seek the leadership of the United Conservative Party of Alberta, after the resignation of sitting premier and UCP leader Jason Kenney. Smith was perceived to be the frontrunner among party members in the race to replace Kenney according to internal polling released to the Calgary Sun.

Smith's central policy was to enact what she called the Alberta Sovereignty Act if she became premier. The proposal argued for more autonomy for Alberta in Confederation and called on the provincial legislature to make determinations on when to ignore federal legislation infringing upon Alberta's jurisdiction. Six of Smith's opponents in the leadership race criticized the act. Jason Kenney described it as a "full-frontal attack on the rule of law", as well as a step towards separation and a "banana republic".

On October 6, Smith won the UCP leadership vote with 53.77% of the vote on the sixth count—the contest was conducted using instant-runoff voting—to become the premier-designate. She was sworn in as the 19th premier and minister of Intergovernmental Relations on October 11. Preceded by Herbert Greenfield, William Aberhart and Jim Prentice in this regard, she was the last in a series of persons who ascended to the premier's position without holding a seat in the legislature.

Smith's campaign ran a deficit of $26,792 after spending $1,389,829 on her successful campaign.

Premier of Alberta (2022–present)

Main article: Premiership of Danielle Smith

30th Alberta Legislature

After being sworn in as premier, Smith said that she would not impose any further measures to control the COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta. She also said that people who are unvaccinated should be protected under the Alberta Human Rights Act; alluding to COVID-19 vaccine mandates, she said that they have been "the most discriminated against group that I've ever witnessed in my lifetime", had "faced the most restrictions on their freedoms in the last year", and that "we are not going to create a segregated society on the basis of a medical choice". The remarks faced criticism for alleged trivialization of discrimination faced by minority groups, for which Smith did not apologize.

On October 24, Smith pulled Alberta from the World Economic Forum Global Coalition for Value in Healthcare, saying that she would not "work with a group that talks about controlling governments." "I find it distasteful when billionaires brag about how much control they have over political leaders," she said.

As Smith was not a member of the Legislative Assembly when she became premier, she ran in a by-election for the southern Alberta seat of Brooks-Medicine Hat on November 8, 2022. The incumbent, fellow UCP MLA Michaela Frey, resigned soon after Smith was elected leader and premier, and had encouraged Smith to run. Longstanding convention in Westminster systems when the leader of the governing party is not a member of the legislature to either hold a general election or a by-election, often caused by a sitting member in a safe seat resigning in order to allow the newly elected leader a chance to enter the legislature. Smith had previously announced plans to seek the UCP nomination in Livingstone-Macleod, before she was elected party leader. She won the by-election with 54.5% of the vote.

In late November 2022, Smith withdrew her plan to introduce a bill that would add unvaccinated individuals as a protected class under the Alberta Human Rights Act; Smith continued to promote an intent for herself and her ministers to contact businesses and organizations that were still "discriminating" via COVID-19 vaccine mandates and ask them to "reconsider their vaccination policy in the light of new evidence". She said, "most employers have made the responsible decision to not discriminate against their workers", and for people to inform their MLAs "If there is still discrimination". In December 2022 the legislature passed the Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act.

In May 2023 as wildfires swept the province and a state of emergency was declared, Smith was asked about the UCP government's cuts to the firefighting budget. Between 10 and 20 per cent of the watchtowers by the 2019 budget, and the Aerial Rapattack fire service team was terminated. The firefighting budget was cut from $130 million in 2018-19 to $100 million in 2023-24 and the contingency fund for “wildfire fighting” was treated as a political football.

The Alberta ethics commissioner started investigating Smith in April 2023 for her alleged interference with the administration of justice. Smith had previously promised pardons for those guilty of COVID-19 violations and indicated she was in regular contact with Crown prosecutors. In May 2023 the ethics commissioner found that Smith had contravened the Conflict of Interest Act by discussing criminal charges against Calgary pastor Artur Pawlowski with the justice minister Tyler Shandro and with Pawlowski himself.

31st Alberta Legislature

In the May 2023 Alberta general election, Smith led the UCP to a second consecutive majority government, albeit with a reduced majority, defeating the New Democratic Party led by Rachel Notley. The election campaign was close and one of the fiercest in Alberta's history. Smith was reelected in her riding. Although the UCP's share of the vote declined only slightly (from 55% to 53%), the opposition vote coalesced behind the NDP, which resulted in a loss of 11 seats for the UCP. Notably, the UCP came in second place in Calgary, which had been a power base for the centre-right in Alberta for years, and failed to win any seats in Edmonton. But the UCP won all but four seats outside Edmonton and Calgary. Smith thus became the third woman to lead a party to a win in an Alberta general election, after Redford and Notley.

On August 3, 2023, the Smith government announced that it was pausing all approvals in the province renewable energy industry for six months. On February 28, 2024, Smith announced further restrictions on renewable energy development. Mike Law, the CEO of the independent Alberta Electric System Operator, was opposed to the moratorium because it would send a "closed-for-business message" and send investments into a "tailspin." Smith also claimed that Alberta Utilities Commission and Rural Municipalities of Alberta both supported her decision to pause development. However, both organizations denied it.

In November 2024, Smith won a mandatory leadership review by UCP members attending convention with 91.5% of the vote, and only 4633 ballots cast. By comparison, she won with a much more narrow margin of 53% in the 2022 leadership race, and over 80,000 ballots were cast.

Amid US President Donald Trump's discussions of potential tariffs on Canada and remarks about the possibility of annexing Canada, Smith was the only premier who refused to sign a joint statement by Canadian premiers to coordinate a response in case Trump acted on his threats. Amid the threats, she visited Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort. She was scheduled to attend Trump's inauguration, but was unable because the event was moved into a small indoor venue due to bad weather. On March 20, 2025, it was revealed that Smith did an interview with Breitbart two weeks before in which she said that she pressed the Trump administration to pause the implementation of tariffs as a way for Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre to be elected as Prime Minister. Smith said that she had reasoned that the implementation of the tariffs would benefit the Liberal Party of Canada polling numbers and that Poilievre would be more in line with the Trump administration.

In May, following the 2025 Canadian federal election, the Smith government introduced a bill which revised the Citizen Initiative Act by lowering the requirements to citizen-led referendum. She later announced that her government would honour a referendum on Alberta's separation from Canada if enough signatures where gathered. The bill was revised in December so that Elections Alberta or the courts could not question the constitutional validity of the referendum. Judge Colin Feasby, who was reviewing the constitutionality of a proposed referendum question before the new bill, criticized the new bill as undemocratic. Former Progressive Conservative justice ministers Ken Rostad and Verlyn Olson with 30 other lawyers wrote a letter saying these changes as well as “unacceptable” attacks on Alberta justice system were aligning her government with authoritarianism. Country music singer Corb Lund, whose formerly approved petition initiative against coal mining in Alberta’s Rockies was cancelled by the new bill, was also critical of the changes.

On May 26, 2025, Smith announced her intention to ban books containing "sexual content" from school libraries in Alberta. A list of books to be banned was provided for by anti-LGBTQ groups Parents for Choice in Education (a parental rights group) and Action4Canada. The book ban was to be implemented for October 1 but was put on pause on September 2 after backlash arose when the Edmonton’s public school board complied a list of 200 titles that would need to be removed.

During the 2025 Calgary Stampede, Smith signed a non-binding agreement with the Ontario government to reduce interprovincial trade barriers in the midst of the United States trade war with Canada.

In July 2025, a report was published about the 2024 Jasper wildfire, stating the Alberta government hindered firefighting efforts with constant requests for information and by seeking to exercise decision-making authority, despite not being jurisdictionally responsible. The report stated the interference disrupted the focus of incident commanders and forced them to spend time managing inquiries and issues instead of fighting the fire and leading the re-entry of residents, resulting in more damage being caused that could have otherwise been prevented. Smith demanded the report be retracted and that the fire-stricken town of Jasper apologize for it, with Jasper mayor Richard Ireland responding that they would stand by the report and not retract it.

On September 29, 2025, the Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) announced a teachers' strike as a result of multiple disagreements with Smith's government over the terms of a new labour contract. The strike began on October 6, 2025, with 51,000 union members on strike. Due to the strike, all public education classes were cancelled, impacting 730,000 students, and 2,500 public, separate, and francophone schools. After the strike announcement, multiple rallies were organized across Alberta (primarily in Calgary and Edmonton), mainly to support educators. A notable rally occurred on October 5, 2025, at the Alberta Legislature Building, where thousands of people attended. Smith ordered teachers back to work on October 29, following the passage of the Back to School Act (Bill 2), which invokes the notwithstanding clause. Because of this, teachers are not permitted to strike until August 31, 2028, when the legislation expires.[[File:Alberta_teacher_strike_walkout.png|thumb|301x301px|Albertan students participating in [[walkout]]s to support teachers.]]

In November 2025, Smith reached a deal with Prime Minister Mark Carney to build an oil pipeline from Alberta to the British Columbia Coast. Opposed by British Columbia's David Eby and most local First Nations, the memorandum of understanding (MOU) exempted the project from climate legislation such as the greenhouse gas emissions cap, but mandated that Alberta invest in a carbon capture system for the Athabasca oil sands.

On December 10, 2025, a recall petition was approved, seeking to remove Smith from office, bringing the total number of recall petitions for UCP members to 18. Because of this, Smith became the first premier in nearly 90 years (after William Aberhart) to face a citizen recall. The petitioner, Heather VanSnick, claimed that Smith does not live in the community she represents and has not made efforts to communicate with her constituents since taking office. The petitioners have three months to collect signatures equalling 60% of the number of votes cast in the constituency in 2023, and if successful, a vote will be held on whether Smith retains her seat.

Political views and public image

Smith has been described as "libertarian on moral issues" by The Globe and Mail in 2012,, "far-right" by The New York Times in 2023 and a "political chameleon" by the Walrus in 2025. In a 2023 interview with the Calgary Sun, she self-identified as a "caring conservative". Smith has been described as media-savvy and adept at presenting a professional and polished image.

Smith shared a mentor, political scientist Tom Flanagan, with former Reform Party leader Preston Manning and former prime minister Stephen Harper. She has an affinity with Manning's movement and Harper's government. Smith distanced herself and the Wildrose Party from Flanagan in February 2013 after he made controversial remarks on child pornography. She is also an admirer of Ayn Rand, John Locke, Margaret Thatcher and the Calgary School.

During the 2012 election, Smith said that she was pro-choice and supported same-sex marriage. While she was a columnist with the Calgary Herald, she argued in favour of legalizing sex work.

During her UCP leadership campaign in 2022, Smith proposed checking transgender athletes' testosterone levels before competing against cisgender women and a separate category for women with high testosterone levels. While she was leader of the Wildrose Party, Smith supported conscience rights legislation for health care workers and opposed publicly funding gender-affirming surgeries.In February 2024, Smith announced a ban of gender-affirming healthcare for those 17 and under (including a ban on puberty blockers for those 15 and under), the requirement of parental consent for students aged 15 and under to be referred to by a different name or different gender pronouns, the requirement of parents to give their consent before having their children taught human sexuality, and that third-party resources on sexuality be approved by the Education Ministry. Smith announced a ban of trans women competing in women's sports in Alberta. The ban would not include a ban on women's shelters, women's prisons or women's changing rooms.

In 2023, a new "Alberta is Calling" campaign was launched by Smith's government, ostensibly to bring skilled workers to Alberta by spending $10 million on advertisements in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec. A $5000 relocation bonus was offered to eligible participants. In April 2024, Smith said she wanted to see the city of Red Deer grow from a population of around 100,000 to 1 million "in a few years' time." In August, Smith said she wanted to double Alberta's population to 10 million in order to gain "more political power." After criticism from conservatives her government issued a statement "walking back" Smith's intentions citing how population growth would further impact housing and infrastructure.

Controversies

On the Russia-Ukraine war

After she became premier, it was revealed that she made comments on April 29 during a Locals.com livestream about Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Smith argued for a peace plan between Russia and Ukraine and advocated for Ukraine's neutrality. She also made subsequently deleted posts in March that questioned whether breakaway regions in Ukraine should be able to govern independently, and whether NATO played a role in the invasion, citing a conspiracy theory promoted by Tucker Carlson alleging 'secret U.S. funded biolabs' in Ukraine. On October 16, she said that she "stands with the Ukrainian people" and advocated for diplomacy to "spare millions of Ukrainian lives."

Public health

Smith has been criticized for making false claims about E. coli as a cure for COVID-19, and statements that critics said blamed stage-4 cancer patients for their diagnosis. She has since apologised for making statements on E. coli and said her statements on cancer were meant to express that preventative health measures are an important means to help combat cancer. Smith also made posts on Locals.com critical of COVID-19 vaccines, and said in an interview that the COVID-19 vaccine "doesn't work very well".

In an interview on November 10, 2021, Smith said she was not wearing a Remembrance Day poppy because politicians and public health officials had "ruined it for her" by taking away Canadians' freedoms through public health measures during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, and that citizens who went along with public health measures and were vaccinated had fallen for the "charms of a tyrant" in the same way that Germans had fallen for Adolf Hitler. She elaborated, "That's the test here, is we've seen it. We have 75 per cent of the public who say not only hit me, but hit me harder, and keep me away from those dirty unvaxxed." When the interview resurfaced in 2023, Smith apologized, writing, "As everyone knows, I was against the use of vaccine mandates during COVID. ... However, the horrors of the Holocaust are without precedent, and no one should make any modern-day comparisons that minimize the experience of the Holocaust and suffering under Hitler, nor the sacrifice of our veterans."

During her campaign for the UCP leadership, Smith conducted an interview with a naturopathic physician, discussing lifestyle for the prevention of cancer and how Smith's health savings account proposal could help with that. She said "When you think about everything that built up before you got to stage 4 [of cancer] and that diagnosis—that's completely within your control and there's something you can do about that that is different." NDP leader Rachel Notley and Smith's fellow candidates including Brian Jean criticized this comment, with Jean (who lost a son to cancer) saying "You [Smith] saying to someone that their cancer is 'completely within your control' before stage four is insensitive, hurtful, and outright untrue. Please stop."

Ethics in governance

On May 17, 2023, an investigation by Alberta Ethics Commissioner Marguerite Trussler found that Smith had violated section 3 of the Conflicts of Interest Act by talking to the Alberta Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of Alberta about charges in an ongoing criminal case against far-right street preacher and COVID-19 protestor Artur Pawlowski.

A news-leak on December 18, 2023, revealed allegations of an ongoing ethics probe into restructuring at Alberta Health Services, including the rapid hiring and firing of Deena Hinshaw for a position on their Indigenous Wellness Core team just days before starting. One physician at Alberta Health Services resigned in protest, claiming 'political interference from Danielle Smith's office', and a letter signed by over 200 physicians called for an investigation into the matter.

In February 2025, The Globe and Mail obtained a letter from lawyers of Athana Mentzelopoulos, the former head of Alberta Health Services, that the Smith government dismissed her two days before she was scheduled to meet with the province's auditor-general to discuss her investigation into inflated procurement contracts and contracting processes. Mentzelopoulos also alleged that the premier's then-chief of staff, Marshall Smith, interfered in AHS contract negotiations. Mentzelopoulos was investigating AHS's relationship and contracts with MHCare, a company owned by Sam Mraiche, who imported children's medicine from Turkey, and Alberta Surgical Group (ASG), a private surgical outlet. Doug Wylie, the auditor-general, said that he is examining procurement and contracting processes within AHS. Smith later called the allegations troubling but denied them. In March, the RCMP launched an investigation after a complaint was raised. In April, former Infrastructure minister Peter Guthrie, who was dismissed from caucus two weeks earlier over his criticism of the government’s lack of transparency surrounding the allegations, sent the auditor-general meeting notes that he kept as evidence that Smith and Health minister Adriana LaGrange misled cabinet.

Chemtrails

At the 28 September, 2024, UCP Town Hall in Edmonton, Smith responded to a concern that the municipality was being sprayed by so-called chemtrailsa "long-held conspiracy theory" that airplane condensation vapours are purposeful nefarious acts. Smith said, "Another person told me, if anyone is doing it, it's the U.S. Department of Defense." While Smith said she had inquired about airspace regulations over the weekend, Nav Canada said they had received no queries from the provincial government.

Ancestry claims and residential school gravesites

Smith has made claims about her ancestry that have been debunked by genealogists and Canadian immigration records. Her paternal great-grandfather was Philipus Kolodnicki, whose name was anglicized to "Philip Smith" upon arriving in Canada. In October 2022, she claimed Kolodnicki left Ukraine after the First World War, which ended in 1918, to escape communism. She said her political beliefs were "largely born out of a complete distrust of the socialism from which my great-grandfather fled." In a 2012 profile in The Globe and Mail, Smith claimed Kolodnicki was a Ukrainian immigrant who arrived in Canada in 1915.

Immigration records reviewed by the Toronto Star showed Kolodnicki arrived in Canada in 1913, before either the First World War or the 1917 October Revolution. Kolodnicki also listed his nation of origin as Austria and his race as Ruthenian, a term that at the time referred to the ancestors of modern Ukrainians, Belarusians and Rusyns.

Beginning in 2012, Smith publicly claimed she had Cherokee roots through her great-great-grandmother, Mary Frances Crowe. Smith also claimed Crowe was a victim of the Trail of Tears and forcibly relocated to Kansas in the 1830s. An investigation by APTN National News found Crowe was born in 1870 in Georgia, about 20 years after the U.S. government forced the Cherokee out of their homelands. Kathy Griffin, a Cherokee genealogist in Texas who worked with APTN, could not find proof that any of Smith's ancestors were members of the historical Cherokee tribes, including the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians of Oklahoma, or the Cherokee Nation. Smith's ancestors also did not appear on the Dawes Roll, a U.S. registry cataloguing members of the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw and Seminole.

Following APTN's story, Smith's press secretary said Smith had not done a "deep dive into her ancestry" and "heard about her heritage from her loved ones". Smith also made posts on Locals.com that questioned the legitimacy of reports that unmarked graves had been found at residential schools.

Electoral history

2023 general election

2022 by-election

2022 United Conservative leadership election

2012 general election

2009 Wildrose leadership election

References

References

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72. Robinson, Rebekah. (2022-11-16). "Covid misinformation ignites a battle over blood in a Canadian province".
73. (October 13, 2022). "No apology from Danielle Smith over comments on discrimination of unvaccinated people".
74. (October 24, 2022). "Alberta Premier Danielle Smith cancelling health consulting agreement with WEF".
75. (2022-10-24). "Premier Danielle Smith to end agreement with World Economic Forum".
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81. Franklin, Michael. (2022-11-28). "Critics say Smith is bullying businesses over COVID-19 policies". CTV News.
82. Bennett, Dean. (2022-11-28). "Smith's bill to protect Alberta's unvaccinated won't be introduced in legislature".
83. Bennett, Dean. (Dec 8, 2022). "Alberta passes Sovereignty Act, but first strips out sweeping powers for cabinet".
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97. (2024-05-03). "Electricity operator CEO was pressured to support Alberta renewables pause".
98. Fletcher, Robson. (May 9, 2024). "The unravelling of Danielle Smith's case for Alberta's renewables pause".
99. Bellefontaine, Michelle. (November 2, 2024). "Alberta premier wins leadership review with 91.5 per cent approval". [[CBC News]].
100. (2022). "Alberta UCP live results: Danielle Smith is elected leader of the United Conservative Party". Edmonton Journal.
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106. (2025-03-30). "Danielle Smith: The Canadian Conservative trying to sweet talk Trump".
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108. "Danielle Smith promises Alberta separation referendum if signatures warrant".
109. (2025-12-22). "Albertans Are Driving Their Government Crazy by Following New Laws Too Much {{!}} The Walrus".
110. "Smith defends timing of Alberta referendum speech as Carney calls for Canadian unity". edmontonjournal.
111. Markusoff, Jason. (December 13, 2025). "How a UCP bill renewed Alberta separatist bid to force referendum, after court shot it down".
112. Ranger, Michael. (2025-12-05). "Judge calls Alberta bill on referendum drives undemocratic".
113. "‘Nobody should be above the law’: Former justice ministers criticize UCP for ‘unacceptable’ conduct {{!}} Globalnews.ca".
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115. "Alberta to change rules to ensure books in schools are 'age-appropriate'". The Canadian Press.
116. (30 May 2025). "Conservative activists gave Alberta government list of 'inappropriate' books in school libraries".
117. (2 September 2025). "Alberta pauses ban on school library books with sexually explicit content".
118. (2025-10-08). "Alberta's new policy is forcing girls—cis and trans—out of school sports".
119. Strasser, Scott. (July 7, 2025). "Smith and Ford sign commitments to remove trade barriers on energy, liquor and automotive industries".
120. "Jasper fire report says Alberta government complicated response".
121. (July 18, 2025). "Alberta premier demands apology from fire-stricken town of Jasper". CBC.
122. "Jasper mayor stands by critical wildfire report, expects no bad blood with province".
123. (2025-10-03). "Alberta teachers edge toward a strike with salaries a key issue". The Globe and Mail.
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133. (2025-10-05). "Alberta teachers say what they want is clear, hours before strike scheduled to start".
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135. "Striking Alberta teachers forced back to work by fast-tracked legislation, notwithstanding clause".
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137. "Bill 2 – Back to School Act".
138. (November 28, 2025). "Canada minister resigns from cabinet over Carney's controversial oil pipeline deal". The Guardian.
139. Ridder, Eli. (10 December 2025). "Recall petition targeting Alberta Premier Danielle Smith approved". [[CBC News]].
140. (2025-12-10). "Danielle Smith becomes first Alberta premier in 90 years to face citizen recall".
141. (28 May 2023). "In Alberta, a bruising campaign invites political chaos". Politico.
142. (29 May 2023). "Alberta's Vote Will Test American-Style Far-Right Politics". The New York Times.
143. (2025-03-17). "The What-Will-She-Do-Next Premier of Alberta {{!}} The Walrus".
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145. Den Tandt, Michael. (April 16, 2012). "Danielle Smith and Wildrose ride the wave". PostMedia News.
146. Woods, James. (March 1, 2013). "Wildrose dumps campaign manager Tom Flanagan over child pornography comments". [[Calgary Herald]].
147. (February 28, 2013). "Wildrose Leader Smith condemns Flanagan's child porn remarks". Wildrose Party.
148. Coutu, Simon. (2025-09-03). "Le Canada à l’aube d’une ère libertarienne ?".
149. Graveland, Bill. (2012-04-10). "Wildrose Leader says she is pro-choice and supports gay rights". The Globe and Mail.
150. McDermott, Vincent. (September 5, 2022). "Pride YMM calls Brian Jean's comments on transgender athletes in women's sports 'transphobic'". Fort McMurray Today.
151. (April 9, 2012). "Wildrose Party's idea of "conscience rights" is discriminatory". The Globe and Mail.
152. "Sex-change surgery funding gets mixed reaction in Alberta". CBC News.
153. Derworiz, Bennett, Colette, Dean. (February 1, 2024). "'Preserving kids' choices': Alberta premier says transgender rules coming in fall". CP24.
154. Strasser, Scott. (February 1, 2024). "'We will not stand for it': LGBTQ+ advocates criticize Danielle Smith's policy announcement". Calgary Herald.
155. Heidenreich, Phil. (February 2, 2024). "Alberta policy on trans athletes spurs discussion among people with stake in competitive sports". Global News.
156. Lily Dupuis. (12 April 2024). "Danielle Smith says Alberta's proposed transgender rules won't include public change rooms, jails". www.cbc.ca.
157. Catherine Lévesque. (12 April 2024). "Smith says Alberta gender law won't bar trans women from female spaces". nationalpost.
158. "3rd phase of 'Alberta is Calling' is underway, but is province moving too fast? | Globalnews.ca".
159. "Red Deer at 1 million? Danielle Smith dreams of a new Alberta metropolis".
160. (August 9, 2024). "Alberta government backs away from podcast comments made by Premier Smith, Calgary MLA".
161. Short, Dylan. (October 15, 2022). "Danielle Smith under fire for past online comments on Ukraine invasion". Calgary Herald.
162. Di Donato, Nicole. (2022-10-16). "Alberta premier under fire for 'misinformed' comments on Russia's invasion of Ukraine". CTV News.
163. (October 22, 2012). "Wildrose leader apologizes for XL beef tweet". [[CBC News]].
164. Rieger, Sarah. (March 22, 2020). "Alberta talk radio host deletes tweet with false claim that there's a 100% cure for coronavirus". [[CBC News]].
165. Bennett, Dean. (July 27, 2022). "Danielle Smith faces criticism of sovereignty plan, cancer remarks in UCP leadership debate". [[CBC News]].
166. Herring, Jason. (October 16, 2022). "Facing heat on Ukraine, Smith decries 'politicization' of conflict".
167. (June 16, 2025). "Audio vault QR Calgary 770AM Radio: Danielle Smith interview". [[Global News]], 770 Radio.
168. (May 8, 2023). "In resurfaced video, Danielle Smith said the vaccinated fell for 'charms of a tyrant' referencing Adolf Hitler". [[CBC News]].
169. (May 8, 2023). "Danielle Smith apologizes for comments linking COVID vaccinated to Nazi followers". [[Global News]].
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171. Trussler, Hon. Marguerite. (May 17, 2023). "Report of Findings and Recommendations by Hon. Marguerite Trussler, K.C., Ethics Commissioner into allegations involving Hon. Danielle Smith, Member for Brooks-Medicine Hat, Premier of Alberta".
172. Canadian Press, The. (May 18, 2023). "Danielle Smith violated conflict of interest rule: ethics commissioner". The National Post.
173. (2023-12-18). "Alberta Health Services exec says he resigned over political interference from Danielle Smith's office". The Globe and Mail.
174. "RCMP launches investigation into complaint regarding AHS procurement". edmontonjournal.
175. (2025-02-05). "Alberta ousted health services CEO amid probe into medical contracts, document alleges". The Globe and Mail.
176. (2025-02-08). "Danielle Smith calls for expedited review of 'troubling allegations' at Alberta's health authority". The Globe and Mail.
177. "Former Alberta minister Peter Guthrie tables cabinet notes, calls for transparency".
178. Nelson, Wayne. (2024-09-28). "Your Province. Your Premier.". Global News.
179. (2024-10-01). "Danielle Smith faces criticism over chemtrail comments at townhall". CityNews Calgary.
180. Wherry, Aaron. (2024-10-02). "Nav Canada has no record of chemtrails conversation with Alberta government". The Globe and Mail.
181. (2024-09-30). "Asked about chemtrails, Premier Smith suggests that "the US Department of Defense is spraying us". "If anyone is doing it, it's the US Department of Defense" Smith is pandering to the conspiracy theorists. #ableg #abpoli https://t.co/oZ3Ka79KjG". Twitter.
182. Lebrun, Luc. (2024-10-01). "The Pentagon and NORAD Respond to Danielle Smith: Nope, We're Not Spraying Chemicals Over Alberta". PressProgress.
183. Rhode, Mackenzie. (2024-10-03). "Why Danielle Smith, Scott Moe and other politicians get caught up in chemtrails conspiracy". Calgary Herald.
184. Noakes, Taylor C.. (2022-11-19). "Analysis {{!}} Her Indigenous heritage questioned, was Danielle Smith also wrong about her Ukrainian great-grandfather's journey".
185. Paradis, Danielle. (November 16, 2022). "Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she has Cherokee roots, but the records don't back that up". APTN.
186. Dawson, Tyler. (2022-11-18). "Alberta premier says she didn't do 'deep dive' into ancestry after Cherokee claims questioned". National Post.
187. Sanders, Leanne. (August 22, 2025). "Alberta Premier Danielle Smith wearing ribbon skirt sparks controversy". APTN.
188. "By-Election November 8, 2022 - 52 - Brooks-Medicine Hat". Elections Alberta.
189. (2009-10-17). "Danielle Smith wins race to lead party". The Globe and Mail.