Opinion | Is Danielle Smith winning or losing? Alberta’s premier navigates UCP’s mixed reactions - December 2, 2025

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Cue the cheers.

Smith’s deal with Carney did not placate those in her party who want Alberta to separate from Canada. It has infuriated them.

Separatists are a minority in Alberta, according to opinion polls. And, in a recent petition drive, more than 400,000 Albertans supported staying in Canada. But separatists are not a minority in the UCP.

In fact, pollster Janet Brown discovered that 54 per cent of UCP supporters surveyed earlier this year would vote in favour of separation.

These are the people who hold the whip hand over Alberta’s UCP government. They are among the fringe element that Smith does her best to placate through a never ending litany of policies that, most recently, involved using the notwithstanding clause to demolish the rights of striking teachers.