Alberta Premier Danielle Smith introduces legislation addressing agreements between the federal government and provincial entities in Edmonton on April 10, 2024.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson.
The ideological war waged by Smith will only endanger high-quality research void of political interference from the government.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith delivers a speech prior to a fireside chat during a Canada Strong and Free Network event in Ottawa, on April 12, 2024. The Alberta Conservative party has long prioritized the interests of fossil fuels.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby
Alberta’s new social studies curriculum misses the mark on child development, lacks adequate opportunities for critical thinking and neglects teaching about colonization.
Although medical doctors may be the first point of contact for children exploring their gender identity, many other professions can provide gender-affirming care, such as psychologists, social workers, teachers, counsellors and recreational coaches.
(Shutterstock)
Gender-affirming care assesses psychological, social, medical and surgical options for gender-diverse people.
People protest Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s proposed youth transgender policies as she appears at an event in Ottawa on Feb. 5, 2024.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Patrick Doyle
On both sides of the transgender care debate, what is presented as ‘fact’ distorts real complexities of gender-affirming health care, leaving many in the dark about what is really at stake.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith answers questions at a news conference in Calgary on Feb. 1, 2024.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Todd Korol
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s anti-trans policies are likely meant to satisfy her base, but her government will now have to go head-to-head with the evidence in future legal battles.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith speaks about reforms in Alberta health care in Edmonton in November 2023.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
Catalonia and post-Brexit U.K. illustrate the dangers of separatism and divisive rhetoric. Both Alberta and Ottawa must act to address western alienation and prevent a catastrophic scenario.
Crowds attend Family Day at the Calgary Stampede in Calgary in July 2023.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Ongoing research suggests the average Albertan is far less conservative than it appears, especially on social issues like health care and inclusion.
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs speaks to the media outside Government House in Fredericton, N.B., following a cabinet shuffle in June 2023.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Stephen MacGillivray
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs is pursuing a hard-right agenda without much scrutiny. He has imposed his agenda on a centrist province with barely any national media attention.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith speaks to delegates at the Global Energy Show in Calgary, Alta., on June 13, 2023.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Newly elected Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is likely to chart a course forward that involves brawls with Ottawa. Here’s what that means for Canadian Confederation.
Former U.S. president Donald Trump gives thumbs up as he watches during the first round of the LIV Golf Tournament at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Va.
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
It will take a lot of strategic ingenuity to fight the rise of populism. And it will get harder to do so as politicians rig the game with rules designed to reduce voting.
UCP Leader Danielle Smith makes her victory speech in Calgary on May 29, 2023. Alberta’s United Conservative Party rode a wave of rural support to win a renewed majority in the provincial election — but not before the NDP took a big bite out of its support.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Danielle Smith’s win in the Alberta election can be traced to her decision to moderate her stance on some extreme issues that had helped her win the leadership of the United Conservative Party.
Protesters take part in a Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) rally at the Alberta legislature in Edmonton before the United Conservative Party cancelled GSA protections in June 2019.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
How Alberta votes on May 29 will either pave the way for 2SLGBTQ+ youth to be affirmed in their identities or it will create a formal pathway for homophobia, biphobia and transphobia in the province.
A pumpjack draws oil underneath a canola field as a haze of wildfire smoke hangs in the air in Cremona, Alta., in July 2021.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
A series of ongoing issues in Alberta’s oil and gas sector suggest the province’s energy regulator is controlled by the industry and has lost the public’s trust.
A health-care worker appears to give the middle finger as Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announces a public health guarantee in Sherwood Park, Alta.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
The 2023 Alberta election is about far more than left versus right. The UCP’s record in office means the votes of Albertans on May 29 are about choosing province over party.
A pedestrian wearing a mask crosses a street in Calgary in November 2020.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Albertans struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Alberta Viewpoint Survey shows there’s a fragile optimism about the future as a provincial election approaches.
A pumpjack draws oil from underneath a canola field as a haze of wildfire smoke hangs in the air near Cremona, Alta., in July 2021.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Canada has no choice but to adapt its energy sources and industries in a ‘just transition.’ If it doesn’t, the inevitable transition will be much more disruptive — and much less just.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith speaks at a news conference in Edmonton in November 2022.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
The Free Alberta Strategy is in fact a road map for Alberta sovereignty, touching on the most essential compartment of sovereignty — banking and currency.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith appears at a news conference in Edmonton in October 2022.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
Danielle Smith’s grasp of Indigenous issues seems rooted not in genuine allyship and justice but in the appropriation of Indigenous experiences to advance white grievance politics.
Danielle Smith celebrates after being chosen as the new leader of the United Conservative Party and next Alberta premier in Calgary, Alta., Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Danielle Smith’s win in the UCP leadership race follows the populist playbook. Will her time in office be a brief interlude, or the start of a significant challenge to national unity?