As MLA for Brooks–Medicine Hat and as Premier, Danielle Smith has brought forward legislation and changes in our province that many Albertans strongly disagree with. With a recall initiative now underway, residents in her riding are showing they how they feel about her performance.
Below, we’re sharing just some of the reasons behind the recall initiative. The list keeps growing:
- Extreme cuts to AISH and Health Care. She has lead the reductions to essential supports and public health services have left vulnerable Albertans with fewer resources and declining care.
- Passing Bill 2 in one day and invoking the Notwithstanding Clause. Bill 2 was pushed through the Legislature in a single day, using the Notwithstanding Clause to restrict teachers’ rights and eliminate meaningful recourse.
- Costly restructuring of Alberta’s health services. On her watch, the restructuring, shifting mandates, and leadership instability have contributed to longer wait times, staff burnout, and worsening service standards.
- Privatizing lab services to a failing company that went bankrupt. Under Danielle Smith's leadership, the government privatized lab services to a provider that ultimately went bankrupt, forcing the province to take back operations at a loss of millions in taxpayer dollars.
- Blocking the Auditor General from completing AHS corruption investigations. She backed a decision not to renew the Auditor General’s contract that prevented him from finishing work related to the investigation of her government's ongoing AHS corruption.
- Refusing adequate funding to Elections Alberta. Despite a rise in recall petitions the Premier has declined to properly fund Elections Alberta thereby undermining democratic processes.
- Pushing a dangerous and costly pipeline plan. Her support for a pipeline relying on tankers navigating Canada’s most hazardous northern coastal waters disregards environmental risk and the reasoning behind the long-standing tanker moratorium.
- Diverting public funds to private schools. Pushing tax dollars to private schools, eroding the quality of our public schools at the expense of our children's right to quality education.
- Redirecting public funds toward corporate interests. Ongonig investigations into government subsidies and grants disproportionately benefiting large corporations and her political allies, instead of improving public services.
- Adding citizenship to driver’s licences without provincial authority.
Her decision to add citizenship status on AB licences adds cost and administrative burden for registries and residents, despite not being within provincial jurisdiction.
- The leaked memo stating she would invoke the Notwithstanding Clause against trans youth. The memo revealed her intention to restrict the rights of trans youth by pre-emptively overriding the Charter, alarming educators, parents, and experts.
- Changing Alberta’s slogan without public consultation. Her government made the decision to replace “Wild Rose Country” with “Strong and Free” without any input from Albertans.
- Misleading changes to coal mining restrictions. Her government adjusted mining rules while claiming they were more restrictive while in reality, they weakened protections. When public backlash prevented promised developments, mining companies were compensated with public funds.
- Authorizing expanded hunting and trapping of vulnerable wildlife
Under the Minister of Forestry and Parks, Todd Loewen, her government approved hunting and trapping of grizzlies, cougars, mountain goats, bison, and several at-risk fur-bearing species.
- Interference concerns involving Crown prosecutors. Smith’s communicated directly with Crown prosecutors during a criminal investigation, and was found to be in breach of Alberta's Conflict of Interest Act, raising serious concerns about political interference in the justice system.
- Taking power away from municipalities. Her attempts to force provincial control over municipal funding, policing, and regional planning, have compromised our ability to decide what is right and needed in our own community.
- Pushing a risky Alberta Pension Plan. Her push to pull Alberta out of the CPP risking retirement security, even after her government’s own numbers were challenged and shown to be incorrect by experts.
- Refusal to speak definitively and stoking separatists initiatives. She panders to a minorty group of separatists pushing forward The Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act which continues to create uncertainty for businesses, investors, municipalities, and hurts confidence in Alberta’s economic and political stability.
Further reading:
Leger completed its regular review of the Alberta Government their report can be found here.
Alberta Federation of Labour’s response to the use of the Notwithstanding Clause is here.
Proof that the Service Alberta Minister Dale Nally didn’t do his research regarding the new license plate slogan.
The Tyee “Danielle Smith’s Party Conked by Its Own Boomerang”
CBC Jason Markusoff November 11, 2025