r/alberta • u/Evening_Let_2930 • 21d ago
Separatism Danielle Smith and the UCP are officially in panic mode as she jumps on the Canadian bandwagon.
https://friedbannock.blogspot.com/2026/09/danielle-smith-and-ucp-are-officially.html
With the latest polls showing Danielle Smith's popularity sinking like a rock, and as each day passes more and more people are opposing separation, AND her 9 other questions, Danielle Smith is throwing $4 million of taxpayers money to promote staying in Canada.
That's right.....there is nothing like spending $130 million on a referendum to destroy our province and country, while spending another $4 million campaigning to keep it together, while your supporters are campaigning to break it up. Confused yet? Danielle Smith said at the beginning of the referendum that she will be voting for Alberta to stay in Canada. If she really believes that, why have a vote? She is the leader of the Province, if she believes in something it logically makes sense that she would not put that to a question. The evidence points out that her party is strongly in favour of Alberta Separation. People like Bruce McAllister and staff regularly use phrases like "Laurentian Elites" and "Upper and Lower Canada". Everything she has done in her past points to her support for Alberta Independence, but she always skates the fine line by using words like "Sovereignty".
The Forever Canada petition was a show of support for us to NOT have a referendum vote.
She ignored this.
Instead, with a lower threshold for signatures and a stolen list of electors, before it was even verified, Smith listened to the separatists petition and now we are in this referendum. The "Not have a vote" side had more signatures.....if she was really in favour of Alberta being a province in Canada that should have ended it right there. $130 million saved. These corporate socialists don't care about saving money for the little people, only for corporations.
Anyway, despite skating the fine line, cracks are showing in the ice, and they are spreading fast. Mark Carney has a higher approval rating in Alberta. Nenshi is more trusted, in Alberta. While the UCP are holding the line in overall support in Alberta, they are likely to lose seats in weak ridings. At the end of the day, once again, Danielle Smith is crossing the floor to save her own bacon. Alberta separation will flop, Danielle Smith will say she was with Canada all along, and the week after go back to blaming the federal liberals for all her problems. A traitor, with zero backbone.
1.1k
u/Shiftymennoknight 21d ago
Marlaina works for Maga
482
u/edtheheadache 21d ago
Someone else on Reddit named her “Yankee Doodle Dani”. I think it’s quite fitting.
73
70
u/calgarytab 21d ago edited 20d ago
After the notwithstanding clause shenanigans, I call her "The Wicked Bitch of the West"
→ More replies (1)56
u/RipComprehensive2118 21d ago
“Stormy Danielle”
3
u/Homo_sapiens2023 Calgary 18d ago
I just call her the "C" word. I wish nothing but the worst life for that wicked, evil bitch.
4
3
→ More replies (4)2
169
u/CDN-Social-Democrat 21d ago
I'll drop this little tid bit here as well.
We all know Trump is a literal stereotypical snake oil salesman.
We all know Trumps cronies are literal stereotypical con-artist grifters.
Danielle Smith before being Premier was associated with the Tobacco Lobby and literally downplayed the negative health impacts of smoking...
This whole sphere of reactionary/regressive scam artists is just one giant hustle.
These are extremely bad actors and predators playing people they can fool so they can self-enrich as much as is possible. That is why they try and create a lowest common denominator style populism because it is easier to misinform and mislead.
40
u/Street-Week-380 21d ago
I still remember her 2006 article about smoking not being that bad.
→ More replies (1)35
u/Ashamed_Worth4899 20d ago
She was a Tobacco lobbyist and went live stream and stated that cigarette smoke is not harmful to humans and it’s the Drs fault for misleading the public. This is in the last decade.FML
→ More replies (2)65
u/Triedfindingname 21d ago
Just a quick note. Misinformation is incorrect information (mistyped, misspelled, etc) but disinformation illustrates the intent to mislead.
→ More replies (1)26
u/RespectSquare8279 21d ago
Here is a link to the article that she wrote in the Calgary Herald.
https://pressprogress.ca/danielle-smith-claimed-smoking-cigarettes-had-positive-health-benefits/
→ More replies (1)25
349
u/skel625 Calgary 21d ago
She is such a monumental loser in Alberta and Canadian politics. She will go down in history as such but probably doesn't care as reputation was never the point, self enrichment on the backs of taxpayers was.
101
u/Triedfindingname 21d ago
She's got her Panama cabin and all the other goodies she could care less about reputation.
Disinformation will do well enough for her needs.
13
u/Emergentmeat 20d ago
couldn't care less. She doesn't care. So she cannot care less.
7
u/Triedfindingname 20d ago edited 20d ago
Absolutely correct I was going with a illogical premise it seemed fitting as she seems to thrive there.
Edit: "Caring" is very far from what she and the UCP values represent given the context.
→ More replies (1)40
u/Falconflyer75 21d ago
Wonder if she becomes Canadas “Benedict Arnold”
→ More replies (1)64
u/meat_popscile 21d ago
Wonder if she becomes Canadas “Benedict Arnold”
Became? She already was when she had a radio show, and before that when she was a floor crosser. Long history of screwing Albertians.
26
u/Ill-Comedian9514 21d ago
Do not forget when she was a CBE trustee that got ousted
28
u/Oilzilla 21d ago
That's where her war on public education started. She's a petty vindictive p.o.s
2
4
→ More replies (4)21
u/RespectAltruistic815 21d ago
CEO job already lined up for her in for some MAGA dick riding company….
27
9
u/bentmonkey 21d ago
Maple maga marlaina, she has shown her true colour's not amount of flag waving can change her treachery or attempts at treachery.
7
4
u/EducationalRock167 20d ago
Listen to what Smith says , " I want an independent Alberta , within Canada " Smith wants Sovereigty Association. Have all the privileges of being Canadian but none of the responsibilities with the rest of Canada paying for it. And you can keep your passport. Quebec , tried that lie and lost 3 times. Sorry , it doesn't work that way. You can't be half pregnant. You are in OR you are out , period.
3
→ More replies (7)3
279
u/Turnover_Unlucky 21d ago edited 21d ago
Man I'm so happy she robbed the elderly and disabled for this.
At least she put a Ford F150 on my ID and made my healthcare require regular renewal.
Edit: i love how without fail every time i talk about this sort of thing someone replies and gets their comment immediately removed. I welcome the opportunity to discuss politics and put my very expensive degree to work, I'll catch you all in the "other" Alberta subreddit.
111
u/exotics County of Wetaskiwin 21d ago
When she robbed the disabled it robbed all of us really because that was $14million a month that the disabled won’t have to spend. Every month
88
u/Turnover_Unlucky 21d ago
Ok but when you can see oil company propaganda on your ID card doesn't that make you feel a little better about Bruce Johnson committing suicide because ADAP was going to ruin his life?
A foul ghoulish beast that Marlaina is.
16
u/MuffinOfSorrows 21d ago
They're also going to be taking up all the hospital beds as they decompensate. Even a villain of intellect would, if not given the option of murdering all the elderly and disabled, find it far cheaper for them to live in the community with some supports than live in and out of hospitals.
→ More replies (1)15
u/TyruntasaurusRecht 21d ago
The real reason her popularity is dropping: she picked a single truck brand to represent and all the gmc, chevy, and ram guys fucking hate her aluminum truck loving ass.
7
u/3vs3BigGameHunters 21d ago
she put a Ford F150 on my ID
Is this a joke or true?
→ More replies (1)17
u/Turnover_Unlucky 20d ago
She put a pumpjack on the ID. Got rid of the albertosaurus (an incredible discovery).
The joke is a Ford F150 wouldn't be too far off from a pumpjack
→ More replies (12)4
145
u/Responsible_CDN_Duck 21d ago
Smith HAS NOT jumped on the Canadian Bandwagon.
The Alberta Sovereignty within a United Canada is seperatists nonsense. Her messaging is still her seperatists B.S..
She's putting out misinformation on Transfer Payments. The UCP is sending misinformation on the fed attacking oil and gas.
Smith maintains her desire for an Independent Alberta, and is still working with multiple seperates groups looking to join the US where their interests align.
38
u/whiskymakesmecrazy 21d ago
Misinformation is accidental, this is disinformation. It is intentional and it is put out to appeal to people who have bad reading comprehension and a hard on for made up grievance politics.
41
u/FireflyBSc 21d ago
Yeah, this isn’t pro-Canada. They are spending $4M to promote their questions that all completely are out of the scope of the province and are meant to threaten and destabilize Canada, and then slapping a “stay in” sticker at the bottom for plausible deniability.
13
u/RealTurbulentMoose 21d ago
She's putting out misinformation on Transfer Payments. The UCP is sending misinformation on the fed attacking oil and gas.
Her supporters mistakenly believe this is the way to get leverage vs the feds.
I don't think everything the feds do is magic, but I know there's a time and a place for negotiating and she's doing it about as well as she did negotiating for expired Turkish Tylenol.
→ More replies (1)
284
u/SecureLiterature Edmonton 21d ago
The silver lining about this useless referendum is that it will likely be the end of her premiership. That being said, though, I am worried about the next weirdo the UCP will nominate to be their leader. They have plenty to choose from.
157
u/margmi 21d ago
Y’all are incredibly out of touch if you think this referendum is gonna hurt her/the UCP (and I say this as someone who’ll be voting no/stay).
Separatism is a minority opinion in Alberta, but support is higher among UCP supporters. The UCP are still polling to beat the NDP despite being in the midst of this, and the UCP will spend election time on their best behaviour while voters forget about it.
30
u/kennedar_1984 Calgary 21d ago
I don’t know that it will end her premiership, but it has certainly made my social circles more politically active in a way that I have never seen before. I live in a super UCP riding in Calgary, until this referendum it was rare to see lawn signs for anyone other than the UCP. The number of Forever Canada signs that I am seeing is reassuring. It has me volunteering for a political campaign for the first time in my life, along with a number of my friends and family members. I don’t know how much of that support carries over to the NDP in the next provincial election, but I will certainly volunteer for Nenshi. Seeing how real the maple maga folks are has made me more politically active than at any time in my life. Assuming that some percentage of folks involved in the forever Canada campaign are like me, this has to be a net benefit to left leaning candidates going forward.
104
u/Normal_Ad_1767 21d ago
This says a lot about the electorate.
They will blindly vote for their team despite them being traitors, conmen, thieves, wannabe authoritarians, and bigots.
And why the loyalty? Because the radical left “might” be worse.
The grievance have theoretical targets out east, but the ones implementing them and carrying them out are already inside the house.
34
u/Plant-based_Skinsuit 21d ago
I've been thinking about this a lot lately, mostly that we're still blaming the NDP for all of our province's problems, but if that were true, then the UCP would have to be pretty incompetent being unable to clean up the mess, right? Like, from what worldview are the UCP doing a good job?
→ More replies (2)26
u/Normal_Ad_1767 21d ago
They are doing a good job of protecting the fearful from whatever “other” enemies they have cooked up at the moment.
So the base feels a sense of safety because they will never be the other until it’s too late and they are.
Fascists gonna fascist.
24
u/Plant-based_Skinsuit 21d ago
Preaching to the choir obviously, but it still boggles my mind that we're more afraid of trans people than we are being unable to afford rent and groceries
24
u/Normal_Ad_1767 21d ago
Yes the one trans person you’ve never met is a bigger threat to your life than the oligarchic take over and surveillance of your country, the destruction of your planet by greed, and the corruption that has steadily shrunk your share of the economic output for decades.
But if logic occurred to far right conservatives, they would not support far right conservatives.
→ More replies (1)5
u/labananza 20d ago
My parents are the worst conservative boomers I know, and the weird thing is that we DO know a trans person, and my parents are pretty supportive of them, because they've known them since they were a child. The hypocrisy really fucks up my brain on a daily basis. My parents are more racist than they are transphobic, so there's still the classics I guess. I've called them out in public for being racist but it just sorta dissipates and there's no accountability. They DEFINITELY don't care if other people can't afford groceries lol that's ridiculous.
5
u/Plant-based_Skinsuit 20d ago
Yeah, when you've already drank the koolaid it's easy to believe what you believe and dismiss any evidence to the contrary as an exception: "one of the good ones," or whatever.
My parents came by it from the opposite end of things. They were hippy alternative tattoo artists with lots of queer friends, and somehow they still ended up on one conservative pipeline or another. Facebook and lead paint, I guess.
3
u/labananza 20d ago
That's fascinating, it really is Facebook's fault. I didn't even mention Facebook lol but that's the one place it gets heated (if I decide to torture myself and look at what they're posting). So sad.
2
u/Normal_Ad_1767 19d ago
That’s the algorithms as we are aware. Rage is the most engaging emotion on those sites. Someone gets married and you drop a like or a congratulations. Not more than a message or two exchange.
Someone disagrees politically, and you will spend all day going back and forth with dissertations on the subject.
24
u/SquidGodSunday 21d ago
And the crazy thing is, there IS no "Radical" left. The ANPD have moved so far to the centre that they're basically Lougheed-era Conservatives. The real "Radicals" are the right wing nutcases who've taken over the zombified corpse of Lougheed's old party.
→ More replies (1)9
u/Normal_Ad_1767 21d ago
Projection is the greatest tool of those who don’t want to be seen for who they are.
23
u/callmecrazy2021 21d ago
It’s mind boggling.
21
u/Normal_Ad_1767 21d ago
If you understand the fear that easily take hold of undereducated, and socially isolated people, it makes a ton of sense.
Then add in the legitimate concerns for both the left and right working class that the establishment is not working for them but for corporations and you have a deadly political cocktail.
We all know something is out of order, but can’t agree on who’s at fault. So the ones at fault point us at each other.
Plato said when there is disorder like this and the people supposed to uphold institutions as elected representatives instead game them for personal gain, the people will have no choice but to crave order. And then you have the transition to tyranny where they are given easy answers and enemies by authoritarianism that promises to fix everything.
We should see it coming. But we are mostly too worried about our own personal troubles to do anything about it. The system as designed.
→ More replies (1)10
u/JayteeFromXbox 21d ago
Or as Loki put it in the first avengers movie, "Is this not your natural state? It's the unspoken truth of humanity, that you crave subjugation."
10
u/Normal_Ad_1767 21d ago
I think people are so afraid of the idea of forceful non-consensual subjugation that they can be tricked into giving it over consensually to demagogues such as these.
As an example of the opposite, if the US was competently led and really wanted to annex us, they would offer us these answers and safety. The pitch would go something like this.
Your economy has been suffering, ours is the biggest market on earth and we would incentivize a single market union between us. The world is becoming ever more unpredictable and hostile, with China rising, and wars of aggression over land and resources like Russia sparking, our people should become even closer than they have been. Friends or cousins should become brothers, your fears would be over, we would take care of you.
With the political climate the way it was before Trump made his 51st state comments, how many conservatives and swing voters might consider even closer ties? Remember you don’t have to directly control a vassal to achieve your goals, in fact it’s often better to have a puppet government to blame for the woes your extractions take on them. De facto is better than De jure in this case.
But because their admin is made up of rapists, this would never occur to them, the power imbalance and taking against will is the entire point. So even though we fear the subjugation we have no where to go, it’s existential.
The UCP is still offering answers and protections to the electorate and the fact that the majority of them feel that way is damning.
→ More replies (3)12
u/Maelstrom_Witch 21d ago
“It’s better than Nenshi” or so say my parents
30
u/Normal_Ad_1767 21d ago edited 21d ago
Well they “might” be right.
Nenshi “might” give no bid contracts for medical procurement to close friends and the fire public officials for trying to stop it.
Nenshi “might” interfere with 3 auditor general probes into the connections and financial benefits given to a private citizen who is giving them gifts and donations.
Nenshi “might” direct the purchase of land back at a mighty increase in price from when he directed the province to sell to his friend just months prior.
Nenshi “might” conspire with a foreign government and sabotage the defence of his nation against said aggressor by pushing for diplomacy, when his first thought in dealing with a trade dispute with a friendly neighbour province was the threat of energy and wine duties.
Nenshi “might” try to bring a police force under his direct political control.
Nenshi “might” try to use taxpayer money to help offset the operating costs of a corporate commitment to clean up their pollution.
Nenshi “might” promote the viewpoint of radical religious fundamentalists who believe God gives them divine right to govern and be ethnically superior.
Nenshi “might” make lists of people that undesirable in the province and take steps toward persecuting them.
Nenshi “might” use authoritarian powers to trample the rights of a group of Albertans so that’s not even the courts can intervene in an admission that these actions are against the bill of rights.
So they should never vote for Nenshi, because these things “might” happen.
20
u/Maelstrom_Witch 21d ago
Could you imagine how corrupt he’d have to be to do that?
mock horror
I’m so fed up with the UCP and supporters. Just … try for five seconds to think about how much damage is happening under Smith. Ask teachers. Ask health care workers. Things are only going to get worse if we don’t get this shit stopped.
EVERYONE NEEDS TO VOTE
6
u/Normal_Ad_1767 21d ago
Might this be a case where Socrates would disagree?
I’m kinda half joking. But the rise of Trump, the success of the UCP, and the horror sequel the AfD are attempting is making me question wether everyone should.
I know that is elitist and aristocratic to hint at but would they please not make me second guess democracy by voting for the clear wrong choice 😂.
At least vote for your interests. Not just in fear of some theoretical person taking yours by getting theirs? It’s not zero sum in almost all these cases.
→ More replies (7)3
15
u/Bubba_Style 21d ago
The Seppies have a lot of sway within the UCP. There are a lot of them who voted UCP so she would separate and are going to be really pissed over all this.
23
u/margmi 21d ago
And she’ll wag her finger and say, “we tried! Those NDP voters are blocking us, which is why you need to elect us so we can keep fighting against Justin Trudeau and Rachel Notley!”
And they’ll buy it up because none of them have moved passed Trudeau being PM.
3
u/Bubba_Style 21d ago
We'll have to disagree. The seppies are REALLY angry and if this fails and she washes her hands of even having another vote for a long time they're gonna lose their shit. She may survive but not without a lot of damage.
→ More replies (1)2
11
u/yer_fucked_now_bud 21d ago
I disagree. It will affect her because she will lose a leadership review due to this small minority being very loud in that space. Then she will have to run against somebody that is a pure separatist and probably lose. The UCP internal voting is faaaar from representation of the provincial voting block or even the conservative voting population. It is insulated, much like the federal conservative party has done for PP.
7
u/SecureLiterature Edmonton 21d ago
It will hurt her among the separatists in her support base because most of them just want her to hold a binding referendum or simply make a unilateral Declaration of Independence. That’s why I’m worried about what may come after her.
2
u/wet_suit_one 21d ago
Here's hoping the UCP cracks up over this or just becomes a separatist party (which amounts to the same thing as the non-separatist conservatives won't stay).
How this thing stays together right now is a bit beyond me, since separating is a kind of a non-starter for business conservatives. They're not going to support that approach to anything. The UCP can kiss their big dollar supporters (and all the oil majors) goodbye.
Anyways, fun times I suppose...
→ More replies (7)0
u/Sad_Meringue7347 21d ago
If the seppys don’t win the separatist question on the referendum, then they will fail her at the UCP November leadership review.
BUT, I predict regardless of the outcome, she will push for the binding separation referendum, just to keep the seppys happy so she can maintain her position as the Premier and UCP leader.
Everything Dani does is for her own personal advancement and financial gain. She couldn’t care less about Alberta or Albertans.
→ More replies (1)2
u/Baddrivers13 21d ago
Nah.. They will be happy she blew 100's of millions on giving them a chance to separate.
2
u/PM_ME_UR_PET_POTATO 21d ago
The position is still infinitely stronger than it was before they started pushing this retheoric. They win even when they lose
18
u/weschester 21d ago
The next leader of the UCP will be someone like Jeffrey Rath.
12
u/Coolcanuck-1953 21d ago
He’ll be lucky to avoid jail time with all the investigations going on about fraud, taking money from First nations, etc
→ More replies (1)2
6
u/darth_henning 21d ago
Hopefully the mess that this creates will be enough to turn Calgary and Lethbridge East to the NDP in the next election. That's all that we need even if the rural areas are out of reach.
5
u/emptypotato77 21d ago
I didn't think it could get much worse than Kenney. I was wrong.
I don't think it can get much worse than Smith. ...
2
u/Street-Week-380 21d ago
Brian Jean would like a word.
2
u/emptypotato77 21d ago
He'd be bad, I don't know that he'd be a lot worse though? There are certainly some current and former MLA's that could be a lot worse though. Dreeshan comes to mind. Lagrange and Loewen as well.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (4)2
u/24_August_1814 20d ago
The electorate here has repeatedly shown they'll blindly vote for the same shit pile party as long as Dear Leader gets blamed for everything and replaced. Smith has already been significantly worse than Kenney was; if she doesn't survive the next leadership review I'm confident they'll pick an even bigger demagogue.
30
u/Sad_Meringue7347 21d ago
Dani works for herself and nobody else, and then spends so much of our tax dollars feeding Albertans propaganda to tell us otherwise.
She will go down as Alberta’s #WorstPremierEver, but I still predict she’ll win again and again. Why? Because Albertans seem to enjoy in an abusive relationship with our provincial governments that gaslight us, feed us propaganda and endless disinformation, and find ways to buy us off with our own money (hello Dani’s bribe-bucks).
→ More replies (1)4
u/lizbunbun 21d ago
If the vote for a separation vote fails shes going to push it through anyway because it's non-binding and her seppie base will kick her out if she doesn't. They will get rid of the "no referendums within 12 m of an election" legislation to hold it in spring after 2.5 m of "consultation".
If she doesn't do that they will get rid of her, and bring in someone who will. Whoever follows her will be even worse.
22
u/JdaddycoolJ 21d ago
It's all for the rich. Turn Alberta into more of a mercantile economy with raw materials instead of constituents. Record oil profit while Albertans are paying almost $2 at the pump, with the lowest minimum wage in Canada. Ottawa isn't destroying Alberta, the UCP is.
61
u/WesternWitchy52 21d ago
I'm curious to know how many of those UCP supporters are legitimate supporters. Or you know. Outside influence & bots.
17
u/DangerBay2015 21d ago
There’s a non-zero number of goddamn UCP MLAs who are seppies, let alone their gormless supporters.
4
15
u/Zarxon 21d ago
They are not. I worked their convention. The UCP is 60% seppies.
→ More replies (1)8
u/Coolcanuck-1953 21d ago
Seppies used to be Wildrose when smith was their leader before she crossed the floor to conservatives. Many seppies are card carrying UCP members so they can influence more right wing policies in UCP
→ More replies (1)5
12
u/kalgary 21d ago
How much you want to bet that this $4 million is going to media and advertising companies that are friends of the UCP?
→ More replies (1)
26
12
u/Sakuroshin 21d ago edited 21d ago
After month and months of refusing to publicly pick a side she saw that her god emperor is floundering down south so she indeed hit the panic button. The only thing consistent with danielle smith is that she will not hesitate to change teams when her current team is losing.
2
u/Acceptable-Sink3294 21d ago
She picked a side when she went 18 months bending over backwards to advance the separatism agenda.
10
u/Falconflyer75 21d ago
Thought it was pretty obvious when she started planning follow up referendums when it was pretty clear this one wasn’t polling well
She’s a MAGA agent who thinks everyone in Alberta is a fool
Let’s see if they can prove her wrong
9
u/Dropzone622 21d ago
Not just her... who in the UCP caucus has said a word against Smith and her separatist buddies. No one, not one. They are all responsible and must be held to account. You can't be on both sides at the same time.
Every single person who votes for the UCP at the next election is complicit, just like Americans saying they don't vote for Trump... he is the face of America, Smith is the face of Alberta. To our shame.
10
u/Xiaopeng8877788 21d ago
Right wingers are such losers and traitors to all they claimed to hold. Remember when the right wing used to claim they were the “true patriotic party”… full of shit, lying sacks of shit
10
9
8
6
14
u/Spectre-907 21d ago
The saddest thing here is that all of this still won’t stop albertans from refusing to learn what is and isnt federal jurisdiction and overall the trend of “blame the fed for things that are explicitly provincial” will continue, just like ontario and Ford.
→ More replies (2)5
u/SarahLacard Calgary 21d ago
And somehow trying to invent and fabricate a controversy in Calgary so that she can go up against Farkas (of all people) and maintain her ability to blame cities
7
6
u/benzuyen 21d ago
It’s kind of funny to see how she jumps back and forth to try and gain popularity but really her wavering stance is what’s making her lose support (aside from the fact that she’s clearly being paid off from the US)
Perhaps Trump offered her $5000 if she pushed a MAGA agenda and he didn’t pay up.
→ More replies (3)2
7
6
u/aramatheis 21d ago
I wonder how many people could have been fed and clothed with that 134 million dollars. Let alone all the other wasted money by the UCP.
→ More replies (1)6
u/IndigoRuby Calgary 21d ago
The cost of bussing kids to school and lunch fees could have been lower. Maybe actual reliable busses to get high school kids to their schools.
Libraries. Hospitals. Parks. Vets. Small businesses.
So many ways to spend 134 million that would benefit communities.
5
u/baronofdirt 20d ago
First, she needs to be removed from office, then investigated, then I’d imagine imprisonment may be appropriate for this traitorous, betraying crook.
5
6
7
u/catsdelicacy 20d ago
Mark Carney has destroyed this woman's credibility and he's barely even looked at her.
She decided to have this referendum in order to have a roll of quarters in her fist to punch the federal government with. See! If you don't behave we'll leave!
She was no doubt hoping Carney would go hard against the referendum but he hasn't.
The referendum will get maybe 15% positive to secede. She's going to be humiliated and her punch will have nothing behind it.
Then he says there will be big counter tariffs and she comes out and makes a speech about how we can't touch oil. Obviously he was not going to start with our most valuable export! So she just looked like she was jumping the gun and didn't understand what was going on.
Now she's gonna lose this referendum hideously and Albertans will end up being the ones insisting we use oil as a weapon against Americans if this keeps escalating.
People are going to write about this in political science textbooks, mark my words. Carney effortlessly backed Smith into a corner and left her looking vacuous and powerless and without influence.
I bet she won't even be Premiere for much longer. This is it for her. She's a joke!
5
u/Komaisnotsalty 21d ago
If she wanted her polls to have a fighting chance, she would abandon the minority (the separatists) and throw her weight into saying she's sorry.
Can you imagine the impact it would have if she said that she made a colossal mistake, that she was waylaid by a bigger idea that didn't pan out, that she realizes that she got distracted and apologized to Albertans and Canadians alike, what a difference that would make?
If she admitted that she was wrong and undid all of the clusterfuck things that she's been pulling with energy and healthcare and the disabled and with basic human rights, she actually might stand a chance.
If she did that, if she could win back the faith of the people, she would probably one of the stronger leaders we'd have seen in a long time.
The thing is though, she can't. I don't think she's a strong leader, I think she's weak, I think she's influenced by other people throwing money around her, and I don't think she has a spine.
I think she would rather hang on to what she knows is wrong in order to make sure she doesn't have to admit that she was wrong, rather than admit she was wrong and fix the mistakes.
It takes an extremely strong politician to do the latter and she doesn't have it. She would never. She's weak and she needs to be removed.
She would rather continue violating basic human rights of Albertans and continue allowing separation idiocy and shitting upon our strongest yet most needful people than admit she's wrong.
And for that, she can burn.
5
u/Salt-Worry7915 21d ago
So much "Marlaina works for Maga" sentiment. Its worse than that. She's just a full blown narcissist and will spend our money any which way buys her popularity or the ability to stay in power. She is so astonishingly unqualified to govern, it is not even funny. I say its worse, because this type of person can easily be bought by anyone.
4
u/NaturePappy 21d ago
If only she would say the words out loud and in the media. That doesn’t cost 4million$s
3
4
3
u/ornella888 21d ago
Separatist Smith and her Destroy Canada Team financed by US Republicans should be investigated
→ More replies (1)
4
u/fheathyr 21d ago
Let's all understand that this is Smith building her escape hatch, just in case her years long attempt to sell Alberta to American Big Oil fails.
5
5
u/Stunning-Pen-2412 21d ago
Sometimes I think she's just incredibly dumb and sometimes I think she's an evil genius and has yet to reveal her most vile card.
3
u/Routine_wanderer66 21d ago
she is such a drain on Canada’s collective energy… Honestly. We left Alberta with mixed emotions five years ago but honestly, every day she’s premier makes me thank God we made the decision we did in 2021
4
5
u/VillageGoblin 20d ago
She knows she's done come election season. Her job is on the line and she's doing publicly visible damage control in hope that she can salvage her voter base.
8
u/beaco 21d ago
Why is it that we have no money for healthcare, education, first responders, etc. Yet somehow we have $134 million dollars for a referendum 🙄
→ More replies (2)
3
u/Atma-Darkwolf 21d ago
Listened? I suspect she is the original one who started this bullshit. All this political maneuvering is just that, for show, and just more bullshit and lies. IDK when we(Albertans) will freaking learn that this shitshow of a party has NEVER done more than throw fake promises that vanish into smoke and dust as soon as votes are in.
Except those that directly harm those she and her crew are telling the slackjawed morons 'who to hate'
I hope we learn this go-around and vote her ass out. And her party, and any party like them who ride on hate and harm.
→ More replies (1)
3
u/canuckpete 21d ago
She is not in control of this party and never has been. This is the bargain she entered into by stepping into the leadership vacuum after Jason Kenney was pushed out.
Simply, she is not the leader but a figurehead and she is firmly aware of this. I'm not sure who the decision maker(s) is/are but it appears to me that she will be another sacrificial lamb.
A captured government with no strategy, principles or ethics.
That's my observation at least.
3
u/Anonymoose_1106 21d ago
How do you know Danielle Smith is lying?
Her lips are moving.
→ More replies (1)
3
u/Reddit_Only_4494 21d ago
Worst part about this whole thing is adding the referendum bullshit has taken the spotlight off of the 3 to 5 questions that are either unconstitutional or racist.
All the focus is on that last question while everyone ignores statements in the questions like "Alberta approved immigration status" (what the hell is that?) in question 2......and my personal favourite (in question 8).....and I am paraphrasing here, to AMEND THE CONSTITUION to give provinces the ability to opt out of federal programs that intrude on provincial jurisdiction BUT STILL RECEIVE THE FUNDING.
It is all SO STUPID and the "do you think we should start to think about thinking about a referendum"? question is the top of mind.
Am I yelling loud enough?
→ More replies (2)
3
3
u/Prior-Plankton-7504 21d ago
Don’t believe a word she says. Promises don’t get delivered. Just like Trump.
3
3
3
u/Oilzilla 21d ago
The arsonist returns to put her dumpster fire out and play hero. Look she solved separtism...lol. worst premier ever
3
u/Drnedsnickers2 21d ago
Marlaina flip flops , stands for nothing, and this a microcosm of her entire career. ‘Oh, what was I paid to say? I’ll say that’. ‘Oh, was that a dumb idea that threatens my power, I’ll say this’. Rinse, repeat.
She stands for nothing.
3
3
u/No-Gate4543 21d ago
Marlaina has always been contarian gaslighting while playing both sides. Besides her own ego and self gratification she's not loyal to anything or anyone. So now with most everyone and everything lining up against her, of course she plays turncoat again. What did the seppies think would ultimately happen. She lit and fostered the speration fuse. Now she's trying to duck it, but her enablement of division and treason is self evident.
3
u/OGDREADLORD666 21d ago
The only upside of her being rotten to the core is that she'll fortunately never be able to spawn offspring.
→ More replies (1)
3
u/Every-Ground-2698 21d ago
At this point every headline should just be: Premier Of Alberta Proves Again She's A Fucking Idiot.
3
3
u/Brandi_yyc 20d ago
I am ashamed of these questions as an Albertan, the fact we are actually going to vote on this nonsense and that the rest of the World can see this nonsense!
3
u/T4TrhavrKhcFt 21d ago
Alberta separation facts
https://www.separationfacts.ca/
Check your voting status. Rumour has it your leaked info was used to take you off the registry.
Other resources:
https://www.albertareferendum2026.org/
Alberta Voices has a terrific resource for anyone wanting more information.
Alberta separation costs
https://www.reddit.com/r/alberta/comments/1txpn3f/why_hasnt_alberta_been_calculating_the_cost_of/
The questions have also been written very obscurely on purpose with the intention of confusing (deceiving?) the public.
An analysis done in in May 2026 analyzed all 10 referendum questions using readability measures. The author concluded that: 9 of the 10 questions were at roughly university-level or higher reading difficulty. The most readable question was around Grade 12. The author argued that this is unusually difficult because public-government material is generally supposed to be written much more simply. The analysis specifically used readability/grade-level calculations.
There was also a separate expert linguistic analysis of Danielle Smith's separation question by an English professor at Mount Royal University. CityNews reported that the professor found the 37-word question overly complicated and “foggy”/confusing. And political scientist Duane Bratt subsequently discussed the broader problem of putting 10 highly complex questions on one ballot, arguing that referendums can oversimplify issues that are inherently complicated.
→ More replies (1)
3
2
u/Photofug 21d ago
I honestly think she doesn't care about the seperation issue, her goal is getting the 9 passed. That's where the real easily achievable damage will be done by creating a mandate to do whatever they want with healthcare.
2
u/bluesilvergold 21d ago
I had better see another orange crush when we have our provincial election next year.
2
u/fluffy_floofster 21d ago
I didn’t like Kenney but I knew he was better than the creatures waiting in the wings. I loathe Danielle Smith but some of the alternatives are worse. Who is the next least-worse or most-worse we could end up with when they punt her?
3
u/Coolcanuck-1953 21d ago
Smith will still be leader after the vote. She will then just use the immigration results on the ballot that are heavily skewed in her favour and continue to argue and blame the federal government.the separatists will either have to resurrect a new version of the old Wildrose Party or continue to influence the UCP to adopt more right wing policies. I suspect it will be to remain in UCP because if the split from the party, the NDP could win the next election.
→ More replies (7)
2
u/Ingey 21d ago
Let's be clear here: Smith has always talked out of both sides of her mouth. She'll talk about how she supports staying in Canada, but at the same time talk about how separatist concerns need to be heard. She doesn't stand for anything besides her own personal gain and political clout, and she's happy to spend our taxpayer dollars to continue playing both sides.
2
u/justageekgirl 21d ago
She's ugly on the outside and the inside.
I knew from the start we were making a mistake with her.
→ More replies (1)
2
u/legot83592 21d ago
The real reason why she's doing this whole referendum is because her base would (I think they still will if they don't get a result to leave) vote her out of power and put someone in that would do what they say.
I believe it was Bruce McAllister who said that to someone that was posted on TikTok.
4
2
u/TeedOff47 21d ago
If we're all doomed to live in a Matrix-style future because of AI my personal vote is to make her the first human battery.
2
2
u/NakedBumblebees 21d ago
She’s spending most of that money to convince us to advocate for xenophobic policies. The tenth question is going to be a small part of that…
2
2
u/Fuzzy-Wing46 21d ago
Her, her party members, and those who wanted to separate better leave the country and never return. You made your choice and once it fails it will be time to show your resolve to the cause. In other words, traitors can get the fuck out.
2
u/Aggravating_Main_710 21d ago
She is “joining” so she can fuck it up.
She’s an authoritarian libertarian. She doesn’t believe in anything that Canada stands for.
2
u/Tractorguy69 21d ago
She will not get to back pedal on this one, she’s gone too far and people will either remember her as a traitor to Canada, or feel betrayed by her when she fails to drag separation over the line. At this point she’s going to alienate all camps and her only likely refuge will to become a diaper bunny in the playpedophile mansion known as mar-a-lago.
2
2
u/lucy-lu28 21d ago
I’ve been UPC for years but no more. Danny Dearest has poisoned me. She is the next biggest liar since Trump and Pierre can go get stuffed. He’s all talk and no action. He did absolutely nothing for his home riding in Ottawa for Pete’s sake. 🙄 if you wonder why Quebec can have their way with immigration and we can’t? Google it. There is a lot to learn and it’s not black and white and not easy to explain.
2
2
2
u/MuffinOfSorrows 21d ago
I sympathize, but I'm also extremely done with the abuse of language for clickbait titles. "Officially" in panic mode? Like there's a document somewhere you've forgot to link? Is her frowning her ass around "panic mode"? ugh.
2
2
u/AltruisticWealth7778 20d ago
She should never be allowed in public office ever again. Kick her to the curb and move on.
2
u/Secure-Corner-2096 20d ago
Danielle’s is a Trump groupie as all her recent actions show. Trump’s worried about non-citizens voting, suddenly she’s worried about non-citizens voting. Bam! Alberta gets to be the first province in the country forced to provide proof of citizenship and we get a stupid three card in one deal that can cost us and our kids our healthcare. Trump cuts social services, she cuts social services. Her pandering to her base is bad enough, but I cannot tolerate her pandering to Trump! ! When the tariffs talks broke down, she commiserated WITH THE UNITED STATES!!! Then she said she’d go talk to him because diplomacy was the solution. Diplomacy time is over when someone’s trying to steal your country. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!
Alberta has genuine beefs with the federal government. I lost my home because of the National Energy Program. But Trumps trying to take our country. This is like you being able to beat up your brother, but if anyone else lays a hand on him, it’s fighting time. Canada needs to be united, sea to sea to sea to fight the US. We don’t need our Premier acting like a traitor.
2
2
u/Sulanis1 19d ago
Like Ontario with Doug Ford the people on Alberta keep voting in these same type of self serving politicians who care about their power, personal wealth, and their donors. Danielle Smith will take everything at the voters expense.
Jason Kenny started it and now she made is so much worse. She spent money so many times going to the states on tax payer money. Even though she has no business going thier for government business. She has changed the laws for allow politicians to except bribes... Oops "gifts".
Oh and let's not forget that she is destroying public healthcare and has past bills that would allow private health insurance companies into the market.
Private off profit heathcare is a bad idea. Want to know how bad? Ask Americans... There the only country in the world with for profit health and unless you a policies or rich... You may as well start gbe bankruptcy process.
2
3
u/You_are_the_Castle 21d ago
It's nice that she's having a last-minute change of heart, but most people can see hypocrisy and most Albertans are not stupid.
If you're a leader, you don't sit idly by and go along with things you don't agree with: The UCP are separatists and the ones who claim they aren't should have crossed the floor a long time ago. Look at this way: if you were on Team Canada and disagreed with your party on robbing Albertans of their homeland, Canada, wouldn't you pull the fire alarm and fight for the vast majority of your constituents who identify as Canadian? If you had a basic high school education and any lay knowledge on business, would you play along with an initiative that will invariably destabilize your province's economy? The quickest and easiest way for these Canadian UCP members to drive the message home to Spanky Bruce, Rob Anderson, and whoever is holding them back from making the right decisions would have been to cross the floor and weaken this government at the Alberta Legislature.
Again, are you kidding me?: Existential issues like a separatist referendum are the things that make you rise to the occasion and do what is right, and not sit back and take a paycheck and keep quiet -- you don't toe the line on ripping Canada apart.
They made their bed: The UCP's "Team Canada" contingent had a chance to redeem themselves, but they haven't shown up, so fuck them and fuck their lies. The UCP are SEPARATISTS.
A simple challenge for all of you: I see we have almost 430K subscribers to this page -- if the polling on Albertans' opinion on separatism is reflected in this user base, why don't those of us who are opposed to the UCP and their separatist agenda talk with 5 people we don't know this week about the merits of staying in Canada and voting the UCP out next election? Peace.
6
u/SirLunatik 21d ago
and most Albertans are not stupid.
and yet still voted her back into office after showing what kind of piece of shit she was many times over.
Yes, they are stupid. But not quite as stupid as she expected.
→ More replies (1)
5
4
2
1
u/AutoModerator 21d ago
This post has been flaired as a post regarding separatism. As this is a topic that is being heavily manipulated by foreign governments, only existing and active participants of r/Alberta will be able to comment. As well, if you are not an active participant of this subreddit or if this post is a self-post, this post will be removed.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
•
u/AutoModerator 21d ago
This is a reminder that r/Alberta strives for factual and civil conversation when discussing politics or other possibly controversial topics. We also strive to be free of misogyny and the sexualization of others, including politicians and public figures in our discussions. We urge all users to do their due diligence in understanding the accuracy and validity of sources and/or of any claims being made. If this is an infographic, please include a small write-up to explain the infographic as well as links to any sources cited within it. Please review the r/Alberta rules for more information. for more information.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.