UCP 'fully united' after annual general meeting: Yao

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The UCP is more united than ever, says Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo MLA Tany Yao, after 91 per cent of voting party members approved Premier Danielle Smith’s leadership at the party’s annual general convention in Red Deer.

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Yao argued the results show elements of the party opposed to Smith’s leadership are small and failed to make an impact.

“There certainly were a few voices that were very vocal against the premier, and they were very active in trying to sow the seeds of doubt in her leadership. But I think all those people did was push more people to go to the AGM and support the premier,” said Yao in an interview.

“We’re fully united and it’s absolutely fantastic. Now we can really focus on what matters to most Albertans, which is jobs and the economy and ensuring Alberta can prosper and lead the way in Canada.”

Energy Minister Brian Jean, who also represents Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche, called Smith “the best leader we’ve ever had” in a video on his Facebook page from the convention.

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“It’s not just me who has Danielle Smith’s back. We have a room full of members ready to support our premier,” Jean wrote on his Facebook and X accounts. “91.5%! Never more united!”

Other party members who attended the convention were also happy with how their weekend went. Rene Wells, a UCP member in Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo, was one of the more than 4,600 party members to cast a ballot at the AGM.

He called the meeting productive and felt people who wondered if Smith would survive her review did not have the pulse of the party. He noted a pamphlet distributed by conservative activist group Take Back Alberta (TBA) gave Smith’s leadership a failing grade.

“I just don’t think that they reflected the reality of the work that the Smith government has done thus far and will continue to do,” said Wells. “Getting 91.5 per cent support is quite an endorsement from members.”

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Wells also pointed out the AGM also had members voting on policies, directors, board members and other party leaders. Yao said he was happy with most policies that were approved, but felt some policies were redundant or badly worded.

Yao felt a policy on updating the Alberta Bill of Rights bypassed input from constituencies and ignored preexisting work on the file.

He supported eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training from within the Alberta public service, and resolutions around transgender policies. Yao pointed towards the new medical school at Toronto Metropolitan University, which announced it will reserve three-quarters of its 94 spots will for students who are Black, Indigenous or from “equity-deserving” groups.

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“We can’t see that here. I don’t want to see what is going on in Ontario’s medical schools happen in Alberta,” said Yao.

Yao also defended the UCP’s proposed legislation on transgender youth care. This includes banning gender-affirming surgery for anyone under 17, as well as hormone therapy for minors under 15 and requiring parental consent to change names or pronouns in schools. Pride YMM, a local advocacy group for the 2SLGBTQI+ community, has condemned the policies as “harmful and transphobic.”

“People have to recognize that all these gender affirming surgeries and other very invasive procedures,” said Yao. “We need to ensure that if we’re to support someone that’s had gender-affirming surgeries and other aspects, that we ensure it’s done in a very responsible manner.”

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vmcdermott@postmedia.com

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