Looking relaxed and confident, Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi ripped into Premier Danielle Smith’s flirtation with separatism yesterday at the Opposition party’s annual convention.
“Alberta’s New Democrats will always, always, always stand with the millions and millions of Canadians who believe in a stronger, more unified country,” he told the more than 1,000 party members at the Edmonton Convention Centre yesterday morning in a speech frequently punctuated by cheers.
“That’s the Canadian promise, and we will not allow premier Smith to break that promise,” Mr. Nenshi said.
He asked the delegates: “Is Danielle Smith a separatist?”
A thousand voices responded, “Yes!”
“Should Alberta leave Canada?”
The crowd roared, “No!”
“No more dividing Albertans from each other to score political points,” Mr. Nenshi declared. “No more dragging Alberta away from the rest of the country to feed extremist fringe agendas,” he continued, each point punctuated by cheers.
“No more playing stupid separatist games with the future of our province! No more disrespecting Indigenous communities! No more disrespecting Albertans!”
Meanwhile, down the street at the Legislature Building, a crowd of about 500 folk by the look of the photos on social media gathered at roughly the same time to decry Confederation and demand an independent landlocked petrostate. Unsurprisingly, claims that crowd was bigger were circulated by organizers, though whether or not they were including the counter-protesters who also showed up is not clear.
Be that as it may, back at the Convention Centre, Mr. Nenshi threw down the gauntlet, challenging the premier to put up or shut up.
“So to Premier Smith, I’m talking to you directly now, stop playing games,” he said. “You have two choices: denounce separatism once and for all, and do it today, or let Albertans decide.”
“You want a referendum? Stop playing us for fools. Stop pretending that this is just an initiative process and you’re just standing around watching.” (This observation provoked prolonged laughter, in response to Premier Smith’s oft-repeated claim she’s not asking for a referendum while changing legislation to make it easier for citizens to petition for a separation vote.) “We’re smarter than that.”
“I’m going to say this very, very clearly to Premier Smith,” Mr. Nenshi said. “You want a referendum? Give us the referendum now!”
“I will be damned if I if we ever, ever let Danielle Smith tear the country down,” Mr. Nenshi also said. “Canada is worth fighting for.”
He later reiterated the same point in a scrum with journalists after the results of party members’ ratification vote showing 89.5-per-cent of the delegates continue to support his leadership had been calculated.
“The premier treats Albertans with contempt,” he told the reporters. “She takes us all for fools. She thinks that we’ll fall for the most obvious lies. And I believe that Albertans are so much smarter than that, they’re so much better than that, and they’re able to cut through all that disingenuity.”
“I say to Danielle Smith, quit playing games. You want a referendum. Stop pretending it’s citizens who want a referendum. Stop pretending you’re not the one behind all of this. Call the referendum, call it now, and when you get the defeat, the thumping defeat that you resoundingly deserve, stop playing games with the future of our country.”
This and similar remarks by Mr. Nenshi about the United Conservative Party’s continuing Corrupt Care Scandal, which the government appears unable to contain, and its mismanagement of the economy set a sharper tone from the NDP leader, who has been criticized for being too passive, disengaged and professorial since being chosen by members as party leader last June.
He spoke for more than an hour, but seemed to hold the attention of delegates throughout. It still remains to be seen, though, if his long-form approach to rhetoric will work as well with voters who are not party activists as do the three- or four-word slogans favoured by conservative parties like the UCP.
Also at yesterday’s session of the three-day convention, which adjourns today, delegates accepted a compromise constitutional change that would allow new party members to opt-out of membership in the federal NDP by clicking an online button indicating they only want to support the provincial party.
Much was made of this by mainstream media for some reason, even though it’s unlikely to stop the UCP from pretending the Alberta NDP takes orders from the federal NDP leader in Ottawa, whoever that turns out to be, or end the sharing of election campaign expertise as happens with all political parties’ federal and provincial branches.
Mr. Nenshi’s pivot toward sharper and more specific criticism of the government seems like a more significant development than mere constitutional inside baseball, especially now that the NDP’s leaders have figured out that nothing good is likely to come from a public fight.
‘Way to go Nenshi. Throw in some gasoline about the privatization of the healthcare and ensuing scandals as well as a few pointed gibes about the lack of affordable housing, supporting unions and you’ll actually sound like a roaring NDPer.
Finally, an NDPer not caught up in the “civility” trap.
Someone’s been reading Saul Alinsky.
You have been reading James Buchanan mentor to Milton Friedman
I think Nenshi nailed it, hitting all the right notes. Even if like you say, there were “professorial” tones occasionally, they were spot-on. Thinking, if you’ve ever had a professor like that, or a teacher or instructor – that person was “all business” and commanded respect. I personally didn’t get the professor vibe, but what I saw more was some proper, righteous anger- more like a preacher at the pulpit who knows what’s right and wrong.
Tommy Douglas could certainly put that out there the same way, punctuating his speeches with homilies and the odd dab of humour, and always had his audience in his grip. The anger that streamed from Douglas’ lensed-eyes was for real, as much as the compassion that drove his politics. It was interesting to see some of that sound and fury coming from Nenshi.
Contrastingly, to Nenshi’s no-B.S. speech, Danielle Smith is serving up extra piles of baloney with her gig on separation. You’re right, David, that Naheed Nenshi got his biggest response when he called her out on it, “Stop pretending ….!” he said, and everyone in that room knew exactly what he was talking about. Even her most fervent supporters know it’s all pretence and she’s ginning-up a “case”, and gaming the system for her “Alberta sovereignty” backers. Thinking about that old political adage, “You can fool some of the people some of the time” but in this case she’s not fooling any of the people any of the time.
How much longer can Danielle Smith delay the by-election in Strathcona so Nenshi can properly take his seat in the Legislature? It was stunning to us who have been whacked with the nastiness, immaturity and dirty games of the UCP and federal Conservative Party to hear Mark Carney say he would enable the Conservatives to get Poilievre another seat in the House of Commons ASAP if they wanted. “No games”, he said. I nearly fainted. That’s all the Conservatives know how to do!
So, good for Naheed Nenshi to throw down the gauntlet and tell Danielle Smith to put up or shut-up. Finally. Someone has to say it and it’s imperative that it comes from him. She and her cadre of self-serving, treasonous nut-bars have gotten away with way too much for way too long.
I truly want to the the ABNDP go elbows up and have the 5 losing candidates from those close ridings in Calgary start recall petitions. Nothing like a good petard hoisting to drive the clown party into a widdershins tizzy fit.
As for membership in the national NDP, yeah, technically I am. Didn’t know I would be by becoming an provincial member. Didn’t vote for them on the 28th, have never given them money, have an email filter to auto-delete their emails. So, de facto, not a member. If I could formally resign federal membership, I would.
Gerald: When your membership expires, leave it a few days, then push the opt-out budget when you re-up. DJC
Thanks David. Will keep that in mind.
I believe that the UPC have crossed the line and can now be classified as a separatist party. No better than the Bloc. I have absolutely no faith in this Danielle Shit government. I have never seen such a greedy and corrupt government in Alberta before. I have no confidence in them and they should step down and we should go back to the polls.
Jones, unfortunately I do not think that a new election would make much difference.
Despite all that we have witnessed from the UCP, they still have the support of 46% of the population. The problem is not only the UCP, we live in corrupt bully believers territory that do not care about anything other than Oil Money.
Yeah, your probably right. It wouldn’t make a difference.
I have never seen such a greedy and corrupt government in Alberta before. And that’s saying a lot considering some of the prior scandal-ridden Conservative Alberta governments.
Yes, but this one is so blatant and un-apologetic about it.
Saturday was eventful: the AB NDP convention and a gathering of the separatist clan in Edmonton, with OPEC meeting two days early to discuss their plan to triple oil production as worldwide demand for oil drops.
Now Danielle Smith has announced the unveiling of an announcement on Monday afternoon, likely miffed by Naheed Nenshi and OPEC getting all the attention. Perhaps Alberta wants in on flooding the market with oil and building unfeasible pipelines everywhere to do it. Somebody else will have to pay, of course. She’s the one with an economics degree, which makes her the expert./s
What else, taking all royalties in kind, or cancelling royalties altogether? Does she — I mean “someone” — have enough signatures on a separatism petition already? When is the referendum? Or is this a plot to suck up the attention of world media in advance of the G7?
At least the last emperor of Alberta has rolled out the red carpet for herself and maybe scooped up the last of Haile Selassie’s dishes hidden in casks in a long-forgotten warehouse at Medalta in Medicine Hat? Good enough for him, good enough for Madam.
Of course, Queen Danielle, being too much of a coward to walk her talk, likes to float her trial balloons in the hope that they are distracting enough to keep eyes on her own b.s.
The sense is her own base, the gaggle of semi-literate idiots at the Leg yesterday, may even be tired of her and want her gone.
I had a very interesting conversation with a retired rural gentleman from the Rimbey area 3 weeks ago. If he is in any way representative, the clown party is deep doo doo. I was VERY surprised. He made his disdain for Smith and Poilievre extremely plain.
Hmmm.
“the sharing of election campaign expertise as happens with all political parties’ federal and provincial branches”
Dunno if one Mr. Ford subscribes to that philosophy of familial sharing. And Mr. Nenshi’s cry for a referendum NOW could be a proverbial albatross: if the MAGA Maples lose, it was rigged. If they win, it could be Chapter 1 in a terrible beach novel of a love affair gone awry to the glee of divorce lawyers everywhere.
Lefty: Perhaps I should have put that in the past tense. DJC
If Alberta voters are beguiled by the Grift-o-kon PR slogans, they’ll get exactly the kind of government apparatus commensurate with that degree of infantilism, and all will be in harmony.
It’s no secret that Smith has always been about privatization of healthcare and education just like all the rest of the Reformers and her candidates told us that when she was trying to become premier under the Wildrose party banner which is why she lost to Allison Redford.
So this is her new game plan. Trick Albertans into believing that we should separate and they will be required to accept a privatized healthcare and education system. Along with a privatized police force paid for by property taxes and eliminate the Canada Pension Plans for seniors who have received more than what they had paid into it and she is convinced that we are dumb enough to fall for it? You can bet Rural Albertans would be they already can’t wait to elect her pal Pierre Poilievre that’s how stupid they are, aren’t they?
Alan Spiller: Look at the pathetic comments on Postmedia newspapers blaming the Alberta NDP for the horrific mess that these phony Conservatives and Reformers caused us, by reversing Peter Lougheed’s excellent policies. It’s sickening.
Alan Spiller: Apparently, First Nations chiefs in Alberta want Danielle Smith to stop fanning the flames of separation, or they will use legal action against her. This fake Cherokee premier has no idea what she is doing. She is an insult to anyone who respects a good government. There are people who have native ancestry, including Cherokee, and they are able to confirm that, because they have family records. Danielle Smith doesn’t.
If memory serves, Ovide Mercredi told Jacques Parizeau “if Quebec separates from Canada, the First Nation’s will separate from you, and we will take Churchill Falls hydroelectric with us.” Parizeau did a gaffed fish impersonation, and also lost the referendum.
Makes me curious about treaty obligations and tar sands mineral rights …
If memory serves, Smith has said numerous times the referendum is non binding which of course means even if it is 100 percent no on separation, too bad, so sad, it does not count. However, if it is 3 percent yes to separate, she will claim an overwhelming mandate to separate. Her caucus of crackpots and cowards will back her to the hilt.
Can you even imagine what would happen if these trolling halfwits had to *actually* form a brand new government together?
Get the popcorn.
Watching them gut each other with rusty swords from Goodwill on the senate/House/Council/royal chambers? floor would be maximum entertainment value.
If my math is correct, 500 people is less than a fraction of a percentage for those who want Alberta to separate, given the fact that Alberta has nearly 5 million people. Danielle Smith is feeding this malarkey to the people. I don’t think she will last as premier, because the MH Care scandal is bogging down on her. Naheed Nenshi sure seems ready and able to be premier of Alberta, thank goodness. The tomfoolery of Danielle Smith and the UCP has gone on for far too long.
The UCP is certainly out of step with Albertans on a number of important Federal/Provincial issues, including: replacing CPP with an Alberta pension plan, replacing the RCMP with a provincial police force and I suspect most Albertans don’t want a referendum on separatism made easier than recalling their MLAs or Premier.
Smith seems to be backtracking a bit now in her attacks on the new PM, perhaps realizing they will not work as well as against the previous PM, whose name was like a waving a red cape in front of a bull for many Albertans. However, she still seems to be trying to move an unwanted debate about separatism forward. I feel she is too clever to be an outright separatist, but will remain a closet one.
However, it is good the NDP leader is making the case for Canada more forcefully now, which is in line with how most Albertans feel. I also feel Albertans may be becoming tired of the divisiveness the UCP constantly tries to stir up to try distract from its other problems such as with their health care spending scandal.
The CPC still has really not digested its election loss and seems in a bit of state of denial. I am waiting for the anger stage where they really start looking for targets to blame. I suspect Poilievre will try to deflect as much of it as possible. So I expect a lot of it will fall on the conservative Premiers, the ones they feel did not help enough in Ontario and elsewhere and ones like Smith who sounded more helpful but were really not.
Dave, I’ve quipped about this before but I am dead serious.
I’m sure Carney is going to yank Dani’s leash. Hard. This is not a stupid man. This is a man who stood in the halls of power and respectfully, subtly and intelligently yanked the leashes of some of the most powerful bankers, corporate heads and politicians *in the world*. I don’t have to agree with his viewpoint to respect his abilities. She is undermining his position against Trump by publicly bleating about separatism and that’s something no serious power player would ever tolerate.
And Dixie Dani from the backwoods thinks she’s going to play him with her Drama Queen public tantrums? With a huge healthcare scandal at her back and the public’s loathing of her–she’s weak to leverage and as Xi proved to Trump, “You don’t have the cards.”
How would separation help Alberta?
They would be land locked by the rest of Canada; territory owned by various Native bands on all sides, including south of their border in the U.S. (who are not likely to let pipelines through their land either). They would need their own currency, and wouldn’t receive any federal government money to help pay for new pipelines/projects.
Also, it would be very risky for new investors to sign onto new pipelines, with so many hurdles to overcome.
It’s possible, Alberta might even have to pay money back to the Canadian government, for what has already been given to the Alberta oil industry in the past.
Unless B.C. is willing to separate with them, the huge number of B.C. environmentalists, might be problematic for Alberta as well. Seems like this would be a very lengthy and costly outcome for Albertans.
I don’t think Alberta would fair better as a 51st state for Trump, as some separatists in Alberta might think. Americans would have most of their oil/gas jobs; teachers and public servants would be paid a lot less; they would have no health care; they would adopt slack gun laws (look at how great that’s working out for Americans).
If Albertans did a little research, on the damage done to vast areas of land in Texas, (including many cattle ranches) by the oil industry there…they may realize Danielle Smith cozying up to Trump/Texas oil, might be to the detriment of their health and that of their children.
Maybe I’m wrong, but it’s my understanding that Canadian taxpayers, paid to cap off abandoned oil wells in Alberta. This is not the case in Texas.
Might be a wiser plan for Smith to get off her “high horse”, try to work with the newly elected Prime Minister and stop with the separatist threats.
There is that old saying…be careful of what you wish for!
@K
A link I send to all my separatist leaning relatives:
https://www.greaterfool.ca/2025/04/27/unbroken/
It’s an eye opener, and from my own fact checking, accurate.
Well we can’t hide from it and it won’t help. Canada *has* some serious problems and I’d say, lack of affordable (not the ability to buy a house) housing is my Top Of The List.
We’ve got a huge growth in food bank use and again, I’d suggest, this is due to the fact that such a large proportion of people are paying upwards of 50% of their income on housing.
Provinces are gutting their healthcare systems in Ontario and Alberta and they aren’t being held to account by the feds who are sending them plenty of cash to fund top-notch healthcare.
I’d say that doesn’t make us “pooched” but it does mean we can deny this is all going on because not dealing with it is what is driving younger Canadians into the arms of MAGA
In Franklin D. Roosevelt’s words:
“Unhappy events abroad have retaught us two simple truths about the liberty of a democratic people. The first truth is that the liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic State itself. That, in its essence, is fascism — ownership of government by an individual, by a group or by any other controlling private power.
The second truth is that the liberty of a democracy is not safe if its business system does not provide employment and produce and distribute goods in such a way as to sustain an acceptable standard of living.”
Without reasonably priced housing–there’s no “acceptable standard of living”.
@K
Because it’s not about common sense and what would happen if they joined the USA.
It’s about a “feeling” that they’re being ripped off because they believe that the oil that corporations that pump out of their ground and the reasonable wages they get in return from those corporations is being threatened by “Wokesters” and “Tree Hugging Greenies”. The future looks scary. Note how the same groups that hate the environmental movement hate China, too.
There’s zero understanding that oil is a dying market except for plastic production and running war machines (for now, anyway). The world is turning to renewables, mainly electricity. They have the same blinkered understanding as the Mango Mussolini/Elon Musk crowd and none of them have realized there are now *sodium* batteries that are better, longer-lasting and more versatile even than lithium. Tesla is toast. They’re not encouraged to look to the future–only the past. Oil corporations are paying a lot of money in propaganda to fuel their ignorance while simultaneously conning them to believe that they have the citizen’s best interests at heart.
America’s tech is quickly turning into dinosaur bones because China is so far ahead of them they look like the Flintstones VS The Jetsons.
It’s about fear. The USA is a dying empire. Oil isn’t the fuel that will run the world much longer.
Deep inside they must KNOW this. And they’re fighting for it with every fibre of their being.
The future looks scary and nobody is telling them, “Hey, we could have something *better*”
I agree with Nenshi. Call her bluff. Have a referendum on separating. The UCP bailed on the last pressing separatist issue of leaving the Canada Pension Plan when, apparently, their own ridiculously biased questionnaire revealed, again apparently since they’re loath to reveal the actual results, that Albertans overwhelmingly have no interest in leaving CPP. I suspect those same Albertans will reject the very premise of a clear separatist question in a referendum.
Perhaps we can offer a simpler solution to Alberta separatists: Leave. Go! You’re free to go. Go! Freedom!
Let’s call her bluff on this ridiculous charade and focus on the health care scandal from which she is clearly trying to distract.
I want the T-shirts to read:
“Bring it, bitch” NO / NON
Somewhat off topic but something that I find interesting in the “Corrupt Care” scandal is the mention that the RCMP were investigating. The Mounties have been carrying the shame of their last investigation into party malfeasance and the inordinate amount of time spent that amounted to nothing.
Given the ads I have seen on FaceBook of their desire to remain as a force in Alberta, one would think they would be pursuing a criminal investigation with gusto. Such revelations could very well bring down people in the government that want to remove the RCMP and replace them with a provincial force.
So far, nothing. Perhaps it is early times. The stench of corruption at the ministerial level is high. Will criminal malfeasance be found? Or not? Is the silence by the RCMP telling?
theo, an investigation of that size and importance takes *time*.
For something that high profile the RCMP has to make sure everything lines up or they will wind up looking like keystone cops. If they even whiff that they’ll look stupid–they’ll avoid the whole mess unless they’re forced to investigate. It’s one reason I’d suggest some investigative reporter or podcaster start chasing this down, causing some heat underneath them. Then there’s the cost. They’ll have to justify every penny for the millions it will cost to investigate it. All the while, Dixie Dani and her cohorts will be crying to the media, “It’s a lawfare witch hunt against conservatives!”
I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for results. The RCMP or other agency either will take it on at a snail’s pace and likely get side-railed or they won’t take it on unless forced by public opinion.
“about 500 folk by the look of the photos on social media” Commas! (ed.)
“through(sp) whether or not” (ed.)
“So to premier Smith” capitalize (ed.)
“I will be damned if I if we ever” commas? (ed.)
“and more specific criticism of the government seems like a more significant development ” one more too many (ed.)
Pat: Thanks. I have fixed the through that should been a though and capitalized the Premier. The use of commas, though, can be controversial and in this case we will have to agree to disagree. As for the one more too many, that is in quotes and that is what Mr. Nenshi said. Who am I to edit his remarks? DJC
What if Edmonton and its surrounding area, say, including northern Alberta wanted to separate from Calgary and southern Alberta?
Peter: If Canada is divisible, Alberta is divisible. YEGxit now! DJC