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A lot of questions today about how Danielle Smith -- the "libertarian" and "conservative" -- could use closure & the notwithstanding clause to remove Albertans' Charter rights. The answer: she's neither libertarian nor conservative. Is the province or her party, though? We'll soon find out.+

Jared Wesley

@jaredwesley.ca

In opposition, Smith cultivated an image of as a small-government conservative. In government, she's proven anything but. From the outset, I've raised concerns about this. And I was joined by other conservatives. www.readtheline.ca/p/jared-wesl...

readtheline.caJared Wesley and Ken Boessenkool: Danielle Smith is not a conservativeHer politics amount to libertarian-laced populism, directly opposed to the sort of principled, incrementalist politics Albertans have had before.

28/10/25, 3:56 pm5 reposts20 likes

Jared Wesley

@jaredwesley.ca

28 Oct 2025

Smith's approach is foreign to the conservative sensibilities of the old PC coalition here in Alberta. Architect of s.33, Lougheed was a champion of the legislature's role in democracy. Smith walked away from those traditions long ago. drjaredwesley.substack.com/p/alberta-ne...

drjaredwesley.substack.comAlberta needs a few good toriesThe province’s conservative movement has lost its balance, and democracy is paying the price

Jared Wesley

@jaredwesley.ca

28 Oct 2025

Instead, Smith is best considered a populist, both in the strategic sense.... www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

cbc.caDanielle Smith's populist playbook: make the dominant feel marginalized | CBC NewsSmith's rhetoric reveals an attempt by the premier to define a small and influential subset of the population — anti-vaxxers — as both more common and more aggrieved than evidence suggests.

Jared Wesley

@jaredwesley.ca

28 Oct 2025

.... and in the philosophical sense. When it comes to freedoms, she views these as privileges not entitlements -- to be granted to the most deserving as judged by her government (which is the embodiment of "the people"). drjaredwesley.substack.com/p/the-ucp-is...

drjaredwesley.substack.comThe UCP is a threat to democracyIt's time we stopped pretending otherwise and took action

Jared Wesley

@jaredwesley.ca

28 Oct 2025

Like most far right populists today, Smith places more emphasis on outcomes (ends) than processes (means). Policy is legitimate, in her eyes, if it conforms to her worldview (which is, again, the embodiment of "the people"). Institutions that put brakes on her power must be removed or sidestepped.