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Calgary Herald

UCP plays greatest hits at Calgary Leader's Dinner

Premier Danielle Smith congratulated herself and her MLAs on several policies passed by the UCP government touching health care, energy, ballot questions and education, while expressing her frustration with the federal Liberal Party's election victory at a fundraising event on Thursday. Article content Article content The event was dubbed the Calgary Leader's Dinner, and more than 1,900 people gathered at Calgary Telus Centre to attend Smith's speech. The event was emceed by a few cabinet ministers, including Rebecca Schulz, the Minister of Environment and Protected Areas of Alberta, and Mike Ellis, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services. Article content Article content While introducing her cabinet, Smith enumerated several policy announcements they were involved in, including the freezing of the industrial carbon tax, the banning of books from school libraries which the province said features 'extremely graphic and age-inappropriate' content, and court challenges on the federal firearms ban, Bill C-69, and plastic and fertilizer regulations. Article content Article content Smith also referenced the UCP-led Bill 54, which amends Alberta's rules, such as halving the threshold for a citizen-led referendum to 10 per cent of people who voted in the last election, and stretching the duration of collecting those signatures to 120 days from 90. The bill was enacted May 15. Article content Article content 'Some have raised concerns over this legislation, and I think it's because they don't believe that people have a right to put forward contentious issues for a vote,' she said. Article content Article content 'I believe otherwise. I believe Albertans deserve to be able to put forward issues of importance to them, and if they receive the required number of signatures, then it should be able to be put to a vote — I trust Albertans to make the right decision.' Article content Smith also voiced disappointment at the Liberal Party's election victory, telling a room full of supporters, 'I know that there is a lot of concern and frankly, frustration in the room over the results of the most recent federal election. And why wouldn't Albertans be frustrated?' Article content Article content She deployed the trope of freedom, calling on the federal government to let the province 'develop and export the incredible wealth of resources that we have for the benefit of our families and future generations,' and 'choose how best to provide health care and education and other needed social services for our people, even if it's done differently than what Ottawa might want.'