Danielle Smith's UCP base has big demands. She's wary of going quite that far

Alberta's premier leads a party whose most active members almost unanimously want the province to refuse to house trans women in women's prisons, and require schools to tell parents if their children want to secretly change their pronouns, as New Brunswick and Saskatchewan have controversially done.

United Conservative Party members also voted unanimously at their convention to eradicate diversity and inclusion offices at universities and colleges, ban safe drug consumption sites, and prohibit electronic vote tabulators — on suspicion that election tampering may happen (or already has).

Many of these ideas would mark large shifts in provincial law or policy if a grassroots-minded premier like Danielle Smith were to embrace her members' wishes — and many members came here likely believing she would, after some leaders of their "freedom movement" told them they could take "control" of politicians at this weekend's annual gathering in Calgary.

But as much as Smith is championed by the UCP's activist base as a response to what they viewed as ex-premier Jason Kenney's top-down style, she was downplaying these UCP policy resolutions to reporters before members even voted.

"We look at that as advice from our members," she told a news conference. "When you're government, you have to govern for all Albertans."

Smith says she would run policy ideas by stakeholders and others outside her party base before deciding.

That sighing you hear, largely concentrated in Edmonton, is from Alberta NDPers who sincerely hoped their rival would embrace those ideas or at least give them more oxygen, so they could more easily pillory Smith for pursuing what New Democrats would call radical and polarizing reforms.

But on both sides of the trans-youth pronouns debate that's roiled other jurisdictions, Albertans will be keen to know exactly what Smith meant with one remark she made that lit up this UCP event.

Her leader's speech on Saturday was largely a regurgitation of Alberta's throne speech from just days ago. But she threw in a section she'd omitted from her government's ceremonial mission statement. 

"Regardless of how often the extreme left undermines the role of parents, I want you to know that parental rights and choice in your child's education is and will continue to be a fundamental core principle of this party and this government," Smith said. "And we will never apologize for it."

Smith's mention of parental rights, a rallying cry for those who are fighting trans-friendly content or practices in schools, prompted the largest, longest standing ovation the UCP leader received. This group wants for Alberta what Saskatchewan and New Brunswick have done, and they want it passionately. 

When New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs went this route, it triggered a caucus revolt and cost him multiple cabinet ministers.

When Saskatchewan's government enacted its pronouns policy, opponents sought an injunction. A judge granted one, ruling that "individuals affected by this policy, youth under the age of 16 who are unable to have their name, pronouns, gender diversity, or gender identity observed in the school will suffer irreparable harm."

Scott Moe, that province's premier, responded by recalling an emergency legislature session to protect that policy from Charter of Rights challenges with the notwithstanding clause.