Total Recall Alberta

JACKIE LOVELY

Sexist and Racist Essay Award: While with the Ministry of the Status of women, Jackie Lovely and Jackie Armstrong-Homeniuk, awarded a prize to an essay with racist and sexist statements. The essay argued that women are inherently unequal to men, suggested child-bearing should take precedence over professional careers, and advocated for medals and financial incentives for women who have two or more children to prevent the “import” of “foreigners to replace ourselves.”

Photo-Op Jackie Toes the Party Line: Known more for her ‘feel good’ media Photo Ops. Jackie, like so many MLAs, follows UCP political ideology rather than providing political engagement on behalf of her constituents.

Poor Treatment of Constituents: Jackie’s constituents report that she fails to respond to phone calls and emails, cancels meetings, blocks them on public social media, and has even threatened to call the police rather than engaging in dialogue.

Lack of Representation: The job of MLA requires representation for all constituents, not just those that agree with them. Political leadership requires responding to constituents’ values, needs and priorities, even when they’re in disagreement of the UCP Party Line.

ECONOMY & COST OF LIVING

Rising Living Costs Plus Inflation: Despite the $2.8 billion spent on the UCP’s Affordability Action Plan, Albertans are spending on average $500-$1200 per month more than before the UCP took office. As inflation climbs, costs are rising for insurance, utilities, groceries, housing and now also for education, healthcare and childcare.

The Alberta Disadvantage: The days of high wages in Alberta are over. Instead, poverty rates and income inequalities are rising. Rather than addressing this, the UCP voted against raising the minimum wage from $15/hr—the lowest in Canada. Minimum wage now only covers 50-80% of what it actually costs to live in Alberta, and the financial squeeze is spreading.

The CPP Fiasco: The UCP wants to remove Alberta from the CPP, even as 90% of Albertans are opposed to it. The UCP spent $7.5M for the Alberta Pension Plan report, which analysts state are full of unrealistic assumptions and calculations. Smith later admitted, contrary to her promise, that there would be no reduction in premiums, and no increase in benefits.

MONEY FOR NOTHING

DynaLIFE Disaster: Instead of consolidating services, the UCP’s Community Laboratory Services contract failed on governance, financial management and procurement. This cost taxpayers millions of dollars ($125 million from 2013-2023) and had a detrimental effect on patients and staff.

Trying to Scrap the RCMP: Going against strong municipal opposition, as well as public and expert opinion, the UCP is moving towards a new Alberta Provincial Police Force. Smith admitted that these massive projected costs bring no clear improvements in costs or service for Albertans.

The Tylenol Headache: Alberta paid about $70 million for up to five million bottles of imported children’s pain medication. Only a small fraction was ever used. Millions of bottles remain undelivered or unused in storage.

Spending Nobody Asked For: Instead of funding projects people need and want, the UCP has brought forward increased highway speed-limit with no real safety justification, redesigned licence plates and listing the Country-of-origin on driver’s licences. The $60+ million “War Room”, was quietly shuttered by Smith in 2024.

ENERGY & NATURE

Pipeline Pipe Dream: The collapse of the Keystone XL pipeline deal cost Albertans roughly $1.3 billion. Smith has committed $14 million in public funds to finance the initial stages for a bitumen pipeline to BC’s northwest coast. Despite a conditional Deal with Ottawa, the pipeline is opposed by BC, Native groups, and widely by the public. UCP party members booed the Ottawa deal at the AGM, and separatists stated that this proves Confederation is broken, leaving separation as the only path forward.

The Renewables Moratorium: The UCP’s moratorium on new wind and solar projects killed investor confidence in a key growth sector. 118 projects were stalled worth around $33 billion in private capital. Developers were forced to look to other provinces, the US and beyond. Even after the moratorium was lifted, regulatory uncertainty has persisted, with more project cancellations and fewer new proposals. Alberta’s economic diversity and resilience are undermined.

Conflicts of Interest and Privatization: Minister Loewen, with a financial stake in an outfitting business, has made decisions in wildlife policy aligned with industry that threaten and harm wildlife. Offering no evidence or public consultation, prompting calls for an ethics investigation. The UCP’s Kananaskis Conservation Pass, closing public-run parks, and offering sites for private takeover puts profits and private interests over wildlife and the public good.

Hazardous Coal Mining: Reviving Alberta’s Coal Policy has cost taxpayers at least $240 million in legal settlements to coal companies, with billions pending. Despite public opposition and water contamination from legacy mines, the UCP is fast-tracking projects like Grassy Mountain in the Eastern Slopes. Prioritizing industry gains undermines public trust, threatens Albertans’ the drinking water supply and risks irreversible environmental damage.

FAILED LEADERSHIP

Big and Expensive Government: The UCP uses “fiscal responsibility” to justify cuts to social benefits, public education, and health care, even as cabinet grows, the agencies of UCP loyalists expand, and staff budgets balloon.

Our Home on Native Land: All of Alberta is treaty territory, subject to long-standing agreements between First Nations and the federal government. The province’s existence is predicated on these agreements. Smith ignores this fact, and actively marginalizes First Nations leaders, rather than including them as key partners in Alberta’s future.

Political Over-Reach: The UCP has given itself authority over 22 regulated professions, removing their ability to determine their own standards of practice and ethics, as well as their legal right to collective bargaining. This abuse of power puts political ideology over the health, safety and welfare of the public, expertise, and collective bargaining.

Inside Job: The UCP weakened the rules on conflict of interest, then voted to exempt most political staffers completely. AHS contracts for private surgical providers and pain medication, Shandro’s family firm Vital Partners, Ministers Loewen and Nixon with strong ties with the hunting outfitter sector all raise conflict of interest concerns.

Double Speak: UCP outcomes are the opposite of their slogans. The “Public Health Guarantee” has resulted in the dismantling public health. “Freedom” is only for those who agree with the UCP. Under the “Affordability Action Plan”, life in Alberta is becoming less affordable. The “Alberta Advantage” based on high wages is gone.

The Sovereignty Stunt: Pushing an impossible fiction of separation wastes money, undermines federal supports and divides Albertans unnecessarily. The Alberta Sovereignty Act and talk of “being trapped in Canada” is not “standing up for Alberta”. It’s damaging political theater.

Unethical Actions: Government staff improperly contacted Crown prosecutors; Premier Smith’s husband attended confidential government meetings with no official role; Premier Smith interfered with court cases; and Shandro visited a doctor’s home and made late-night phone calls to critics. These are just the tip of the iceberg.

DEMOCRACY

Skipping Justice: The UCP is now using the Notwithstanding Clause as a tool of choice to further its political agenda, rather than as a last resort. Ignoring the courts instead of arguing their case places all Albertans’ fundamental rights in peril by removing people’s access to justice.

Reversing Course: The UCP passed Recall and Citizen Initiative laws despite experts warning of potential abuse. When used against the UCP, Smith described them as attempts to “overthrow” the government and is moving to Recall the Recall.

Dismiss and Defund the Critics: The Election Commissioner was fired while investigating UCP leadership race financing. As major AHS procurement investigations were ongoing, a search to replace the Auditor General was started. The required administration funding for MLA Recalls was denied to Elections Alberta.

Silencing Whistleblowers: Senior AHS executive Athana Mentzelopoulos was fired after asking questions about private contracts and procurement irregularities. A $1.7 million lawsuit alleges that her dismissal was connected to her questions, and multiple investigations are underway.

Alberta Strong & Free?: There is no strength when voices are silenced. There is no freedom when rights are taken away. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms provides Constitutional protection of freedom of expression, assembly, democracy, legal protections, and equality. These are for all Canadians, including Albertans. When some rights are removed, the rights of everyone are at risk.

Freedom for Whom?: Smith speaks confidently about freedom from Ottawa, from Public Health measures, and for parents’ rights. Meanwhile, freedom for workers, students, professions, independent institutions and collective bargaining is put into question and withheld.

FRIENDS & ENEMIES

Cozying Up to Donald Trump: Smith publicly discussed helping Canada elect allies to the Trump administration, and has embraced the rhetoric of Trump’s authoritarianism. Trump’s Executive Orders are Smith’s Notwithstanding Clauses.

Pandering to Separatists: Smith gave voice to a loud fringe group, encouraging them to use the Citizen Initiative process to bring separatism to a referendum. Numerous surveys and Forever Canadian’s 456,388 signatures in 90 days indicate that Albertans aren’t interested in leaving Canada.

Creating and Weaponizing Division: Smith is pitting neighbours, communities and provinces against each other rather than building them up and bringing them together. Other political parties, and their members and supporters are cast as enemies, rather than as constituents and co-participants in democracy.

Blame Ottawa: Ottawa and the Federal Government are tired UCP scapegoats and adversaries, that are primarily intended as distractions. Federal transfers and benefits are overlooked, as are the benefits of being a part of Canada. The UCP deflects responsibility even when the problems are of their own making.

Attacking Independent Institutions: Professional bodies, universities, and non-partisan agencies play important roles for society. Treating them as ‘adversaries’ and underfunding them undermines democracy and the quality of services for Albertans.

HEALTH CARE

Disassembling Healthcare: The fragmentation of AHS, ER closures, hours-long ambulance wait times, the collapse of mental health services, and cuts to rural services have resulted in increased wait times, decreased access to services, poor patient care and unnecessary deaths.

“Public Health Guarantee” Revoked: Premier Smith lied about upholding public health, and the UCP is planning to bring American-style two-tier privatized health care to Alberta. Despite Smith’s promise, Albertans will pay out of pocket, including paying $100 for COVID vaccinations.

Just Ask Your…Politician?: The UCP has asserted authority over doctors and medical professional bodies. Placing patients first means medical and healthcare decisions need to be evidence-based and made by experts, not with political ideology.

Health Care to Health Scare: Instead of promoting evidence-based health care, the UCP has pushed anti-vax, anti-science and anti-public health messaging. Misinformation, misdirection, and low vaccination rates place Albertans’ health at risk.

COVID and Measles: The “Best Summer Ever” was followed by a wave of COVID and ICUs on the brink. MLAs and staff took international vacations during COVID travel advisories, and Smith breached ethics rules. Measles had been declared eradicated. Under UCP leadership, our communities suffer from preventable disease and unnecessary deaths.

Healthcare Workers’ Strike Imminent: The UCP tore up doctors’ master agreement during the pandemic, and failed to remedy years of chronic underfunding, staffing crises, wage suppression and overwork. Understandably, healthcare workers have been pushed beyond the limit, and patient care has plummeted.

EDUCATION

The War on Public Education: Taxpayer dollars are being cut from public education and spent on private and charter education. Public schools accept all children, but now classes are growing unsustainably, and increasingly under-resourced. Private and charter schools have admission criteria and charge tuition. Quality education is under threat for those who cannot pay.

Politicizing Curriculum: LaGrange’s infamous K–6 curriculum was despised by educators, experts, and parents alike. Instead of following teachers’ evidence-based recommendations, politicians are forcing through ideology-driven curriculum changes that have resulted in declining education outcomes.

Book Ban Witch Hunts: The UCP’s book restriction policy was pushed by activists promoting false claims that schools ‘harm’ children. Rather than following the leadership of teachers and librarians, the UCP chose fear-based rhetoric to take the helm and implement US-informed and equity-damaging book bans.

Bad Faith Negotiation: The UCP refused to negotiate on teachers’ key issues, then failed to present a counteroffer. This forced teachers to vote again on a refused deal, and to the province-wide teachers’ strike. This engineered strike was used by the UCP as a justification for back-to-work legislation. Using the Notwithstanding Clause removed teachers from their constitutional rights and prevents access to the courts for justice.

Complex Classrooms: Students have diverse educational needs, and some have additional requirements as a result of disability, behavioural, social, language, giftedness, or other challenges. The problem of underfunded public schools with huge class sizes isn’t complex. What’s needed is more funding and more staff, not more reports and testing.

KICKING THE VULNERABLE WHILE THEY’RE DOWN

Disturbing Leadership: In her first day in office, Premier Smith said that unvaccinated people “are the most discriminated against group that I’ve ever witnessed in my lifetime.” Jennifer Johnson compared transgender children to feces in food, then was welcomed back into the UCP Caucus. These are the people in charge of social programs, funding and education.

Cuts for Adults with Disabilities: AISH recipients deserve their basic living benefits indexed for inflation, rather than dropping farther below the poverty line each year. Clawing back the $200 federal disability benefit and raising social housing rates are cash grabs. Forcing AISH recipients onto ADAP with lower benefits without no appeal is unjust.

Poor Support for Children with Disabilities: There is currently a 2 year wait for FSCD funding for intervention services for families with disabled children. Cuts and narrowed criteria to PUF result in fewer or no supports for many preschool children. Kindergarten supports were removed from public schools, but maintained in private schools. This places financial strain on families, and families who can’t afford private school or services are left without services for their children.

The Attack on Transgender Youth: The UCP is spreading a misinformation-laden smear campaign to further marginalize a vulnerable group. The policies go against well-established science, and they’re using the Notwithstanding Clause to prevent access to justice through the courts. Putting politicians in charge, instead of families working with doctors for evidence-based medical decisions, is irresponsible.

“Think of the Children”: Under the guise of ‘protection’, Premier Smith uses the emotional weight of children’s welfare as a tool of persuasion. Requiring girls to prove their gender to play school sports, cutting PUF early intervention funding, and preventing trans children from receiving appropriate medical care do not benefit children, their families or their caregivers. Using the Notwithstanding Clause to avoid court challenges undermines the human rights of youth.

Destroying Lives and Futures: Cuts to funding and services doesn’t make needs disappear. It just makes life harder for Albertans already facing significant challenges. Adults and children who are transgender, or who have disabilities, are people first. Their dignity, well-being and futures are as valuable as any other Albertan. Every Albertan should have the right to access all provincial benefits and services, as well as the right to representation by their elected provincial officials.

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Compiled by Kierstin Hatt
December, 2025