CALGARY—Alberta Premier Danielle Smith congratulated federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre on winning his leadership review with 87.4 percent support, and thanked party members for giving him a “strong mandate.”
In a bilingual speech to Conservative party members gathered for the party’s convention in Calgary on Jan. 31, Smith criticized the tenure of the federal Liberals since 2015, saying their policies have harmed different areas such as the energy sector and the economy, and accused them of infringing on provincial jurisdiction.
“I’ve welcomed the stalwart defence, public order, from Pierre and his caucus. He has always stood for the right to safety and freedom,” Smith said.
The Conservative national convention, which runs from Jan. 29 to 31, required a vote on Poilievre’s leadership, as constituted by party rules following an election loss. Poilievre, who received 87.4 percent support from party delegates on Jan. 30, thanked party members for their vote and urged unity.
Smith praised the Conservatives for their focus on treatment as a solution to addiction rather than policies such as “safe supply” of drugs, as well as their opposition to the federal government’s firearms gun buyback program, saying the focus should be on criminals rather than legal gun owners.
Making a reference to provincial laws she introduced to ban gender transition procedures for minors and to ban transgender athletes from female sports, Smith said Poilievre “also believes in protecting our women and girls and upholding fairness and safety.”
“Biological men do not belong in female sports,” she said, to applause from the audience.
“Canadians recognize that the left-wing activists have gone too far. They want order, they want justice, and they want to take their kids to a playground without worrying about discarded needles or addicts shooting up.”
The Alberta premier also said that while she believes that immigration is “important to Canada’s success,” it should be kept at a “sustainable rate.” She added that the country needs to build more oil and gas pipelines.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is welcomed to the stage by former Conservative MP Damien Kurek at the federal Conservative Party's national convention in Calgary on Jan. 31, 2026. (Omid Ghoreishi/The Epoch Times)
“As I’ve said many times before, we need to build pipelines to the west, to the east, to the north, and to the south,” Smith said.
She said the federal Conservatives have “moral clarity” and a plan to “restore Canada’s economic leadership.”
“I know that [Poilievre will] lead the Conservatives back to victory in the next election,” she said.
The Liberal government says its firearms buyback program is meant to “remove dangerous, assault-style firearms from our communities.” The government also says it has introduced legislation such as the Combatting Hate Act to increase public safety, and that it is capping immigration to build more capacity before allowing more immigrants into the country.
“Mark Carney and our new Liberal government are relentlessly focused on delivering for Calgarians and all Canadians, by building our economy, protecting our communities and sovereignty, and empowering workers and businesses with more opportunities,” Liberal MP Corey Hogan, who represents the Calgary Confederation riding, said in a statement.
