The Calgary-Buffalo UCP constituency association board voted 13-3 Monday in favour of a motion seeking a special general meeting and leadership review.
The vote makes Calgary-Buffalo the second constituency association known to back an early review after Highwood passed a similar motion earlier this month.
Under UCP bylaws, 22 of the party’s 87 constituency associations would need to pass the required motions to reach the one-quarter threshold for triggering a special general meeting.
One source familiar with the Calgary-Buffalo meeting told the Western Standard the motion was not on the agenda beforehand and described the meeting as “heated” and “very uncomfortable.”
The source claimed four people from outside the constituency — including two Highwood board members — attended and dominated discussion with prepared arguments supporting a special general meeting.
The source described the atmosphere as having a “very, very strong separatist sentiment” and compared the effort to a coup.
Another Calgary-Buffalo board source offered a different characterization, saying members believe Smith needs a “course correction” and that the party should be directed by its grassroots membership rather than its leader.
Concerns reportedly raised at the meeting included Smith’s opposition to Alberta independence, her handling of Ottawa, the UCP’s recent Calgary-Shaw byelection loss and allegations surrounding independence activists Jeffrey Rath and Mitch Sylvestre.
Rath has spent months openly encouraging independence supporters to organize inside the UCP and take control of constituency association boards.
“The dominos are falling!” Rath wrote after the Highwood vote, urging other constituency boards to follow suit.
Rath previously called on supporters to attend constituency meetings, elect pro-independence board members and “replace every non-independence board in the province.”
Highwood MLA and Affordability and Utilities Minister RJ Sigurdson, however, rejected the push against Smith.
“Let me be clear that Premier Danielle Smith has, and will continue to have, my full support,” Sigurdson previously told Juno News.
“I firmly believe that the decision of the Highwood Constituency Association does not reflect the views of my constituents broadly.”
The internal fight comes less than two years after Smith garnered overwhelming support in her last leadership review, receiving 91.5 per cent support from UCP members in November 2024. Her next regularly scheduled review is in 2027.
The UCP pushed back against suggestions that Smith is losing control of the party.
“Premier Smith holds a 91% approval rating from our members and has consistently led public polling,” the party said.
“Under her leadership, we are shattering all-time fundraising records, consistently out fundraising the NDP, and drawing sell-out crowds at events across the province.”
The fight echoes the grassroots revolt that preceded former premier Jason Kenney’s departure.
In 2021, 22 UCP constituency associations demanded an expedited review of Kenney’s leadership. He later received 51.4 per cent support in a 2022 leadership review and announced his resignation.
It is widely expected that additional constituency associations will consider leadership review motions ahead of the UCP’s November 27-29 annual general meeting in Calgary.
For Smith’s internal opponents, the race is now on to reach 22.