Record turnout at 2023 United Conservative AGM

There was record-breaking attendance at the BMO Centre this past weekend as more than 3,700 delegates attended the United Conservative Party’s annual general meeting.

One person is taking the credit for why this years numbers are so high.  Executive Director of Take Back Alberta (TBA), David Parker says he rallied thousands of people to the AGM to support democracy.

And while Parker’s supporters hold numerous seats on the UCP board, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she is not concerned that more than half the board members are from TBA.

Despite protesters outside the BMO Centre, many of whom were holding signs saying “Hands of our CPP”, Premier Smith did not touch on her government’s exploration into leaving the Canada Pension Plan in her keynote address, however she took time to fire shots at Federal leaders.

Two major issues in which Smith received the most applause were the government’s plan for disaggregation of Alberta Health Services, and parental rights.

Attendees also approved 29 of the 30 policy resolutions. These include the banning the use of electronic voting machines, end provincial funding to supervised consumption sites and to refuse transgender women to be housed among biological female inmates in correctional facilities. A motion to implement a school voucher system was defeated. Policy resolutions are brought forward by party members, and are non-binding, but they do provide grassroots direction on what it thinks the government’s policies should be.