Danielle Smith facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Honourable Danielle Smith MLA
Smith in 2014
19th Premier of Alberta
Incumbent
Assumed office October 11, 2022
Monarch	Charles III
Lieutenant Governor	Salma Lakhani
Deputy	Kaycee Madu Nathan Neudorf Mike Ellis
Preceded by	Jason Kenney
Leader of the United Conservative Party
Incumbent
Assumed office October 6, 2022
Preceded by	Jason Kenney
Leader of the Opposition in Alberta
In office April 24, 2012 – December 17, 2014
Premier	Alison Redford Dave Hancock Jim Prentice
Deputy	Rob Anderson
Preceded by	Raj Sherman
Succeeded by	Heather Forsyth
Leader of the Wildrose Party
In office October 17, 2009 – December 17, 2014
Deputy	Rob Anderson
Preceded by	Paul Hinman
Succeeded by	Heather Forsyth (interim)
Parliamentary constituencies Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta Incumbent Assumed office November 8, 2022 Preceded by Michaela Frey Constituency Brooks-Medicine Hat In office April 23, 2012 – May 5, 2015 Preceded by George Groeneveld Succeeded by Wayne Anderson Constituency Highwood
Personal details
Born	Marlaina Danielle Smith (1971-04-01) April 1, 1971 (age 54) Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Political party	United Conservative (2017–present)
Other political affiliations	Progressive Conservative (1998–2009; 2014–2017) Wildrose (2009–2014)
Spouses	Sean McKinsley ​ (divorced)​ David Moretta ​ (m. 2006)​
Residences	High River, Alberta, Canada
Alma mater	University of Calgary (BA)
Occupation	Politician journalist

Marlaina Danielle Smith (born April 1, 1971) is a Canadian politician. She has been the 19th premier of Alberta since 2022. She also leads the United Conservative Party (UCP).

Smith studied English and economics at the University of Calgary. She worked as a journalist and also helped small businesses in Alberta. In 2009, she became the leader of the Wildrose Party. This party became the Official Opposition after the 2012 election. Smith was the leader of the Opposition until 2014. She then joined the governing Progressive Conservatives.

Between 2015 and 2022, Smith worked in talk radio. She also led a business group. In 2022, she ran for the leadership of the United Conservative Party. She won on October 6, 2022. Smith became premier on October 11, 2022. She also became a MLA for Brooks-Medicine Hat on November 8, 2022. In the 2023 general election, she led the UCP to win again.

Smith's main goal has been to give Alberta more power within Canada. Her government passed the Alberta Sovereignty Act in 2022. This law aims to protect Alberta from federal rules it sees as harmful. Her government has also started to create a pension plan just for Alberta.

Early Life and Education

Marlaina Danielle Smith was born in Calgary, Alberta, on April 1, 1971. She was the second of five children. Her father was an oilfield consultant. Her family lived in subsidized housing when she was growing up. She worked at McDonald's and other places as a student.

Smith's parents were conservative. She learned a lot about politics from discussions at home. She was also a member of the Girl Guides of Canada. She once thought about writing fantasy novels.

University Studies and Early Interests

Smith went to the University of Calgary. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1993. She also got a degree in economics in 1995. The university was a place for many political discussions. She met many future politicians and advisors there. One of her teachers was former Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed.

In 1996, Smith worked as an intern at the Fraser Institute. She helped write a paper about the environment. This paper aimed to show a balanced view of environmental issues. She was active in the Progressive Conservatives club at university. She became its president.

Early Career in Politics and Media

Serving on the Calgary Board of Education

In 1998, Smith ran for a position on the board of trustees for the Calgary Board of Education. She won the election. However, the board faced problems. The provincial Minister of Learning dismissed the entire board after 11 months.

Smith later said this experience taught her to be more understanding of different opinions. After this, she worked to support ranchers and farmers. She also coauthored a paper on endangered species.

Working as a Columnist and Radio Host

After her time on the school board, Smith became a columnist for the Calgary Herald. She wrote about city hall and health care. She also wrote about other topics. In 2003, she wrote a column supporting the legalization of some social activities. She also wrote an article about smoking.

She then became a host for a national current affairs show called Global Sunday. She also hosted two talk radio programs. These shows focused on health policy and property rights. In 2004, she was named one of Calgary's "Top 40 Under 40."

In 2006, Smith joined the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. She became a provincial director for Alberta. She also coauthored a paper called "Achieving Eco-prosperity."

Early Provincial Political Career (2009–2015)

Smith supported Ted Morton in the 2006 PC leadership election. Morton lost to Ed Stelmach. Smith became unhappy with Stelmach's government. She felt they were spending too much money.

Joining the Wildrose Party

In 2009, Smith left the PC party and joined the Wildrose Alliance. She believed the Wildrose Party was the best choice for a fiscally conservative government. She was then asked to run for the leadership of the party.

On October 17, 2009, Smith was elected leader of the Wildrose Party. Support for the party grew after she became leader. She convinced three members of the PC party to join the Wildrose Party. These included Rob Anderson and Heather Forsyth.

The 2012 Election Campaign

Smith in 2012

Before the 2012 provincial election, many thought Smith would become the first woman to lead a party to victory in Alberta. Polls showed the Wildrose Party could beat the Progressive Conservatives. The PCs had been in power since 1971.

The Wildrose Party won 17 seats in the election. They became the Official Opposition. Smith was elected to the Legislature for Highwood. Political experts said the Wildrose Party lost its lead because of controversial remarks made by some candidates. Smith's refusal to strongly condemn these remarks also played a role. The party did not win many seats in the cities.

Returning to the Progressive Conservative Party

Smith and Jim Prentice announcing that she and eight other Wildrose MLAs would be crossing the floor to join the Progressive Conservatives.

After Premier Alison Redford left politics in 2014, the Wildrose Party gained support. But this changed when Jim Prentice became the new PC leader and premier. The PCs won four by-elections in October. Smith also faced a setback at a Wildrose meeting. A resolution she supported was voted down. This made her think about rejoining the PCs.

On December 17, 2014, Smith announced that she and eight other Wildrose MLAs were joining the PCs. Smith had previously criticized others for doing this. However, she said she and Prentice found common ground on financial issues. She felt it was better to work with the government than against it. She later apologized for not talking to Albertans before making this decision. She still believed it was important to "unify conservatives."

Smith tried to get the PC nomination for Highwood in the next election. But she lost to Carrie Fischer. Many people in her riding were upset by her decision to switch parties.

Out of Politics (2015–2022)

Working in Talk Radio

After leaving politics, Smith hosted a talk radio program on CHQR in Calgary. On January 11, 2021, she announced she was leaving her talk show. She said she was tired of online attacks.

In July 2021, Smith wrote an article supporting Jason Kenney's referendum on equalization payments. This vote happened on October 18, 2021.

Career as a Lobbyist

In June 2019, Smith registered as a lobbyist for the Alberta Enterprise Group. She was also the president of this group. She worked to influence the provincial government on behalf of businesses.

Running for UCP Leadership

On May 18, 2022, Smith announced she would run for the leadership of the United Conservative Party. This happened after Premier Jason Kenney resigned. Smith was seen as a strong candidate among party members.

Smith's main policy idea was the Alberta Sovereignty Act. This proposal aimed to give Alberta more control within Canada. It suggested that Alberta's legislature could decide to ignore federal laws that hurt the province. Other candidates criticized this idea.

On October 6, 2022, Smith won the UCP leadership vote. She received 53.77% of the vote on the sixth count. She was sworn in as the 19th premier on October 11, 2022. She became premier without holding a seat in the legislature at that time.

Premier of Alberta (2022–present)

Leading the 30th Alberta Legislature

After becoming premier, Smith stated her government would not impose more measures to control the COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta. She also expressed her views on individual choices and freedoms.

On October 24, Smith withdrew Alberta from the World Economic Forum Global Coalition for Value in Healthcare. She said she did not want to work with a group that talked about controlling governments.

Since Smith was not an MLA when she became premier, she ran in a by-election for Brooks-Medicine Hat. The previous MLA for that area resigned to allow Smith to run. Smith won the by-election on November 8, 2022, with 54.5% of the vote.

In late November 2022, Smith changed her plan to add unvaccinated people as a protected group under the Alberta Human Rights Act. She still encouraged her ministers to talk to businesses about their vaccination policies. In December 2022, the legislature passed the Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act.

In May 2023, wildfires spread across Alberta. A state of emergency was declared. Smith's government faced questions about cuts to the firefighting budget. An investigation also looked into her discussions about certain legal cases. The ethics commissioner found that Smith had discussed criminal charges with the justice minister and the person involved.

Leading the 31st Alberta Legislature

In the May 2023 Alberta general election, Smith led the UCP to win a second majority government. They defeated the New Democratic Party led by Rachel Notley. The election was very close. Smith was reelected in her riding. The UCP won most seats outside of Edmonton and Calgary. Smith became the third woman to lead a party to victory in an Alberta general election.

On August 3, 2023, Smith's government paused all approvals for new renewable energy projects for six months. On February 28, 2024, Smith announced more rules for renewable energy development. Some officials were concerned this would discourage investments.

In November 2024, Smith won a leadership review by UCP members. She received 91.5% of the vote. This showed strong support from her party.

Smith has also met with US President Donald Trump. She discussed trade and relations between Canada and the US. In March 2025, it was revealed that Smith had talked about how US trade policies could affect Canadian elections.

In May 2025, Smith announced that her government would hold a referendum on Alberta's role in Canada. This would happen if enough citizens signed a petition for it.

Electoral History

2023 General Election

2022 By-election

2022 United Conservative Leadership Election

2012 General Election

2009 Wildrose Leadership Election

Images for kids

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  Smith in 2014

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  Smith in 2012

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  Smith and Jim Prentice announcing that she and eight other Wildrose Party MLAs would be crossing the floor to join the Progressive Conservatives.