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

Danielle Smith is a Canadian politician. She is currently the Premier of Alberta, which means she leads the government of the province of Alberta. She has also been the leader of the United Conservative Party (UCP) since 2022.

Born in Calgary, Alberta, on April 1, 1971, Smith studied at the University of Calgary. She worked as a journalist in print, radio, and television. She also worked for a business organization before entering provincial politics. In 2009, she became the leader of the Wildrose Party.

Smith led the Wildrose Party to become the Official Opposition in Alberta after the 2012 election. She later joined the Progressive Conservatives. After a period outside of politics, she returned and became the leader of the UCP in October 2022. She was sworn in as Premier on October 11, 2022. She won a by-election to become a MLA for Brooks-Medicine Hat in November 2022. In the 2023 election, she led the UCP to win another majority government.

Her main policies have focused on giving Alberta more control over its own affairs. For example, her government passed the Alberta Sovereignty Act. This law aims to protect Alberta from federal policies that the province believes are not good for it.

Early Life and Education

Danielle Smith was born in Calgary on April 1, 1971. She was the second of five children. Her parents were Sharon and Doug Smith. Her father worked as an oilfield consultant.

Growing up, her family lived in subsidized housing. As a student, she worked at places like McDonald's and restaurants. Smith's parents were conservative in their political views. She was also a member of the Girl Guides of Canada. She enjoyed reading fantasy novels and once thought about becoming a writer.

Smith attended the University of Calgary. She earned a degree in English in 1993 and another in economics in 1995. During her time at university, she was active in political discussions. She met many people who would later become important in Canadian politics.

In 1996, Smith completed an internship with the Fraser Institute. There, she coauthored a paper that explored different perspectives on environmental indicators for Canada and the United States. The paper aimed to bring balance to environmental discussions. She was also involved with the campus Progressive Conservatives. After university, she briefly lived in Vancouver and worked as a waitress.

Early Political and Media Career

Calgary Board of Education Role

In 1998, Smith first entered politics. She ran for a position on the board of trustees for the Calgary Board of Education. She won the election. However, the entire board was dismissed by the provincial Minister of Learning less than a year later. Smith later said this experience taught her to be more understanding of different viewpoints.

After this, Smith worked as an advocate for ranchers, farmers, and other rural landowners. She was involved with groups like the Alberta Property Rights Initiative.

Journalism and Radio Work

Smith joined the Calgary Herald as a columnist. She continued her work as a writer for the paper during a time of disagreement among staff. Her columns covered city hall and health reform.

She later hosted a national current affairs program called Global Sunday on Global Television. She also hosted two talk radio programs. These shows focused on topics like health policy and property rights.

In 2004, Smith was recognized as one of Calgary's "Top 40 Under 40." She also co-hosted the Calgary Congress in 2006, which was a meeting about federal reforms for Canada. In 2006, she was hired by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. She became a provincial director for Alberta and coauthored a paper called "Achieving Eco-prosperity."

Provincial Politics (2009–2015)

Smith became concerned with the spending policies of the provincial government. In 2009, she decided to leave the Progressive Conservative Party. She then joined the Wildrose Alliance. She believed the Wildrose Party offered a better way to manage Alberta's finances.

Leading the Wildrose Party

Later in 2009, Smith was asked to run for the leadership of the Wildrose Party. She was elected leader on October 17, 2009. After she became leader, support for the party grew. Several members of the Progressive Conservative Party also joined the Wildrose Party.

In 2011, she was featured on a CBC Television show called Make the Politician Work.

The 2012 Election

Smith in 2012

Before the 2012 Alberta general election, many thought Smith's Wildrose Party might win. The Progressive Conservatives had governed Alberta for a very long time.

The Wildrose Party won 17 seats in the election. This made them the Official Opposition. Smith was elected as an MLA for the area of Highwood. However, the Wildrose Party did not win as many seats as expected. Some candidates made comments that caused controversy, which affected the party's election results. Smith later encouraged party members to choose candidates who could share their views respectfully.

Joining the Progressive Conservatives

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

In 2014, Premier Alison Redford left politics. Jim Prentice then became the new PC leader and Premier. Smith felt that she and Prentice shared many goals, especially about how the government should manage money.

On December 17, 2014, Smith announced that she and eight other Wildrose MLAs were joining the Progressive Conservatives. She explained that she wanted to work with the government rather than oppose it. Smith later apologized for not talking to Albertans before making this decision. She still believed it was the right choice to bring conservatives together.

Smith tried to win the PC nomination for Highwood in March 2015 but was not successful. Many people in her area were upset about her decision to change parties.

Time Outside of Politics (2015–2022)

After leaving provincial politics, Smith hosted a talk radio program on CHQR in Calgary. She left her radio show in February 2021.

In July 2021, Smith wrote an article supporting a referendum on equalization payments. This was a vote proposed by then-Premier Jason Kenney.

Work as a Lobbyist

In June 2019, Smith registered as a lobbyist for the Alberta Enterprise Group. She was also the president of this organization. In this role, she spoke with the provincial government on behalf of various industries.

UCP Leadership Race

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

A key part of Smith's campaign was her proposal for the Alberta Sovereignty Act. This idea aimed to give Alberta more control over its own laws and decisions within Canada. Other candidates in the leadership race had different views on this proposal.

On October 6, 2022, Smith won the UCP leadership vote. She received 53.77% of the votes in the final round. She was then sworn in as the 19th Premier of Alberta on October 11, 2022. Since she was not an MLA at the time, she ran in a by-election for Brooks-Medicine Hat. She won this election on November 8, 2022, and became an MLA.

Premier of Alberta (2022–present)

Leading the 30th Alberta Legislature

After becoming Premier, Smith stated that her government would not introduce new measures to control the COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta. She also spoke about protecting individuals who chose not to be vaccinated.

On October 24, 2022, Smith announced that Alberta would leave the World Economic Forum Global Coalition for Value in Healthcare. She expressed concerns about external groups influencing governments.

In December 2022, the Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act was passed by the legislature. This law was a key part of her platform.

In May 2023, large wildfires affected Alberta. Questions were raised about the government's budget for firefighting services.

Leading the 31st Alberta Legislature

In the May 2023 Alberta general election, Smith led the UCP to win a second majority government. Her party won most of the seats outside of Calgary and Edmonton. Smith was reelected as the MLA for her riding.

On August 3, 2023, the Smith government announced a six-month pause on new approvals for renewable energy projects in the province. Further restrictions were announced in February 2024. This decision was met with different opinions from various groups.

In November 2024, Smith received strong support in a leadership review by UCP members. She won with 91.5% of the vote.

Smith visited US President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort. They discussed trade and relations between Canada and the United States.

In May 2025, Smith announced that her government would hold a referendum on Alberta's separation from Canada. This would happen if citizens gathered enough signatures to request such a vote.

In July 2025, a report was published about the 2024 Jasper wildfire. It suggested that government actions may have made firefighting efforts more difficult. Smith asked for the report to be withdrawn, but the town of Jasper confirmed its findings.

In May 2025, Smith announced plans to review books in school libraries that contained certain mature themes. This plan was later paused in September 2025 due to public feedback.

Electoral Summary

Danielle Smith has participated in several elections throughout her political career.

• In 2009, she was elected leader of the Wildrose Alliance Party.
• In the 2012 provincial election, she won a seat as an MLA for Highwood and became the Leader of the Official Opposition.
• In 2022, she won the leadership election for the United Conservative Party.
• Later in 2022, she won a by-election to become the MLA for Brooks-Medicine Hat.
• In the 2023 provincial election, she was reelected as an MLA and led the United Conservative Party to form a majority government.