Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is making her position crystal clear: she's not sitting on the fence when it comes to keeping Alberta in Canada, and she's pushing back hard against suggestions from her own party leadership that the government's referendum advertising campaign is taking a neutral stance.
"I'm not a neutral party in this," Smith said bluntly at a Monday press conference. "I believe that we should remain, and I believe that we should do everything we can to address the things that are causing grievances [within the province]. You can't ignore them."
The comments come after UCP President Rob Smith posted a lengthy statement on Facebook suggesting the $4-million advertising push isn't equally promoting all sides of the debate. According to the party president, the campaign is heavily emphasizing the nine other referendum questions while taking a "measured, limited way" to promoting the "sovereign Alberta within a united Canada" message on Question 10—the separation question.
Party Leadership at Odds Again
Rob Smith claimed in his Facebook post that the premier had assured him the language around the separation question would be "as NEUTRAL as possible and not nearly as persuasive as for Questions #1-#9." He also noted that many party members have expressed disappointment about how the campaign is being handled.
When asked directly about the UCP president's comments, Premier Smith rejected the characterization entirely. She argued the government is simply providing more information on the nine questions it put forward because there's limited public campaigning happening on either side of those issues anyway.
"The nine questions that the government has put forward are what we were providing more information to the public on, 'cause I don't see anybody actually doing any campaigning on either side of any of those," Smith said.
A Pattern of Disagreement
This isn't the first time Alberta's top two UCP figures have found themselves at cross purposes on the separation question. Back in May, the two were already at odds over where they actually stand on Alberta's place in Canada—a surprising point of contention within a governing party.
Lori Williams, a political scientist at Mount Royal University, suggests the two leaders are playing different political games. Rob Smith, according to Williams, is trying to "placate" party members who are concerned the premier is taking too strong a pro-Canada stance, while the premier herself appears determined to lead the "vote yes to staying in Canada" message.
The referendum campaign itself has become a flashpoint within Alberta's political landscape, with the advertising blitz attempting to guide voters on how to answer ten questions ranging from provincial autonomy to the separation question itself. How heavily the government should push any particular answer—especially on the most divisive Question 10—has become a matter of genuine dispute within the governing United Conservative Party.
This article is based on reporting from CBC Calgary. Read the original story at CBC News.