PART 1 of 5: Background, leadership and principles of the Wildrose Alliance Party
The Calgary-based Wildrose Alliance Party formed two weeks before the last election was called in 2008, a result of the merger between the Alberta Alliance and Wildrose Parties. This exciting alternative is a centre right big tent conservative party that was established to provide Albertans with a real choice in the 2012 election. With a vision that promotes free enterprise and protects the rights of Albertans, this energetic party is making waves and is poised to knock the Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta off its longstanding perch.
On October 17, 2009, Danielle Smith was elected as the Leader of the Wildrose Alliance Party. As a fiscal conservative, Smith believes in the power of free enterprise to drive the economy and “high performance government” to deliver essential cost-effective social services with maximum value.
Danielle describes how the position of this new political party champions all Albertans and their choices by providing a bold, brave vision of the future. “Wildrose begins with a foundation of principles,” explains Danielle. “Our members believe in free enterprise, limited government, individual rights, democracy and a consultative policy development process. We believe government should be a last resort, not a first resort, and that individuals, families and communities should be free to govern themselves in their own ways without a lot of interference from the Alberta legislature.”
Until recently, Danielle was the Director of Provincial Affairs for Alberta with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB). She worked with all levels of government to represent the interests of CFIB’s 10,000 small business members in Alberta. Her understanding of the small business process and community will be advantageous to the members’ position if she is elected as the Premier of Alberta in 2012. With Danielle as their ally, small businesses will be supported and encouraged to thrive in Alberta.
Primed for the spotlight and a bright future as the Wildrose Alliance Leader, Danielle’s experience in the media is extensive and impressive. Prior to joining CFIB, she was an editorial writer and columnist at the Calgary Herald for six years. She also served as host of Global Sunday, a national current affairs television talk show and was the host of two programs on CKMX 1060 AM radio in Calgary: Health Frontiers and Standing Ground. In addition, she has made frequent guest appearances as a commentator on TV and radio.
Danielle’s work in policy research began with a year-long internship at the Fraser Institute, where she tried her hand at elected office as a trustee for the Calgary Board of Education. As a staunch supporter of landowners’ rights, she worked in advocacy as Director of the Alberta Property Rights Initiative and the Canadian Property Rights Research Institute.
Danielle has studied in-depth the consequences of how industrial and resource development impact the air, water and land. As an intern at the Fraser Institute in 1997, she co-authored the first report on Environmental Indicators for Canada and the United States (1997). More recently, she co-authored the CFIB report Achieving Eco-Prosperity: SMEs Perspective on the Environment. Danielle believes that as the province’s resources are developed, we must continue to minimize the environmental impact, and restore the environment to a healthy state afterward.
The top three areas Danielle would change in Alberta are: restoring Alberta’s reputation as a safe, fair and predictable place to do business; reestablishing a respect for private property rights; and moving towards decentralized decision-making.
Danielle received a B.A. in English and a B.A. in Economics from the University of Calgary. She was named one of Calgary Inc. Magazine’s Top 40 under 40 in 2004.
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