Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she plans to call officials in her United Conservative Party who are refusing to sign a pledge to stop advocating for separatism. Smith says it’s not an issue of free speech and that she wants the party to work as a team to win next year’s general election. Some party officials have refused to sign an agreement to publicly respect the results of last month’s referendum, when Albertans voted against holding a binding separation vote. The CBC reported that all 87 UCP constituency association presidents have been asked by the party’s executive director to sign the new code of conduct by the end of today. But 15 say in a letter that they won’t be signing the pledge and argue the requirement amounts to the party punishing them for free speech. Smith says she’ll be speaking with those who refuse but didn’t say whether they would be removed from their roles. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2026. Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press
