Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the United Conservative Party’s executive director has revoked separatist organizer Jeff Rath’s membership due to multiple breaches of the party’s code of conduct.
The executive director had informed the party’s board of directors on Oct. 29 about the decision to pull Rath’s membership, Smith told reporters at a news conference in Calgary on Oct. 30, adding that she supports the decision.
Smith went on to say that Rath’s objectives differed from those of the party, saying he wanted to “turn the UCP into an independence party, and we are not an independence party.”
“Somebody whose objective and mission is to turn us into something we are not is not following the objective of our party,” she said. “Our objective of the party is to get re-elected, and to make sure that we’re focused on doing that.”
Rath was a key figure in the Alberta independence movement leading up to the Oct. 19 referendum. He was critical of Smith for not endorsing separation, and has been campaigning to remove her as UCP leader.
Rath served as general counsel for Stay Free Alberta, the group organizing the citizen-led petition seeking a referendum on Alberta leaving Canada.
Responding to his ejection from the party, Rath said on social media on Oct. 30, “Challenging Danielle Smith’s anti-democratic dictatorship of the UCP is the duty of every UCP Member who cares about the future of Alberta.”
Following the Oct. 19 referendum in which about 75 percent of Albertans voted to remain in Canada, Smith said those who won’t move on from the separation issue and are “sowing division” should leave the UCP.
