Danielle Smith Wins Provincial Championship in Promising the Exact Opposite of Her Actual Plan
Political scientists confirmed Tuesday that Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has achieved a rare feat in democratic governance: campaigning on a solemn promise to protect public health care before immediately dusting off a policy paper explaining why public health care should gradually disappear.
Smith’s 2023 campaign assured Albertans that “under no circumstances” would anyone pay out of pocket for medically necessary care, a commitment now preserved primarily as archival comedy.
Government officials stressed the premier technically didn’t abandon her promise; she merely reclassified it as “historical fiction.”
Critics called the reversal hypocrisy. Supporters insisted it was visionary leadership, arguing voters simply misunderstood the traditional meaning of words like “never,” “no exceptions,” and “guarantee.”
The UCP says Albertans should judge it on results, which is fortunate, because judging it on campaign promises has become medically inadvisable.
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