Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s Outreach to Islamic Community Sparks Mixed Reactions
Red Deer, Alberta – A recently circulated flyer from a UCP Annual General Meeting has raised eyebrows by making claims that Premier Danielle Smith has not explicitly committed to publicly.
The flyer suggests that Smith has promised to expand Islamic schools, recognize Islamic holidays, and introduce Sharia-compliant banking in Alberta.
While these claims had not been directly confirmed by Smith, the day after the UCP convention—where Smith received a strong 91% endorsement to remain as leader—banks announced further accommodations for Sharia-compliant banking.
This has led some to believe that these promises may indeed reflect commitments she is pursuing.
Public Response and Social Media Reactions
The event has sparked significant public debate and criticism, especially concerning the implications of using young students to influence party support.
Critics argue that the UCP’s engagement with Alberta’s Muslim community may have involved questionable tactics, raising concerns about the legitimacy and ethics of the process.
Paying for travel and tickets to the Annual General Meeting for so many people has many people asking questions.
One Twitter user pointedly remarked, “Out of 85,000 members, it was 4,000 adult UCP members, including 2,000 14-year-old Muslim students they used as pawns to bribe them into voting in favor of Danielle Smith. Ummm yeah, real united there! Nothing to see here but corruption!”
This sentiment reflects the frustration of those who see the outreach as exploitative, rather than genuine, and highlights the broader concerns about the transparency and inclusivity of political engagement tactics.
