SKIPPING PORTRAIT UNVEILING NOT A GOOD LOOK FOR SMITH
Mutual contempt may have derailed traditional salute to former premier
Sometimes the little symbolic things say more about the rampant hostility in our politics than the daily flood of words and deeds.
Premier Danielle Smith didn't show up Thursday morning for the unveiling of an official legislature portrait of NDP Leader Rachel Notley, commemorating her four years as premier.
Premiers always pay their respects for past premiers at these affairs. Notley herself did it three times when she was premier, unveiling portraits of former PC premiers Alison Redford, Dave Hancock and Jim Prentice.
This courtesy is observed across the country and in federal politics.
There's a cheery photo of former prime ministers Stephen Harper and Jean Chretien together at the unveiling of Chretien's portrait.
But shortly before 11 a.m. Thursday, word came that Smith wouldn't attend. Instead, she sent Nathan Neudorf, one of her deputy premiers.
This was widely seen as a snub. These two party leaders do not hang out together. Their mutual contempt is palpable.
Mind you, this was the first time that a current Alberta premier was expected to honour a past premier who is also the Opposition leader hoping to replace her.
It's even possible that a few years from now, Notley will unveil a portrait of ex-premier Smith.
The whole setup was kind of fraught, when you think about it.
But there are traditions that show something important endures beyond the momentary heat of partisan anger. They offer assurance that it will all hold together in the end.
Notley was informed shortly before the ceremony that Smith was withdrawing.
She was startled but gracious about it.
Why didn't Smith show up?
Her office put out a statement about 90 minutes later.
“Premier Smith had hoped to attend Rachel Notley's portrait unveiling ceremony. However, she attended an important meeting with the Kee Tas Kee Now Tribal Council and a caucus meeting. Deputy premier Nathan Neudorf joined the unveiling ceremony in her place.”
Darts flew all over social media, some praising Smith and saying Notley wasn't worth her time anyway. Others noted that Donald Trump similarly snubbed Barack Obama.
But the sharpest came from Calgarian Les Stelmach, son of Ed Stelmach, who was PC premier from 2006 to 2011.
“There's precedent,” Les said on Twitter. “She (Smith) skipped out on my dad's portrait unveiling. Ian Donovan represented Wildrose that day, and he had the best speech among the parties, IMO.” (Donovan was a Wildrose MLA and Smith was then the leader.)
Whatever Smith's motives, it's obvious that a smiling photo of her with Rachel Notley would do her no good with the UCP base (and might not help Notley with her own).
The first PC premier, Peter Lougheed, regretted for years the infamous photo of him clicking Champagne glasses with prime minister Pierre Trudeau after they reached an oil pricing deal.
Portrait day was also the first day after third reading passage of the Alberta Sovereignty Within a united Canada Act, which won't actually have the force of law until it's proclaimed. But Notley said the government should immediately refer it to the Alberta Court of Appeal for a ruling on whether it is constitutional.
Notley says the so-called “Henry VIII clause,” now removed, and the ultrawide scope of grievances against Ottawa, considerably narrowed in the final version, were never the big issues.
The chief problem, she insists, is that the bill gives the legislature the ability to vote on whether federal laws and actions are constitutional.
That's the job of the courts, not legislatures, Notley says.
“But now they have the legislature stepping in and pretending it's a court ... and upending the rule of law.”
She also feels First Nations have a strong case for formally challenging the law.
Most Indigenous rights “manifest through federal law, and this government has just given itself the ability to ignore federal law. In so doing, it takes a direct run at treaty rights.”
Maybe it's not so bad she and Smith didn't appear together. It might not have been a pretty picture.