UCP members to vote on resolutions targeting trans persons, Ottawa

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In three weeks, members of Alberta’s governing United Conservative Party will gather in Red Deer for the party’s annual general meeting Nov. 1 and 2.

The part of the event that’s captured the most attention is the leadership review vote of Premier Danielle Smith, but the more than 5,400 members expected to be there will have other business at hand as well.

They’ll also have the chance to vote on 35 policy resolutions as well as a further 20 governance resolutions that could shape the future of the party and government.

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Here’s a look at some of what members will be voting on.

What are the policy resolutions about?

Resolutions regarding transgender persons are the most frequent among the 35.

They include two resolutions on “parental rights” that reflect legislation the government is expected to introduce later this month, as well as two more that propose banning transgender people from women’s washrooms, and limiting official gender identifiers on government documents to male or female, “to maintain clarity and reliability.”

A fifth such resolution calls for sex change surgeries to be categorized as “elective cosmetic procedures” that would not be paid for by the government.

There are also four resolutions targeting Alberta’s relationship with the federal government, including an ‘axe the tax’ motion on the carbon tax; one reaffirming the province’s constitutional rights; another seeking more provincial control on immigration; and one that calls on the province to “continue to distance itself from the federal government in as many facets as possible.”

Other resolutions target diversity measures, including a proposed ban on diversity, equity, and inclusion criteria in government hiring, and one asking the province to “hold the Alberta Human Rights Commission accountable” for its decisions, citing a perceived bias against religion.

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Other resolutions include one calling for union donations to political parties (though not corporate ones) to be banned, protecting Alberta lands from “neocolonial interpretations of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Persons,” and one asking the province to “recognize the importance of carbon dioxide to life and Alberta’s prosperity.”

What about the governance resolutions?

The governance resolutions are generally more administrative, but do include resolutions seeking to establish a party ethics commissioner, barring discipline against members who participate in legal protests, and a “cancel culture” resolution that would remove the party’s candidate selection committee’s ability to disqualify a candidate on any grounds it sees fit.

How does voting work?

Governance debates will be held Friday with policy debates to follow on Saturday.

A member from the constituency association that sponsored a given resolution will be given 60 seconds of introduction followed by a maximum of two speakers arguing in favour and against the resolution for 30 seconds apiece.

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Voting occurs by a show of cards, with an exact count being conducted if the result isn’t immediately clear.

Resolutions to amend the constitutional documents require a vote in favour of not less than 50 per cent of members present, according to the party’s rules and procedures.

How likely are approved resolutions to become government policy?

There’s no guarantee approved resolutions become government policy as much would still need to be done to get a given resolution through the government cycle. Other resolutions might be acceptable to party members, but are less likely to appeal to everyday Albertans.

Conversely, some resolutions from last year’s convention have been adapted by the government, including an emphasis now on closing down safe consumption sites and banning the use of vote tabulator machines. A resolution last year to ban transgender persons from women’s prisons, however, has not become government policy.

Two resolutions at this year’s meeting — one on the government’s promised income tax break and another on changing rules around recall — appear to be in the process of becoming government policy.

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Six other resolutions — ranging from banning cell phones in classrooms to requiring parental opt-in for sex education — have already been announced as government policy.

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