Stephen Magusiak

On Monday, several thousand Calgarians braved a chilly evening to show up to Stampede Park to pledge their support for Alberta’s separation from the country. The Big Four Roadhouse was one of the final stops on a month-long, province-wide speaking tour by the petitioners for an independence referendum, calling themselves Stay Free Alberta (SFA).

2025 was a rough year for Danielle Smith’s United Conservative Party. With all that’s happened in recent months, next year could be rougher. The new year will begin with over a third of the caucus facing recall petitions, a major healthcare scandal and an increasingly disgruntled far-right wing within the party.

Danielle Smith’s United Conservative Party is going into the new year with more than a third of its caucus facing recall petitions that have been issued by Alberta’s elections-oversight body. As of mid-December, a total of 20 UCP MLAs are now facing challenges from constituents across the province, with the most recent additions to the list being Premier Smith, Technology and Innovation Minister Nate Glubish and Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz, according to Elections Alberta.