Alberta UCP expels separatist leader Jeffrey Rath after referendum

CALGARY · Alberta's United Conservative Party has expelled prominent separatist lawyer Jeffrey Rath, revoking his membership and cancelling his registration to its upcoming annual general meeting. Premier Danielle Smith confirmed the decision on Friday, saying party executive director Dustin van Vugt made the move after determining Rath had breached the party's code of conduct multiple times. Smith said she supports the decision, stating that Rath's mission to turn the UCP into an independence party is incompatible with the party's objectives. The expulsion follows a referendum on Oct. 19 in which 75 per cent of Albertans voted against holding a future vote on independence.

"He believed that there were multiple instances of a breach of the code of conduct that we require of our members, and that it was his decision to pull the membership and cancel his AGM registration," Smith told reporters in Calgary. She said van Vugt informed the party's 18-person board of directors of his decision on Thursday. Smith added that Rath had publicly stated his intent to use the party's annual meeting to push for independence. "Somebody whose objective and mission it is to turn us into something we are not is not following the objective of our party," Smith said. "Our objective of the party is to get re-elected, and to make sure that we're focused on doing that."

In a statement, the UCP said it does not typically comment on membership matters but that Rath was removed "because of his public conduct toward the party and its leader." The party said his actions and words made clear he did not support the UCP or its objectives. The decision was made under Article 7 of the party's membership rules. Rath, a lawyer from Priddis, Alta., has been a vocal critic of Smith and a key figure in the Alberta independence movement. He has been calling for Smith's resignation and has sought support for a special general meeting to review her leadership.

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Rath, in an interview on Friday, said he plans to appeal the decision and is consulting legal counsel. He demanded the party specify how he broke its rules. "I wear it as a badge of honour, to be frank," Rath said. He characterized the move as an attempt to silence him before the AGM, scheduled for Nov. 27-29 in Calgary. "They're engaged in Stalinist, Soviet-style tactics against me, basically sending me off to the gulag and saying that, you know, we disagree with you and your ideas [and] therefore you're no longer welcome in the party," Rath said. He added that his removal would anger separatist-minded members within the UCP.

The expulsion marks another step by the UCP to quell separatist sentiment within its ranks after the referendum. Two days after the vote, Smith asked members to accept the result and said those wishing to turn the UCP into a separatist party would not be welcome. This week, the party also began requiring those wishing to serve on its provincial board to pledge they will respect the referendum result. Public opinion polls have repeatedly shown a significant portion of the UCP's membership supports independence. At last year's party convention, Rath drew a large show of support when he challenged Smith on the issue.

Rath has claimed that a supermajority of UCP members support separatism. He emerged as a face of the movement while working as legal counsel for the Alberta Prosperity Project. He has also faced professional disciplinary issues, having appeared before Law Society of Alberta tribunals three times in the past 18 months and had $8.5 million in assets frozen by a court order in July. Despite his expulsion, Rath suggested he might still find a way to attend the AGM. "There's all kind of different ways to get in," he said. The party has said the vast majority of its constituency associations back Smith's leadership.

With files from The Canadian Press, The Globe and Mail and CityNews