Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's tenure is off to a turbulent start in Canada's main oil-producing province after she was forced to apologize for controversial comments in her first two weeks, and polls show her United Conservative Party (UCP) sliding against the opposition ahead of 2023 elections.
Smith was sworn in as premier on Oct. 11 after party infighting forced her predecessor to resign.
Within days, she was engulfed in controversy over April social media comments calling for Ukrainian neutrality and saying unvaccinated were people "the most discriminated-against group that I've ever witnessed in my lifetime" during her first media appearance as premier.
