Just before Albertans hit the polls, journalist Jeremy Appel is releasing his book that chronicles the revival of Danielle Smith’s political career. Dark Phoenix: The Rise, Fall, and Reemergence of Danielle Smith starts off with her brief tenure as a Calgary school board trustee and explores her time at the Wildrose Party, culminating in her triumphant election as Alberta’s premier. “I think she’s a remarkable communicator,” said Appel in a recent interview. “Whether you like her politics or loathe them, she’s very good at taking the ideas of her base that is rural, often religious and socially very conservative, and translating them into terms for the broader public that sounds more innocuous, if not commonsensical, and presenting her positions as this prudent middle grounds between two imaginary extremes.” With the referendum just around the corner, Appel says it is the apex of Smith’s approach to politics, pointing to questions posed to Albertans on immigration. “Smith has been very adept at selling this narrative to the public that the federal government has just flooded our province with immigrants,” said Appel. “Never mind that less than three years ago, she was asking the federal government, in fact, demanding the federal government allow more immigrants into Alberta. “With this style of politics that Smith embodies, you see that the particulars don’t really matter. It’s about finding scapegoats and telling people a story about why classrooms are overcrowded, waiting times are excessively long in hospitals and what have you.” Appel says from polling he’s seen, some of the questions on immigration are likely to pass. Dark Phoenix: The Rise, Fall, and Reemergence of Danielle Smith will be released on Oct. 13 with a book launch event at The Aviary. Advanced tickets are $25 and include a hard copy of the book. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Michael Higgins
