Danielle Smith was sworn in as Premier of Alberta. At a ceremony held at the government headquarters in Edmonton on Tuesday morning.

Smith won the United Conservative Party leadership race to replace Jason Kenney in the sixth and final ballot with 53.77 percent of the votes, defeating her closest rival Travis Toews, the former finance minister.

In May, Kenney received 51.4 percent support from party members in a leadership review – enough to technically remain in the top position of the United Conservative Party – but he resigned.

Smith became the eighth premier of Alberta since 2006 and the third woman to hold the province's highest office.

She said, "I truly feel happy and humbled and honored to serve Alberta like many of the residents."

Smith said she will stand up and protect Alberta’s Charter rights and "other rights and freedoms" in the region.

She added, "The people of Alberta have suffered a lot over the past two and a half years." "Our rights and freedoms have been tested. As Premier, I will ensure that these rights and freedoms are protected."

She described Alberta as the land of opportunity and how her government will act "quickly" to ensure that the most vulnerable groups receive support during the current inflation crisis.