EDMONTON — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Prime Minister Mark Carney have developed a co-operative relationship after a decade of combative interactions with his predecessor, but Smith says the person leading the federal government is not the only difference. "I mean, we have undone so much of the bad 10 years of terrible policy of Justin Trudeau, that was backed by the federal NDP," said Smith in an interview with the Western Standard..Smith's relationship with Trudeau is often described as "adversarial," which is consistent with historical trends in which Alberta's leader goes toe-for-toe with the national head. Her relationship with Carney seemingly bucks the trend, though. "The premier said, I think she regrets it, she's seen more of me than her husband, and I'm pleased," joked Carney at a press conference in Red Deer on July 29. Carney has made 10 trips to Alberta since being elected in April 2025, and he claims his government and Smith's have a shared sense of ambition and urgency. Other individuals have speculated that his increased presence is due to pressure from Alberta's independence movement, or maybe it is driven by the fact that he spent a large part of his youth in Edmonton. It is also possible that anything will be better than having a "Trudeau" in office. However, Smith believes the absence of a different adversary is making the difference. "I think we were able to have a more constructive relationship with the new federal government because they didn't form a coalition government with those who are sworn to keep our fossil fuels in the ground,” Smith said. After winning a majority government in 2015, Trudeau's government won a minority vote in 2019 and 2021, and formed a coalition with the federal NDP to maintain their power. Under the coalition, the NDP were given an amplified voice, but after they won just seven seats in 2025, Carney's government was forced to branch out beyond left-wing backing. .Since taking office, Carney has ended the consumer carbon tax, scrapped the federal electric vehicle mandate, and renegotiated a decreased industrial carbon tax structure floor for Alberta.Alberta and Ottawa have also made strides towards approving the construction of a new oil pipeline to the B.C. coast, which Albertans have called for for over a decade. She claims the UCP have also been pleased to see the federal government step forward on safe supply of illicit drugs and their opposition towards performing MAID on individuals whose sole underlying condition is a mental illness. "To be frank, the NDP should never be allowed in the leadership role again at the federal level," Smith said. "That's what created the catastrophe of the past number of years is going in the wrong direction, and I would say doubly so at the provincial level.""All of the things that we have managed to undo, all of the cancel culture, wokeism, DEI activism, all of that would be undone if the NDP ever got elected again, so I would say that we're seeing a different face on the federal Liberals because they're not partnered with the extreme NDP.".Not every Albertan is thrilled to see the conservative Alberta premier and liberal prime minister having a cordial relationship, though. Smith has faced backlashed from UCP party members who claim she is selling out Alberta by yielding to Carney on issues like the industrial carbon tax and the West Coast tanker ban. She faced heat following the July 29 press conference after calling for Canada to modify the federal equalization formula, rather than following the mandate given by Albertans in 2022 by abolishing it completely. Smith later clarified and told the Western Standard that her government wants to end the program, but the pathway to doing so starts with modifying the formula. The backlash has led some to question whether Smith should put up a stronger front and have an at least somewhat more adversarial relationship with Carney.Smith is not planning on turning away, though. "I suppose you can say that we keep on fighting until perfection is achieved, but I prefer to focus on the victories," Smith said. "And we have absolutely changed the public conversation, and we're going to continue finding those issues that we need to continue to advocate for. But we're also going to celebrate when we're winning, and we are absolutely winning, and Canadians are on our side."
