CALGARY — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her government could redirect public funding away from organizations whose activities conflict with provincial policies, including groups advocating for supervised drug consumption sites and restrictions on oil and gas development.Speaking at Rebel News LIVE! in Calgary on Saturday, Smith discussed a government spending-tracking initiative called TRACE during a question-and-answer session with Rebel News founder Ezra Levant.The premier said the system was inspired partly by the United States' Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which examined federal spending under Elon Musk."We created something that was inspired by that called Trace, and what we want to do is literally trace every dollar that government spends," Smith said.According to Smith, Alberta has been using technology to consolidate government spending records and identify organizations receiving provincial grants.The system would allow officials to examine an organization's funding history, including grants received over approximately the past decade.Smith said the province could also identify federal grants awarded to organizations operating in Alberta, providing a broader picture of their funding sources. She suggested the information could influence future provincial funding decisions.."If the federal government is funding an organization to promote so-called safe supply of drugs or safe consumption sites, then we know that that is offside with our policy as a government, and then we can redirect those dollars elsewhere," Smith said.The premier also identified environmental organizations advocating against oil sands and natural gas development as potential subjects of funding reviews."We also know there are organizations that are advocating to keep our oil sands and our natural gas in the ground," she said."If the federal government is funding them for that basis, that is offside with our policies, and so we can also redirect those dollars elsewhere."Smith did not identify specific organizations that would lose provincial funding or announce any immediate funding reductions.She said the government has been developing its spending-tracking capabilities for approximately 18 months, with Technology and Innovation Minister Nate Glubish involved in the initiative..Beyond monitoring grants, Smith said the system could improve government efficiency by consolidating information previously stored across separate databases and spreadsheets.She cited provincial real estate records as an example, explaining that government information had previously been maintained in four different systems before being integrated into a single database. The discussion also raised questions about whether the public would be able to access TRACE.Levant suggested making the database available online, allowing Albertans to examine government expenditures and identify potentially questionable payments. Smith expressed interest in the proposal but acknowledged that privacy considerations could limit what information could be released, particularly concerning payments to individuals."Let me take it away because you're right," she said, adding that she would discuss the possibility of making information publicly accessible with Glubish..Alberta already maintains a public grant payments disclosure database containing information about funding distributed by government departments and certain agencies.However, Smith's comments suggest TRACE could provide officials with additional information when evaluating provincial spending and funding priorities.The premier maintained that the government intends to continue reviewing expenditures as the system develops."There's no point in us continuing to fund those organizations that are working contrary to our interests and contrary to your interests," Smith said.It remains unclear how the province would determine whether an organization's activities conflict with government priorities, or what criteria would be used when reviewing existing grants.
