EDMONTON — Premier Danielle Smith offered her perspective on business investors concerned about investing in Alberta amid the independence movement, saying Wednesday that Albertans respond well to meaningful attempts to solve grievances."Well, the nice part is that it will be over on October 19, right?" said Smith while speaking to the Leduc Chamber of Commerce. "And at least it won't be sort of the quiet conversations that have been happening in corners for years, if not decades."Smith spoke to the chamber after UCP MLA Brandon Lunty asked the Premier about business leaders and organizations that have expressed concerns about investing in Alberta because of uncertainty surrounding the upcoming Alberta independence referendum..The referendum will ask Albertans whether they want the UCP government to pursue a future binding independence referendum or end the debate and remain in Canada.Recent polling shows support for remaining in Canada above 70%, which would end the current stage of Alberta's independence movement if the referendum reflects similar results. However, Smith said she hopes to continue decreasing the reported 22% support for Alberta independence by addressing Alberta's legitimate grievances within Canada."That's a large number of our fellow citizens that have lost faith in Canada, and so we'll see what happens on October 19, and then we'll have a lot of work to do to just make sure that people feel heard, that we understand what the outstanding grievances are, and that we work to address them," Smith said.The premier has said she supports "a sovereign Alberta within a united Canada." She has spent months trying to convince Albertans that Confederation can work by addressing some of Alberta's grievances, including progressing toward a new West Coast pipeline.Smith said the independence sentiment has existed in Alberta for decades, with various flare-ups in support, but the nationalist desire has cooled in those situations as Albertans saw the federal government try to address their frustrations."If there is a meaningful effort to address the legitimate concerns of Albertans, then Albertans just, we go back to our business of taking care of ourselves, our families, and our communities," Smith said."But if our grievances continue to be undermined, dismissed, ridiculed, that's when people get their backs up. That's when they think. That's when respect comes in.".Prime Minister Mark Carney has continuously played on his Alberta roots since being elected in 2025, emphasizing that he understands the "Western alienation" feelings that exist in Alberta, BC, and Saskatchewan.The Prime Minister has worked to address a majority of Smith's "nine bad laws" that she felt were damaging Alberta. He has also expressed some willingness to work on issues like immigration and to compromise with Alberta on a carbon tax scheme lower than previously proposed."I give the federal government credit on this, and the Prime Minister in particular," Smith said. "He's never come here saying, 'You guys have nothing to complain about.' In fact, he's always come here saying, 'I heard you, and this is how I'm responding to it.'".Despite these efforts, some Albertans are holding strong to their desire for Alberta independence, saying a pipeline will not solve issues like underrepresentation at the federal level and Canada's equalization payment system.Smith said the latter issue will be her first item of business with Quebec's newly elected Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, as she will talk with him about how to "wean themselves off of equalization.""I recognize that that's a source of frustration, but I can tell you we now have allies on that too: British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland, and Labrador," Smith said."All of us are relatively small provinces compared to our neighbours. All of us are net contributors to Confederation. So it's time for the others to chart a pathway to being able to be economically sustainable and to earn their own revenues."
