Alberta UCP premier Danielle Smith called out federal anti-energy policies in the final segment of her election speech, reinforcing the approach that helped get her elected as UCP leader and premier..Smith assured those working in education and healthcare that her government welcomed positive and negative feedback before calling for solidarity for the energy sector against meddling from Ottawa..“And finally, my fellow Albertans, we need to come together no matter how we have voted to stand shoulder-to-shoulder against soon-to-be-announced Ottawa policies that would significantly harm our provincial economy,” Smith said, prompting some cries of disapproval from the UCP faithful..“Now, we’ve been made aware that in the coming weeks, Justin Trudeau was planning on bringing forward new restrictions on electricity generation from natural gas that will not only massively increase your power bills but will also endanger the integrity and reliability of our entire power grid which we rely on during our cold and dark Alberta winters.”.“In addition, the prime minister is already ready to introduce a de facto production cap on our oil and gas sector that, if implemented—”.Smith had to stop briefly as the audience voiced its disapproval..“Yes, if implemented, will result in tens of thousands of jobs lost, tens of billions in lost investment, damage our province’s fiscal position and bring economic hardship to Albertans. Now I’ve made myself clear on this matter to the prime minister in person and in public, but I feel we need to do it again,” the premier said..Applause ensued, followed by chants of “Danielle! Danielle!”.“Well, hopefully, the prime minister and his caucus are watching tonight,” Smith said, stopping briefly as the crowd reacted further..“But let me be clear, this is not a road we can afford to go down. And if he persists, he will be hurting Canadians from coast to coast and he will strain the patience and goodwill of Albertans in an unprecedented fashion. And as premier, I cannot under any circumstances allow these contemplated federal policies to be inflicted upon Albertans. I simply can’t and I won’t.”.After more cheers and chants of her name, Smith closed this portion of her speech..“And so I invite the prime minister to halt the introduction of these harmful policies and come to the table in good faith to work collaboratively with Alberta on an energy and emissions strategy that will both grow the Alberta and Canadian economies while using the export of Alberta LNG and emerging technologies to achieve meaningful reductions in emissions because when Canadians work together, there’s no challenge that we can’t overcome.”.“I believe that, but it takes two parties acting in good faith to build that meaningful partnership. Now Alberta is willing to be that partner and we need our federal government to show it is willing to partner in good faith as well and now is the time to do so. We are waiting.”
