OTTAWA — Michelle Rempel Garner accused Prime Minister Mark Carney on Monday of failing to adequately address Alberta’s frustrations with Ottawa, warning the federal government must move faster on pipelines and energy policy to preserve national unity.During a Parliament Hill press conference, Rempel Garner was asked by the Western Standard whether she would actively campaign for the federalist side in Alberta as separatist sentiment grows in the province. “So for a decade, I have fought here and I’ve had a front row seat to watch the Liberal government actively campaign against my province,” she said.“I have always campaigned for a united Canada that is united and equitable.”Rempel Garner repeatedly argued responsibility now rests with the Liberal government to repair relations with Alberta.“When I talk about what the question is, like what the Liberals need to do, it is the Liberals who need to do this,” she said. .Her comments came days after Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced progress toward a proposed west coast oil pipeline agreement and industrial carbon pricing framework.Rempel Garner dismissed suggestions the federal government had provided enough certainty to Alberta.“There’s no shovel-in-the-ground date,” she said. “Why wouldn’t they just designate it in the national interest on day one? Why does it have to wait three months?”She said Ottawa should approve a pipeline immediately once a proposal is formally submitted.“He needs to give that pipeline approval, the permit, the day that that proposal comes in,” she said. Rempel Garner also argued Ottawa must repeal federal laws she says have discouraged energy investment and production.“We also need to make sure that there’s production to fill the pipeline,” she said.“That means repealing these laws which have stymied investment and jobs, not just for Alberta, but for the entire country.” The Calgary Nose Hill Conservative MP accused Liberals of spending years pitting regions against one another politically.“What I can tell you, sitting in the House of Commons, which has made my blood boil for a decade, is watching the flippancy in which they thought they could just pit region against region and think that everything was going to be okay,” she said. She also criticized Carney’s comments earlier Monday regarding Alberta separatism and national unity.“We need calm hope, not the fear-based campaign that he was known for in Brexit,” she said.“Not political manoeuvring — actions, results.” Asked whether the federal government should invoke the Clarity Act in response to a possible Alberta referendum question, Rempel Garner avoided directly answering, instead focusing on broader dissatisfaction in the province.“Right now all I know is that there’s a lot of frustrated Albertans who want some clarity from the federal government on what they’re going to do,” she said. She added that elected officials from all parties representing Alberta have a responsibility to listen to growing frustrations within the province.“There’s a lot of people in the province right now who don’t understand why the federal government abandoned them for a decade,” she said.
