OTTAWA — Danielle Smith accused Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi of becoming “increasingly unhinged” after he questioned her eligibility for a higher federal security clearance and suggested she had “proven” herself to be a foreign agent.The exchange followed remarks by Nenshi reacting to reports that Smith had obtained enhanced federal security clearance access.“Well, you know, geez, I hope that the people granting the security clearance really dug into her connections with foreign governments,” Nenshi said earlier this week. “But good for her, I hope she’ll use it well. And I hope she’ll tell Pierre Poilievre to get his.”Nenshi also reportedly said Smith would “never” receive a higher level of clearance because she had “proven yourself to be a foreign agent.”Asked about the comments Friday by Western Standard following her speech at the Canada Strong and Free Network conference in Ottawa, Smith sharply criticized the Alberta opposition leader.“Well, he’s becoming increasingly unhinged. I think people are seeing that,” Smith said. “And the antics that he’s engaging in, where he simply just makes things up and doesn’t tell the truth, it’s really damaging his credibility.” .Smith defended her access to classified briefings, arguing Alberta’s role as a major global energy producer requires provincial leadership to understand potential national security threats.“I do in fact have top secret status, and I will in fact be getting a briefing from CSIS,” she said. “Because it’s my job. Our province is a major energy producer in the world. And we have the potential to be a target from all kinds of bad actors.” Smith added that she requires access to national security information “to protect my people and my industry.”
