With the federal election looming on April 28, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith faced renewed questions about national unity Monday as polls suggest the province could face another Liberal government.
Some Albertans worry Liberal Leader Mark Carney might extend the perceived anti-Alberta, anti-oil-and-gas policies of Justin Trudeau, with a recent statistic showing three in 10 Albertans favour leaving Confederation.
At a press conference, Smith addressed her vision for a Canada that supports Alberta’s economic goals.
“I want Canada to work,” Smith said. “I want Canada to be able to meet its potential. I want for us to be able to build economic corridors. I want us to be able to develop all of our resources, from oil and gas all the way through to critical minerals and beyond.”
Smith emphasized that Canada has failed Alberta over the past decade due to “terrible policies by the Liberals.”
She pointed to nine proposals she tabled earlier as a blueprint to reset Alberta’s place in the Federation, a plan she said remains critical with the election just three weeks away.
“I also want Canada to work for Alberta, and it hasn’t for the last 10 years,” she said. “And so I put forward a list of nine items that I think would allow for us to have a reset in our relationship with the Federation, depending on who wins in three weeks’ time. And that stands today."
Smith indicated her demands are practical steps to make Canada an economic powerhouse, with Alberta at its core.
“Those are some very basic things if you want to actually move to that reality of making Canada an economic powerhouse and supporting Alberta in particular,” she said.
Smith urged Ottawa to align with Alberta’s interests, saying, “I really hope that we can get Canada on Team Alberta, because Team Alberta has always been on Team Canada.”
Smith's demands include, guaranteeing Alberta full access to unfettered oil and gas corridors, repealing Bill C-69, lifting the tanker ban, eliminating the proposed oil and gas emissions cap, scraping net-zero power regulations, and ending the prohibition on single-use plastics.
