'THEY'RE PRETTY COMMUNIST': Smith warns Avi Lewis-led NDP threatens Alberta oil and gas

CALGARY — Premier Danielle Smith has raised concerns over the direction of the federal NDP following Sunday’s election of Avi Lewis as its new leader, arguing the party’s policies could have significant implications for Alberta and Canada’s oil and gas sector.“It's pretty clear from Avi Lewis and his activism over the last number of years [that] he wants to end all fossil fuels, and that includes LNG,” Smith said."So he’s gotten not just Alberta in the crosshairs, he’s also got British Columbia. He's got Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia, who are trying to expand gas development and oil development. I would say that it's pretty clear what the NDP position is federally, and [that] it is opposed to any development of fossil fuels and any infrastructure that would facilitate it.”Asked whether or not she believed the Alberta NDP under Naheed Nenshi would pursue policies different from that of their federal counterpart, Smith pointed to the federal NDP’s constitution, which she said states that on matters not addressed at the provincial level, the national party’s constitution prevails..UCP blasts Nenshi’s ties to anti-pipeline NDP leader Avi Lewis after convention .“We're getting a pretty clear idea of what the principles of the federal party are. They're pretty communist,” Smith stated.“They talk about nationalizing everything from food to building houses to construction companies. They want everyone to have a heat pump and take an electric [vehicle] or an EV bus to work. So I think it's up to the provincial NDP to talk about how they're going to square the circle.”She added that the parties share both membership and constitutional alignment.“They can't hide behind, 'We're a different party,' because they're not,” Smith said.Nenshi has previously distanced himself from Lewis over his policies, saying the new federal party leader was someone “who openly cheered for the defeat of the Alberta NDP government.”“Albertans deserve federal leaders who understand the importance of Alberta and our essential role in the federation,” Nenshi said.

'THEY'RE PRETTY COMMUNIST': Smith warns Avi Lewis-led NDP threatens Alberta oil and gas

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