Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her latest meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney has inspired optimism and he is demonstrating a “real shift” from the previous Justin Trudeau-led Liberals.
Speaking in Edmonton on Thursday, she said she understands why Albertans might feel the rug has been pulled out from them several times before, but she’s committed to diplomacy.
“I found more common ground with the prime minister when I met with him yesterday than I have in any meeting with a prime minister,” she said.
“I would encourage Albertans to not lose faith in the process. Let’s work together on it because we’re all stronger together.”
She also took to social media following the face-to-face, saying there are details to be worked out but she looks forward to an agreement that will benefit the country and the province.
“I am more optimistic than ever that the concerns of Albertans are FINALLY BEING HEARD,” she wrote.
Smith has made combativeness with Ottawa a cornerstone of her policy, using it to define her United Conservative Party leadership, and contrast it with the Opposition NDP.
Alta. premier says she’ll work with Carney ‘in good faith’ to repair relations
On Thursday, she again pointed to her very first bill: the Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act. It was touted from Day 1 as a weapon to battle federal policies Smith believes tread on provincial jurisdiction.
“That’s what I’ve been fighting for for the last three years. And slowly but surely, working our way through some of the issues that have caused tension between Canada and Alberta,” she said.
The UCP’s effort to fight back against Ottawa continues Thursday evening, with Smith’s hand-picked Alberta Next panel making another another town hall pit stop in Lethbridge.
The panel is tasked with gathering feedback on potential referendum questions, including pulling out of the Canada Pension Plan, and replacing the RCMP with a provincial police service.
Her optimism Thursday came as Carney announced five major projects set to see regulatory approvals fast-tracked across the country. His government says an Alberta-based carbon capture and storage project could soon be added to the list.
That announcement, Smith said, showed “a real shift in the focus of this government.”
For months, Smith has also been demanding Carney repeal or rewrite nine laws she said have strangled Alberta’s mainstay oil and gas sector. Those include the greenhouse gas emissions cap, clean electricity regulations and single-use plastic rules.
Smith said they’re “making great progress” on addressing those issues with Ottawa.
The premier said she is hopeful she’ll have good news when Carney announces another tranche of major projects by the time of the Grey Cup football championship, which is scheduled for Nov. 16.
Carney, too, told reporters he had a “great” meeting with Smith, and they made headway.
“I’m confident that we’ll continue to make progress in the coming weeks ahead,” he said.
Alberta Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi told reporters in Calgary that Smith has always preferred to fight than win, and noted her nine demands came backed by the threat of a national unity crisis.
“She got zero of her nine things, and yet now she’s super happy, because she’s realized that her combative fighting posture has hurt Alberta, and it’s hurt the Alberta economy,” he said.
—With files from Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press