Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her government won’t push for vote on separation

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who has long clashed with Ottawa over energy and environmental policies, has rolled out a bill making it easier for residents to force a provincial referendum, although she insisted her government would not push for a vote on separation.

From theglobeandmail

Ms. Smith, who in March threatened a national unity crisis unless Canada‘s next prime minister implements her policy wish-list, said Tuesday that most MPs elected in the federal election pledged to develop resources and work with provinces to establish ways to get products to market.

The Premier said she will ask Prime Minister Mark Carney, who led the Liberals to victory on Monday, to pursue energy policies friendly to her province and the oil and gas industry, which she said would align with how he pitched himself on the campaign trail.

“His mandate comes from moderate voters who actually want this province to be a genuine energy superpower, and for the country to be a genuine energy superpower,” Ms. Smith told reporters.

A small but vocal faction of Alberta‘s right-leaning voters has been pressing for the province to leave Confederation, especially now that the federal Liberals secured their fourth consecutive term.

On Tuesday, Ms. Smith unveiled a sheaf of changes to acts governing democracy and election financing in the province. They include lowering the number of eligible signatures necessary to trigger a referendum or recall a politician, and extending the time frame in which the names must be collected.

Alberta‘s governing United Conservative Party will also hold a “special caucus meeting” Friday to discuss the province’s future given the federal government remains under Liberal control, the Premier said in a statement.

Michael DeMoor, an associate professor who teaches politics at The King’s University in Edmonton, said Ms. Smith could have adopted a more emollient tone toward Mr. Carney in response to him showing a willingness to advance new pipelines and conventional energy projects in his victory speech.

“The lack of acknowledgment of that, I thought, was pretty significant,” Prof. DeMoor said. “Her preference will be to continue to take a hard line.”

Ms. Smith said her government would not lead the charge for a referendum on Alberta‘s independence, but she is not deterring would-be separatists, either.

“In the weeks and months ahead, Albertans will have an opportunity to discuss our province’s future, assess various options for strengthening and protecting our province against future hostile acts from Ottawa, and to ultimately choose a path forward,” she said in a statement Tuesday.

“As Premier, I will facilitate and lead this discussion and process with the sincere hope of securing a prosperous future for our province within a united Canada that respects our province’s constitutional rights, facilitates rather than blocks the development and export of our abundant resources, and treats us as a valued and respected partner within Confederation.”

Ms. Smith’s new proposals also include reintroducing corporate and union donations to parties, constituency associations, prospective candidate associations, leadership contestants and third-party election advertisers, including those campaigning in referendums. It also eased spending limits, among other changes.

Both the provincial New Democratic Party and the UCP previously took steps to limit the amount of corporate and union money in the electoral system.

Cameron Davies – a conservative strategist who leads the Republican Party of Alberta, which wants a government-led, binding referendum on independence – scoffed at Ms. Smith’s overtures to the province’s potential separatists.

Mr. Davies, who recently left as a member of the UCP, said Ms. Smith’s legislative tweaks and listening tour are akin to the government’s previous penchant for letters and lawsuits: ineffective ways to change the relationship between Alberta and Ottawa.

By leaving it to citizens to pursue an independence referendum, the UCP is sloughing off what he called a growing movement in Alberta, he said: “They are looking to pass the buck.”

In Monday’s federal election, the Conservatives captured all but three of Alberta‘s 37 ridings. The NDP held Edmonton Strathcona, a lone spot of orange in a sea of blue in Alberta and Saskatchewan, while the Liberals retained control of Edmonton Centre and won in Calgary Confederation.

In Saskatchewan, the Conservatives won 13 of 14 seats, with the Liberals picking up the northern outlier.

Ms. Smith, ahead of the campaign, told a right-leaning podcast in the United States that Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre was aligned with U.S. President Donald Trump. Experts speculated that Ms. Smith’s threats over national unity and her portrait of Mr. Poilievre may have cost the Conservatives votes, particularly outside of Alberta. Mr. Poilievre lost his seat in Ontario.

The Premier rejected the suggestion she might be in part responsible for the Conservatives’ crash landing.

“I don’t think I was in the media in the last two weeks. I was travelling,” she said Tuesday, noting the vote “fortified” over that period. “Whatever happened over the last two weeks, I would say, was the result of campaigning by the federal parties.”

Mr. Poilievre, Ms. Smith said, deserves to remain as the leader of the federal Conservatives. His party’s winning MPs owe their victories to him, she said.

“He can find another riding where it may be a little bit easier to win,” the Premier said, adding that “he just didn’t spend as much time in his home riding to secure the win back home.”