Premier Danielle Smith says the new Liberal prime minister had some promising things to say in their first conversation about changing the direction of his government's anti-resource policies, but Alberta won't sit idly by waiting for action.
"While I will in good faith work with Prime Minister Mark Carney on unwinding the mountain of destructive legislation and policies that have ravaged our provincial and national economies this past decade, until I see tangible proof of real change, Alberta will be taking steps to better protect ourselves from Ottawa," Smith said on Monday about the province鈥檚 path forward with the federal government following a special meeting with the Alberta government caucus.
Smith said she will appoint a special negotiating team on the reforms Alberta has requested which include:
鈥� A guaranteed corridor and port access to tidewater on the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic coasts for the international export of Alberta resources.
鈥� An end to all federal laws and regulations to regulate industrial carbon emissions, plastics, or the commercial free speech of energy companies, and the repeal of the no new pipelines law C69, the oil tanker ban, the net zero electricity regulations, the oil and gas emissions cap, and the net zero vehicle mandate.
鈥� The federal government must refrain from imposing export taxes or restrictions on the export of Alberta resources without Alberta's consent.
鈥� The federal government must provide Alberta the same per capita and federal transfers and equalization that the other three largest provinces receive (Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia).
She said she hopes it will result in a binding agreement that Albertans can have confidence in.
"For the last 10 years, successive Liberal governments in Ottawa, supported by their New Democrat allies, have unleashed a tidal wave of laws, policies, and political attacks aimed directly at Alberta's free economy and, in effect, against the future and livelihood of our people," Smith said during her 20-minute public address.
"This onslaught of anti-energy, anti-agriculture and anti-resource development policies scared away global investments to the tune of a half a trillion dollars. As a result, Canada has fallen to dead last in economic growth among industrialized nations."
She said Albertans are frustrated, so Alberta's government will also appoint an Alberta Next Panel, which she will chair, to decide the next steps to better protect Alberta from hostile policies.
She said some of the panel's popular ideas will be put on a provincial referendum ballot so all Albertans can vote on them in 2026, and while her government will not put forward a vote on separating from Canada, it could be included if a citizen-led petition gathers enough signatures. However, it must protect the rights of Indigenous people.
"As Premier, I am entirely committed to protecting, upholding and honouring the inherent rights of First Nations, Metis and Inuit people. Therefore any referendum question must not violate the constitutional rights of First Nations, Metis and Inuit people, and must uphold and honour Treaties 6 , 7 and 8 should any referendum question ever pass. This in non-negotiable," Smith said.
Details and scope of the panel will be released in the coming weeks.
