Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette, left, and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith will meet in Quebec City this week, in what Ms. Fréchette described as ‘an exploratory meeting.’Christopher Katsarov, Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith will meet in Quebec City this week, as both leaders prepare for campaigns that could strain national unity.
Speaking in Montreal, Ms. Fréchette described the planned encounter as “an exploratory meeting” intended to identify economic sectors in which the two provinces can collaborate. She expressed interest in discussing a possible east-west “energy corridor” with her western counterpart.
“With Alberta, it makes sense to see if there are any projects that could connect us,” she said Monday at an event hosted by the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal. The Quebec Premier’s office declined to provide any further details about the planned meeting.
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Ms. Smith, at an unrelated news conference in Calgary on Monday, said she was pleased to hear the Quebec Premier is interested in discussing east-west energy projects. The Alberta Premier said she previously spoke with Ms. Fréchette’s predecessor, François Legault, about how Quebec’s natural gas reserves could reduce the province’s reliance on the U.S. and increase export capacity to Europe.
Ms. Smith said she wasn’t aware that energy projects connecting the two provinces would be on the agenda.
“I was hoping that she’d be willing to talk about that,” Ms. Smith said.
The premiers’ meeting comes at a delicate time for national unity, as secessionist rumblings have picked up in both provinces.
Ms. Fréchette said Alberta and Quebec share common ground in their efforts to assert greater provincial autonomy.Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press
Alberta voters will hit the polls in October to decide whether the province should remain in Canada or begin the legal process working toward a binding independence referendum.
That vote will take place on Oct. 19, shortly after Quebec’s provincial election, which is likely to be dominated by a debate about sovereignty. The separatist Parti Québécois, leading or tied in most polls, has promised an independence referendum if it wins the Oct. 5 election.
Ms. Fréchette, Leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec, has said little about Alberta’s planned referendum. She has made clear she opposes a potential third referendum on independence in Quebec, though she has not said how she would vote if a referendum were to be held.
Ms. Smith said Alberta and Quebec share common ground in their efforts to assert greater provincial autonomy. Ms. Smith’s first piece of legislation as Premier was the Alberta Sovereignty within a United Canada Act, a bill she described as a tool for fighting federal regulations. It has not been tested in court.
“I think that we can have a strong partnership between Quebec and Alberta – not only on how we repair the country, so it gets back to the way it was initially intended to run, but also on an energy corridor,” Ms. Smith said.
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Ms. Fréchette’s comments about a possible energy corridor reflect a broader shift in a province that has long opposed major pipeline projects through its territory. She has previously said she is open to reconsidering Quebec’s ban on shale gas exploration, which has been in place since 2022, pointing to the need to reduce the province’s dependence on the United States.
“People in Quebec have shifted their views in recent months. I would say this has been particularly true since Donald Trump’s arrival to the White House,” she said Monday. “We need to adapt as the situation evolves.”
Ms. Fréchette said Prime Minister Mark Carney has been advocating for an energy corridor since he took office. “He wants us to further strengthen our ties between the east and the west,” she said.
She mentioned construction and aluminum as two other sectors in which Quebec and Alberta could work together. “There are markets to be tapped,” she said.
Ms. Smith said she won’t be meeting with Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon in her travels.