Alberta Premier Danielle Smith focuses on scrapping energy policies in speech on province’s relationship with Ottawa

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Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, grappling with a noisy separatist movement in her province after the federal Liberals won last month’s election, says Ottawa will need to abolish several key policies if it wants a working relationship with her government.

In a nearly 20-minute speech late Monday, Ms. Smith said Alberta is frustrated with the direction of the country, particularly because of an “onslaught of anti-energy, anti-agriculture and anti-resource development policies” from the federal government over the past decade.

The Premier said her first conversation with Prime Minister Mark Carney appeared to be promising. “However,” she added, “Albertans are more of a actions-speak-louder-than-words kind of people,” which is why she will soon appoint a negotiating team to repeal federal restrictions on oil and gas pipelines, resource exports and transfer payments under the equalization program.

Ms. Smith and her United Conservative Party have long had a hostile relationship with the federal Liberals, who have now won their fourth straight mandate in government. In March, she threatened a national-unity crisis unless the winner of the federal election implemented her demands related to the energy industry within six months of taking office.

In the Premier’s Monday speech, billed as “the province’s path forward with the federal government,” she also said that she is creating a new “Alberta Next” panel to conduct online and in-person meetings with residents. The panel, which she will chair, will “likely” culminate its town halls in a provincial referendum next year on “some of the more popular ideas discussed,” she added.

“To be clear from the outset, our government will not be putting a vote on separation from Canada on the referendum ballot," she said.

But she went on to say that if a citizen-led petition managed to get the requisite number of signatures for such a question to be put to a referendum, the government would enable that for 2026.

The day after Mr. Carney led the Liberals to victory last week, Ms. Smith’s government introduced a bill that would make it easier for residents to force provincial referendums.

The Premier did not take any questions from reporters after her speech. She is expected to hold a press conference Tuesday.

The Premier held a “special caucus meeting” on Friday to discuss the results of the election. The Conservative Party of Canada won all but three of Alberta‘s 37 ridings.

Western discontent is a growing problem after Liberal election victory

Despite the talk of separation in the West, polling conducted in Alberta by Nanos for The Globe and Mail after the election shows that the desire by some to leave Canada remains a minority opinion. Far more of those polled – 64 per cent – said Alberta would be better off as a part of Canada, more than double the number who said they believe the province would be stronger alone or as part of the U.S.

(The Nanos poll, which surveyed 432 Albertans last week using a hybrid telephone and online random survey, is considered accurate to 4.8 percentage points, plus or minus, 19 times out of 20.)

On Monday, Ms. Smith said people in Alberta who are interested in the province’s separation from Canada “are not fringe voices to be marginalized or vilified,” and represent a large and growing number of people.

“They are loyal Albertans,” she said. “They are frustrated – and they have every reason to be."

But the Premier said she does not support the province’s separation because she believes there is a path toward unity in Canada within which Alberta can be strong and sovereign.

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

To that end, Ms. Smith’s new negotiating team will work toward a binding agreement with Ottawa to guarantee Alberta has access to tidewater off the Pacific, Arctic and Atlantic coasts for the export of oil, gas and critical minerals, she said.

The team will also work to repeal Ottawa’s existing laws on pipelines, oil tankers, net-zero electricity regulations, caps on oil and gas emissions “and any federal law or regulation that purports to regulate industrial carbon emissions, plastics, or the commercial free speech of energy companies,” she said.

Additionally, Ms. Smith focused on equalization payments, a continuing issue for Alberta.

“We have no issue with Alberta continuing to subsidize smaller provinces with their needs, but there is no excuse for such large and powerful economies like Ontario, Quebec, B.C. or Alberta to be subsidizing one another. That was never the intent of equalization, and it needs to end,” she added.

“Call it an Alberta Accord if you will.”

The Prime Minister did not immediately react to Ms. Smith’s comments on Monday.

After their first meeting, Mr. Carney wrote on social media that Ms. Smith and his government were aligned on “bringing down the cost of living and increasing opportunities in the energy sector for hard working Albertans.”

Corey Hogan and Eleanor Olszewski, two of the only federal Liberals elected in Alberta, in separate interviews told The Globe that they expect Mr. Carney to respond to the provincial government’s concerns by reducing the regulatory burden facing major infrastructure efforts.

“Albertans are very concerned about energy projects, and Mark Carney is committed to reducing red tape and reducing project review time,” Ms. Olszewski said Sunday. “We need to get things done for Alberta and for the West.”

Mr. Hogan said that he expects Mr. Carney to streamline approvals for projects, although he concedes executives asking for a six-month process might be disappointed, noting the courts will still demand due process and meaningful consultation with relevant groups like First Nations.

One in four people in Alberta identify as Albertans first, Canadians second, Nanos poll finds

Ms. Smith has blamed the Liberals – specifically former prime minister Justin Trudeau and Steven Guilbeault, who had served as environment and climate change minister – for damaging Alberta‘s prosperity over the past decade. She has argued that Ottawa is responsible for scaring away global investments from her province and toward the U.S., Asia and the Middle East.

“None of us know what the future holds should Ottawa, for whatever reason, continue to attack our province,” Ms. Smith said Monday. “But I am going to do everything within my power to negotiate a fair deal for Alberta with the new Prime Minister.”