Latest news with #FairDealPanel
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Alberta government to launch sovereignty panel tour amid talk of new pipeline
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says a new panel will hit the road this summer with an eye on devising new measures for Alberta to assert autonomy and shield its economy from what she calls federal overreach. The "Alberta Next" panel, which was announced in May, will hold a series of in-person town halls over the summer, with exact locations to be announced in the coming weeks. It will also collect feedback through online surveys. Proposals that come out of those discussions could be put to a vote in a referendum next year. "The Alberta Next panel will put Albertans in the drivers' seat," Smith told reporters at a news conference in Heritage Park in Calgary on Tuesday. "It will give them the rightful opportunity to decide how Alberta can become stronger and more sovereign within a united Canada." Smith previously said she would chair the panel. In addition to Smith, the panel will include Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz, economist Trevor Tombe, and Adam Legge of the Business Council of Alberta, among others, with some still to be announced. The government said the panel would consult Albertans on subjects like the possibility of establishing an Alberta pension plan, switching to an Alberta provincial police service from the RCMP and considering potential immigration reform, among other issues. Some of the subjects echo the UCP's former Fair Deal Panel, which produced 25 recommendations, including developing a plan to withdraw from the Canada Pension Plan and creating a provincial police force. Asked by reporters Tuesday about how this effort would be different, Smith said that sometimes conversations that emerge out of the panel discussions lead to a "national dialogue." "We identified six issues that we know have come up in the previous round of the Fair Deal Panel that we think Albertans now may want to put to a referendum so that we can take some action on them," Smith said. "But there may be others, and that's what we want to be able to explore." Talk of new pipeline On Tuesday, Bloomberg News reported that Smith told the news agency in an interview that she expected a private company would bring forward a proposal to build a new oil pipeline to the British Columbia coast within weeks. Smith has not named the company and no firm has yet publicly committed to the idea. Asked by reporters at Tuesday's news conference about that report, Smith said she had been talking with all of the pipeline companies since she was elected. "I feel like we're pretty close to having, either one or a consortium come forward," she said. "I would hope that that would happen very soon, because we need to send a signal to Albertans very soon and test the new process the prime minister is putting forward." Last week, the Liberal government's major projects legislation passed in the House of Commons. It aims to reduce interprovincial trade barriers and speed up approvals for major projects in the national interest. Specific projects haven't yet been identified, however Prime Minister Mark Carney has said decarbonized oil pipelines are "absolutely" in the national interest and would support both trade diversification and new industry development. WATCH | MPs push through Carney's major projects bill before summer break: Currently, the federally-owned Trans Mountain pipeline carries crude oil from Alberta to the West Coast. But Smith has been vocal about potentially revisiting a plan to ship oilsands crude to the northern B.C. coast, telling reporters at the Global Energy Show earlier this month that the province was working to entice a private-sector pipeline builder. Smith has suggested that Prince Rupert, B.C., could work as a potential end point for the pipeline. Plans for the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline to export crude oil near Kitimat, B.C., were scrapped in 2016 following a court ruling that determined Ottawa failed to properly consult First Nations affected by the pipeline. With talk of a revival of such plans on the radar, B.C. Premier David Eby said earlier this week that he opposed public funding for an oil pipeline to the north coast, but added he wasn't against a privately-backed option. "What I don't support is tens of billions of dollars in federal subsidy going to build this new pipeline when we already own a pipeline [Trans Mountain] that empties into British Columbia and has significant additional capacity — 200,000 barrels," Eby said on Sunday. More to come.
Toronto Star
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Alberta Premier Smith congratulates Carney, warns him against future ‘hostile acts'
EDMONTON - Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has delivered a note of congratulations — along with a sharply worded warning and a blanket condemnation — to Prime Minister Mark Carney and his new Liberal government. In a Tuesday morning statement, Smith urged Carney to immediately reset Ottawa's relationship with her province, accusing the Liberals of undermining Alberta's resource-based economy for a decade. 'I will not permit the status quo to continue. Albertans are proud Canadians that want this nation to be strong, prosperous, and united, but we will no longer tolerate having our industries threatened and our resources landlocked by Ottawa,' she wrote. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Smith said she will see about steps to shield Alberta from what she calls 'hostile acts' from Ottawa, adding the Liberals and NDP have 'demeaned and demonized Albertans' for political gain. The Liberals were returned to power in Monday's federal election, but it's not clear whether it will be with a minority or majority government as ballots continue to be counted. Smith also praised Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who lost his long-held seat in Ottawa, calling him a 'true friend of Alberta' who advocated for anti-tax and pro-resource policies. 'Poilievre's vision for a safer, more affordable, united and prosperous Canada drove the policy debate in this country for the last several years and has inspired millions to see the unique potential of our nation,' she wrote. Alberta has long held a frosty relationship with Liberal governments in Ottawa. Ahead of the election, Smith outlined a list of demands for the next prime minister, which includes scrapping the greenhouse gas emissions cap and ditching a ban on single-use plastics 'so we can start using straws again.' Smith also has said she wants guarantees that pipelines can be built in every direction. She's called for net-zero electricity and vehicle targets to be shelved and for Canada's anti-greenwashing law to be repealed. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW In the lead-up to the election, Smith warned of an 'unprecedented national unity crisis' if her demands weren't met within six months. Later, she said she would strike a second Fair Deal Panel — one she would dub the 'What's Next' panel — to 'listen to what it is that Albertans want to do in consequence.' It all comes as some, including former Reform Party founder Preston Manning, have warned of a sovereignty reckoning from Westerners frustrated by the thought of four more years of Liberal government. Smith insists that she wants the discussion to secure a future for Alberta 'within a united Canada that respects our province's constitutional rights.' Opponents, including Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi, have criticized Smith for flirting with Alberta separatism in the midst of a trade tariff war with the United States. In a statement congratulating Carney, Nenshi said now is the time to set aside divisiveness and for Smith to work with the new federal government to help Albertans. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'Canadians are tired of endless political fighting. Spending millions on a Fair Deal panel or squabbling over plastic straws doesn't lower grocery bills, make insurance affordable, or create sustainable jobs,' he said. The first Fair Deal Panel was formed by former United Conservative premier and Smith's predecessor, Jason Kenney, shortly after he took office in 2019. That panel was tasked with finding ways to gain leverage against Ottawa, and came back with more than two dozen recommendations, including an Alberta pension plan and replacing the RCMP with a provincial police force. Kenney adopted neither. Five years later, Smith hasn't explicitly committed to the recommendations. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 29, 2025. Politics Headlines Newsletter Get the latest news and unmatched insights in your inbox every evening Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. Please enter a valid email address. Sign Up Yes, I'd also like to receive customized content suggestions and promotional messages from the Star. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Politics Headlines Newsletter You're signed up! You'll start getting Politics Headlines in your inbox soon. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page.
CBC
22-03-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Alberta premier says she'd form second Fair Deal Panel if Ottawa doesn't meet policy demands
A day after threatening a national unity crisis, Premier Danielle Smith says she would strike a panel to poll Albertans on what to do if her list of demands is ignored. Smith, facing repeated questions from reporters in Calgary about how far she'd be willing to go in a renewed fight with Ottawa, said Friday she'd strike a second Fair Deal Panel to "listen to what it is that Albertans want to do in consequence." Smith's latest demands, posted on social media Thursday after a meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney in Edmonton, include ending a number of policies put in place under former prime minister Justin Trudeau. She says those policies, such as Ottawa's proposed emissions cap, have done nothing but harm Alberta's oil and gas sector. Smith said in a statement after the meeting that she wanted her demands meaningfully addressed within months of the next federal election, which is expected to be called Sunday. The first Fair Deal Panel was formed by former United Conservative premier and Smith's predecessor Jason Kenney shortly after he took office in 2019, citing the province's widespread frustration with the federal government. The panel was tasked with finding ways to gain leverage against Ottawa. At the time, then-Opposition NDP leader Rachel Notley said the whole endeavour was a way for Kenney to stoke "the fires of separation in order to distract from his own economic failures." The panel published a report in 2020 with more than two dozen recommendations, including to create an Alberta pension plan and to replace the RCMP with a provincial police force. Kenney adopted neither. Five years later, Smith hasn't explicitly committed to the recommendations. Smith said Friday her list of preferred federal policy reversals is reasonable, especially if Carney's Liberal government is as different as Trudeau's, as Carney says it is. She also took issue with what she said were conflicting messages coming from Carney's government. She said that in their meeting Carney alluded to the possibility of scrapping the yet-to-be-implemented emissions cap. But Environment Minister Terry Duguid told The Canadian Press in a recent interview that the cap would go ahead. The mixed messaging led Smith to call on Friday for clarity from the prime minister. Smith said Albertans and Canadians needed to know what the promise is before an election. Besides ditching the emissions cap, Smith said she wants guarantees that pipelines can be built in every direction and that Ottawa's single-use plastics prohibition will be abolished, "so we can start using straws again." She's also calling for net-zero electricity and vehicle targets to be shelved and for Canada's greenwashing law to be repealed. "None of what I put on here is unreasonable," Smith said. "And if there is a true change of heart, then the prime minister and his cabinet will move in that direction." NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said Thursday that Smith is "playing chicken with people's lives," at a time when many Albertans feel their livelihoods are already under threat because of tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump. "It's juvenile, it's childish, it's not very bright, and it's certainly not going to get Alberta what we need," Nenshi said. Smith provided few details on what she'd expect out of a second Fair Deal Panel but said she believes in "direct democracy." "I always feel like big important decisions need to be put to a referendum of all Albertans," she said.
