OTTAWA –
Danielle Smith, Alberta’s prime minister, says she’s ready to fight Ottawa to let Alberta develop its own resources, so it can build oil and gas pipelines to market. as well as promoting forestry and agriculture.
“We have always been treated like a subordinate of the government,” she said in an interview on CTV’s Question Period, which aired on Sunday. “We acted like that. But we will stop acting like that. We will be taking our place as a senior partner in Confederation. “
Smith also plans to bring a federal carbon tax back to the Supreme Court, after it ruled just last year that the policy was constitutional.
She added that Alberta deserves respect for being one of the largest economies in the country, and echoed parts of her Thursday night election victory speech that Albertans would not be ” silence and censorship,” and the province will no longer “ask Ottawa’s permission to be prosperous and free.”
“We will not let our resources be banned or our energy ceased to exist by a prime minister of good character,” she said in her speech. “Albertans, not Ottawa, will forge our own destiny on our own terms and we will work with our fellow Canadians to build the freest and most prosperous country on earth. soil.”
Smith told CTV’s Question Period that she’s open to collaborating with the federal government, but she’ll “push a lot” to develop resources.
“They can take us to court if they want to stop us but I think we will win that battle,” she said. “That’s what I’m looking forward to.”
Smith has promised to push for more autonomy for Alberta throughout his campaign. The prime minister-designate hopes to pass her controversial Alberta Sovereignty Act in early December, after she plans to win a seat in the legislature in a balloting election set for early. next week.
The act would give Alberta’s legislature the power to override federal laws it deems to be not in the province’s interest.
“I think it’s only fair for the federal government to let them know we’re changing our relationship back to the way it was,” Smith said.
In a separate interview that also aired on Sunday, Federal Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson told CTV’s Question Period that although Alberta is “stepping up aspects of some of these issues,” there is still an opportunity to do so. work together, including at his Regional Energy and Resource Table.
“I continue to think that this federation works best when we find a way to work together, understanding that there are always some differences,” he said.
As for Smith’s promise to bring a federal carbon tax back to the Supreme Court – arguing that the recent energy and affordability crises are “new information” the courts should consider before making them new ruling – Wilkinson says he believes “that issue has largely been resolved.”
“It’s up to the court as to whether they accept a new challenge, but I’ll say from a legal perspective, I think the bar is very high,” he said. “It would be very unusual for me to think that the Supreme Court would restart a case and just decide, and there would almost certainly be a process that one would have to go through and the arguments would really be. fundamentally new arguments.”
“But of course, Alberta has the right to try again through the courts if it feels it’s worth doing,” he added. “I just said, I think the problem is solved. There are ways that we can actually move forward without spending a lot of extra money litigating an issue that I think has already been done. “
