A day after visiting Montreal, where she pushed for closer ties between Alberta and Quebec, Premier Danielle Smith continued her charm offensive in Ottawa, where she is trying to rally support for a pipeline to the northern coast of British Columbia.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday morning, following a meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney on Monday, Smith continued her lobby efforts against federal legislation that she claims is helping to block construction of new pipelines between Alberta and the coast of British Columbia, including the federal emissions cap and ban on tanker traffic off northern B.C.
“The message is very simple, that we support big, major nation-building projects, and we would love to be able to partner with the companies that are going to help us build pipelines, as well as make sure that we’re supporting our fellow provinces on their aspirations to build major projects as well,” said Smith.
Smith, who at times has been a harsh critic of the federal Liberal government, accusing former prime minister Justin Trudeau of stoking separatist sentiment in Alberta, was sounding a lot more optimistic about her recent relationship with Carney.
“We are hoping to have some kind of agreement with the prime minister by Grey Cup, where he gives a clear indication that he’s prepared to address the nine laws that have been creating an investment climate that is hostile to private investment,” said Smith.
Following a meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney in Ottawa, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, said she’s hoping to have some indication from Ottawa by the Grey Cup, whether the federal Liberals are willing to change some of the legislation she claims is making it impossible to get new pipelines built.
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Smith, who announced last week that her government will be spending $14 million to help develop a proposal for a pipeline to the coast, — one that she hopes will be submitted to the federal government’s “Major Projects Office” in the spring — contends such a project could generate up to $20 billion per year for the Canadian economy.
“So that is a very high value long-term return,” said Smith. “All it takes is the prime minister to say yes. And so I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to get to that by mid-November.”
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But despite Smith’s newfound optimism with Ottawa, the government of British Columbia continues to cast doubt on the Alberta premier’s ability to get a new pipeline built.
In a video posted online on Monday, Premier David Eby called Smith’s plan a “fictional” project that does not have First Nations’ consent, “has no private proponent, no route and no private funding, and would cost taxpayers billions.”
On top of that, said Eby, “it would threaten one of the world’s most precious and intact ecosystems, our beautiful B.C. coast and Great Bear Rainforest.”
British Columbia Premier David Eby said a pipeline to the northern B.C. coast is a “fictional” project that does not have First Nations’ consent, “has no private proponent, no route and no private funding, and would cost taxpayers billions.”
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Smith responded Tuesday by calling Eby’s comments “un-Canadian and unconstitutional.”
“I think that the Supreme Court has determined that the reason we have a country and have given trade and commerce power and control over ports and interprovincial infrastructure to the federal government is for exactly this reason, so that a parochial premier isn’t able to block nation-building projects,” said Smith.
“So I think the courts have been pretty clear on that and I would hope that Prime Minister Mark Carney would realize that its his obligation to make sure that these kinds of projects get built.”
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe has thrown his support behind the Alberta Premier, posting on X that “The Premier of Alberta is right. The NDP Premier of British Columbia is wrong.”
This is not the first time the premiers of the two western provinces have sparred over pipelines.
First, Christy Clark and Alison Redford went toe to toe over Northern Gateway more than a decade ago.
A few years later it was John Horgan and Rachel Notley duking it out over the Transmountain Pipeline Expansion.
Now it’s Eby versus Smith, with the potential payoff at the polls.
“It benefits both sides,” said Duane Bratt, a political scientist at Calgary’s Mount Royal University.
“Cooperation is always good, but fighting can be politically advantageous as well. And yes, there’s an ideological gap there, but I think it’s more about the self-interest,” said Bratt.
“We saw conservative governments argue. We saw NDP governments in both provinces argue, because they’re representing their provinces.”
“Alberta needs to go through B.C., but most of the economic benefits all come back to Alberta and most of that risk is in B.C.,” added Bratt. “None of that has changed.”
The challenge for the prime minister, said Bratt, will be to somehow find some middle ground.
While Carney has shown some willingness to make changes like eliminating the consumer carbon tax, delaying the federal government’s electric vehicle (EV) sales mandate, and musing about changing the emissions cap, Bratt says any decision the prime minister makes will come at a political cost for him, too.
“That’s going to be very tough. How do you get E.B. And Smith on the same page?”
–with files from The Canadian Press.
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