Alberta Premier Danielle Smith wasted no time after the federal election to make known her views that the status quo is not an option for Alberta. She refers of course to the terrible treatment Alberta received from the Justin Trudeau Liberal government, which went out of its way to squelch opportunities for Alberta, notably by the passing of legislation to prevent development of the oil and gas sector as well as other natural resource projects. Hundreds of billions of dollars of investment capital fled Canada as a result, damaging the economy of the entire country in the process.
Smith has taken a number of her past disputes with Ottawa to the courts and has had considerable success. For instance, the single-use plastics ban was overturned by the Federal Court on the basis that it was unreasonable and unconstitutional, and the Impact Assessment Act – or no more pipelines bill – was also declared unconstitutional in its first iteration. It has subsequently been amended to supposedly conform with the Supreme Court of Canada’s objections but is still viewed as a major obstacle to getting any major project completed in Canada without unacceptable delays.
Smith’s recent legal challenge to Ottawa involves seeking a court ruling on the constitutionality of the federal “clean electricity” grid regulations. These regulations involve a plan to decarbonize electricity grids nationally by 2050. Many scientific experts have weighed in on the practicality of removing all carbon-based fuel generation of electricity in Canada, and concluded it is a ridiculous and impossible goal. The outcome is guaranteed to be skyrocketing electricity costs and brown outs and black outs. In a cold country like Canada with an enormous geography, it is an unattainable and dangerous goal to pursue.
Currently, about 20 per cent of total electricity generation is provided by fossil fuels, notably in the prairie provinces where electricity provided by hydro generation is not available. Furthermore, Canada’s electricity grid is already quite clean, as about 85 per cent of electricity is generated from non-emitting sources such as hydro, nuclear, wind and solar. To pursue another few percentage points at enormous cost and the risk of blackouts makes no sense. As well, courts have previously decided that electricity generation is well-recognized as within provincial jurisdiction, suggesting that Smith’s legal challenge has great odds of success.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe was more conciliatory than Smith when, reacting to the election of a Carney Liberal government, he stated he would be pleased to work with them but that past policies would need to change. He also noted that this was an opportunity to hit the reset button with Saskatchewan after a difficult decade. Despite Moe’s moderate words, he appears to be on a collision course with Carney as he took the opportunity of the reduction of the consumer carbon tax to zero to also get rid of the industrial carbon tax in Saskatchewan. Carney has stated he supports the industrial carbon tax and will likely increase it to make up for revenues lost from the consumer tax, so it appears this could be the first roadblock to federal-provincial co-operation in Saskatchewan.
Federal Liberals have also made a point of criticizing Smith for her approach to recent Canada-U.S. tensions, calling her a “traitor” for meeting with a number of senior US politicians including President Trump to defend the interests of her province as well as those of Canada. As the Liberals found their cantankerous approach to Trump to be a political advantage in the federal election, they preferred to impose retaliatory tariffs and adopt a belligerent tone, even if that hurt Canadians businesses and consumers.
In reality, Smith was working hard to protect Alberta – which is, after all, her job – but also helping Canada in the process as so much of the country depends on our resource sector. It will be a very welcome change if the so-called “new” Liberal government in Ottawa actually decided to further the interests of Canadians for a change instead of some narrow and damaging ideological pursuits such as the climate crusade. The fact so many of the MPs who were players in the Trudeau government still remain suggests that change will be difficult if not impossible. It is probable that the federal Liberals will continue to demonize Smith as some kind of enemy to the country, when the truth is exactly the reverse.
The next few months will be a difficult time for Canadian unity as the various political players settle into new relationships, likely within the context of an economic recession. There has been much discussion about how much the Trump factor affected the Canadian election, and Trump himself is boasting that he swung the results in favour of the Liberals. One prevalent rumour is that Trump wanted Carney as prime minister because he knew it would stoke regional conflicts within Canada. This would serve his goals if he ultimately covets Alberta and Saskatchewan, with their wealth of natural resources and conservative-leaning populations, to be part of the U.S. or in some kind of collaborative arrangement. One of the key factors will be whether or not Carney chooses to be the Prime Minister that prevails over the break-up of Canada by continuing the destructive Liberal policies of the last decade. Given the anger in Western Canada right now, this outcome cannot be dismissed.
She has published numerous articles in journals, magazines & other media on issues such as free trade, finance, entrepreneurship & women business owners. Ms. Swift is a past President of the Empire Club of Canada, a former Director of the CD Howe Institute, the Canadian Youth Business Foundation, SOS Children’s Villages, past President of the International Small Business Congress and current Director of the Fraser Institute. She was cited in 2003 & 2012 as one of the most powerful women in Canada by the Women’s Executive Network & is a recipient of the Queen’s Silver & Gold Jubilee medals.
