'I think we would win that battle': Danielle Smith promises to fight for resource development in Alberta
Alberta premier-designate Danielle Smith says she’s ready to take the fight to Ottawa for Alberta’s autonomy to develop its resources, so that it can build pipelines to get oil and gas to market and boost the forestry and agriculture sectors.
“We've always been treated like a subordinate level of government,” she said in an interview on CTV’s Question Period, airing Sunday. “We've acted like it. But we're going to stop acting like that. We're going to take our place as a senior partner in Confederation.”
Smith also plans to take the federal carbon tax back to the Supreme Court, after it ruled just last year that the policy is constitutional.
She added that Alberta deserves respect for being one of the largest economies in the country, and echoed portions of her Thursday night election victory speech that Albertans will not be “silenced and censored,” and the province will no longer “ask permission from Ottawa to be prosperous and free.”
“We will not have our resources landlocked or our energy phased out of existence by a virtue-signalling prime minister,” she said during her speech. “Albertans, not Ottawa, will chart our own destiny on our own terms and we will work with our fellow Canadians to build the most free and prosperous country on earth.”
Smith told CTV’s Question Period she is ready to work collaboratively with the federal government, but that she’s going to “push very hard” to get resources developed.
“They can take us to court if they want to stop us but I think we would win that battle,” she said. “That's what I'm looking forward to.”
Smith has promised to push for more autonomy for Alberta throughout her campaign. The premier-designate hopes to table her controversial Alberta Sovereignty Act by early December, following her plans to win the southeastern seat of Brooks-Medicine Hat in the legislature during a byelection launched as early as next week.
The act would give the Alberta legislature the power to ignore federal laws it deems not in the best interest of the province.
“I think that it's only fair to the federal government to let them know we're changing our relationship back to the way it was supposed to be,” Smith said.
In a separate interview also airing Sunday, Federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson told CTV’s Question Period that although Alberta is “pushing at the edges in terms of some of these issues,” there are still opportunities to work together, including at his Regional Energy and Resource Tables.
“I continue to be of the view that this federation works best when we find pathways to work together, understanding that there are always some differences that exist,” he said.
As for Smith’s promise to take the federal carbon tax back to the Supreme Court — arguing recent energy and affordability crises are “new information” the court should consider before making a new ruling — Wilkinson said he believes “that issue has largely been settled.”
“That’s up to the courts as to whether they accept a new challenge, but I would say from a legal perspective, I think the bar is very high,” he said. “It would be very unusual for I think the Supreme Court to rehear a case and just decided, and almost certainly there would be a process that one would have to go through and the arguments would really have to be fundamentally new arguments.”
“But of course Alberta is free to try again through the courts if it feels that that is something that is worth doing,” he added. “I would just say, I think the issue is settled. There are ways in which we can actually move forward without spending a lot more money litigating an issue that I think has been already done.”
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
W5 Investigates Heists, arson and a baseball bat brawl: the violent side of clothing donation bins
In part three of a four-part investigation into the seedy underbelly of the lucrative clothing donation bin industry, CTV W5's Jon Woodward and Joseph Loiero look into allegations that the industry is rife with organized crime activity.
Canada will cut its permanent immigration levels by at least 20 per cent
Canada will lower the number of permanent immigrants it allows into the country by at least 20 per cent from its previous target of 500,000, ۴ý confirmed Wednesday.
Montreal's mayor is leaving politics, and she's not alone. Is it the toxic climate for women?
Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante announced Wednesday she would not seek a third mandate. Her decision has many talking about the demands of municipal leadership, particularly for women.
The president and CEO of New Brunswick-based Covered Bridge Potato Chips is taking an 'extended leave of absence' after being charged with domestic violence this past weekend.
A memorial is growing outside a Walmart in Halifax after a 19-year-old employee was found dead inside an oven in the store Saturday night.
Trudeau says Liberals 'strong and united' despite caucus dissent
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the Liberal party is 'strong and united,' despite efforts from within his caucus to oust him as leader.
'Canadians can breathe a sigh of relief': Bank of Canada governor on interest rate cut
The Bank of Canada made a sizable cut to its key lending rate Wednesday from 4.25 per cent to 3.75 per cent as the global economy continues to expand. The half percentage point cut is the fourth rate cut in a row by the central bank as inflation dropped from 2.7 per cent in June to 1.6 per cent in September.
A search has started at Prairie Green Landfill for the remains of two victims of a serial killer.
He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.
Local Spotlight
He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.
A meteor lit up our region's sky last night – with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.
Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.
A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.
A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.
A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.
Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.
Looking for a scare with good intentions this Halloween season? The ghosts and ghouls of Eganville, Ont. invite families to tour the Haunted Walk at Lekbor Manor.
The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that – and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.