Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is warning that Prime Minister Mark Carney’s newly unveiled cabinet signals a continuation of Ottawa’s anti-resource agenda. She said that while she’s been trying to give Carney the benefit of the doubt, one of his first actions as prime minister is “a step in the wrong direction.”
Carney unveiled his 28-minister cabinet on Tuesday. Half of the ministers served in former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s inner circle.
Smith previously called for a “reset” in relations between Ottawa and Alberta. Since Carney’s election, Alberta has seen an outpouring of support for separation from its residents.
She has repeatedly made various demands of the federal government, including scrapping the oil and gas emissions cap, the clean electricity regulations, plastic bans, Bill C-69, and much more.
Following the recent general election, Smith met with Carney and reiterated her demands, saying that he replied by saying he would rapidly advance national building projects.
“Following this meeting, I gave the Prime Minister the benefit of the doubt. We wanted to see whether he would take decisive and meaningful action to repair the relationship between Alberta and Ottawa, or if this was just more hollow rhetoric that Albertans have become accustomed to,” said Smith.
According to Smith, the new cabinet is a sign that Alberta may be in for more “hollow rhetoric.”
Smith raised her concerns with newly appointed Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin.
“Not only is she a self-proclaimed architect of the designation of plastics as toxic, but she is a staunch advocate against oil sands expansion, a proponent of phasing out oil and gas, and for the last four years she has served as the right hand to former Environment Minister and militant environmentalist, Steven Guilbeault,” said Smith.
Over the last decade, Smith said that Alberta has suffered due to the anti-development and anti-resource policies pushed by the Liberal government. She said that Alberta is now forced to deal with another “keep it in the ground environment minister.”
“This is a step in the wrong direction. I will continue to do everything in my power to negotiate a fair deal for Alberta with the new Prime Minister,” said Smith. “Albertans will not stand for the status quo from Ottawa. If the Prime Minister is serious about resetting the relationship between Ottawa and Alberta, then we need meaningful action now, not more of the same. I call on the new environment minister to support Alberta’s energy industry and work towards increasing production and market access for our resources.”
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre issued a similar warning. He said that Canadians cannot afford more out-of-touch Liberal policies and spending that has resulted in young Canadians having no chance to buy homes and two million people lining up at food banks.
While Carney has talked a big game about taking Canada in a new direction, Poilievre warned that talk is cheap, and lining his cabinet with the same ministers as former prime minister Justin Trudeau is not a good start.
Poilievre took aim at various ministers — new and old.
Though he noted that Carney had borrowed several of his ideas during the leadership campaign and election, Poilievre dismissed it as water under the bridge. In fact, he encouraged Carney to take more.
“Steal my ideas. We’ve got great ideas, and we’ve been leading the charge on the debate over carbon taxes, inflation, housing prices, crime, drugs, resource development,” said Poilievre.