Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she has had her first meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney amid tensions between Western provinces and Ottawa following the recent election that gave the Liberals a fourth term in office.
Smith announced on May 2 that the meeting was “positive.”
“We spoke at length about the policies and legislation that are holding back Alberta’s economy, and specific proposals for projects and legislative reforms that will significantly increase market access for Alberta oil and gas, agricultural products and other goods,” she said in a post on the X platform.
“The Prime Minister made it clear he intended to rapidly advance these kinds of nation building projects in the coming weeks and months.”
Smith and Carney clashed during the election campaign, with the premier saying she will defend her province’s resource development against what she said is overreach by Ottawa with its clean energy policies and restrictions on pipelines. Carney has said his government will focus on internal projects, but told French media it may or may not include pipelines.
Smith said she and Carney also discussed the U.S. tariffs and how the federal government and provinces can work together “to advance both Canada’s and Alberta’s interests.”
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She noted, however, that repairing relations between Alberta and Ottawa will take time.
“Repairing the damage to Alberta’s economy caused by Ottawa’s last 10-years of anti-resource legislation and policies will take tremendous effort and cooperation, however, today’s conversation was a positive first step,” she said in the post.
Carney responded to Smith’s post, thanking her for the call.
“We’re both focused on bringing down the cost of living and increasing opportunities in the energy sector for hard working Albertans,” he said in a May 2 post on X.
“I look forward to working together — to break down interprovincial trade barriers and to build one strong Canadian economy.”
The meeting came days after Carney won a minority government in a tight race with the Conservatives.
After the win, Smith issued a statement urging Carney to “immediately commence working with our government to reset the relationship between Ottawa and Alberta with meaningful action rather than hollow rhetoric.”
“A large majority of Albertans are deeply frustrated that the same government that overtly attacked our provincial economy almost unabated for the past 10 years has been returned to government,” she said.
“As Premier, I will not permit the status quo to continue. Albertans are proud Canadians that want this nation to be strong, prosperous, and united, but we will no longer tolerate having our industries threatened and our resources landlocked by Ottawa.”
During the election campaign, Smith provided a list of demands for the next prime minister. She said the winner would need to address the list within six months to avoid an “unprecedented national unity crisis.”
The list included federal clean energy policies, such as removing the Impact Assessment Act, the proposed cap on oil and gas emissions, and the 2019 ban on oil tankers off the B.C. coast.
Legal Action
Smith’s May 2 meeting with Carney came a day after her government announced it was filing legal action against Ottawa with the provincial Court of Appeal over the federal government’s net-zero electricity regulations.
Alberta says the regulations override provincial jurisdiction, drive up electricity costs by about 35 percent, and increase the risk of power outages.
Ottawa’s Clean Electricity Regulations are part of a plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. In December 2024, Ottawa changed its target for a fully decarbonized electricity grid from 2035 to 2050. However, the framework, finalized in December 2024, includes interim targets that generators must meet by 2035.
Smith said the targets are “unreasonable and unattainable” and will make electricity “unaffordable for Canadian families.”
Ottawa said the regulations are required to protect the environment and human health from the impact of climate change.
