Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the public desire in her province to quit Canada has never been higher.
Smith says a recent byelection that saw a separatist candidate garner almost 18 per cent of the vote shows Albertans are deeply frustrated and angry with Ottawa.
Smith says she takes that frustration seriously and hopes Prime Minister Mark Carney does as well.
The premier says quelling separatist desire is in Carney's hands and could be done if he scraps laws that she has said stifle energy production in Alberta.
Smith made the comments today at an unrelated news conference in Calgary alongside federal Internal Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Freeland says Parliament recently passed legislation to speed up projects of national interest and says Albertans should take that as a sign Canada is focused on economic development.
Comments
Smith is not acknowledging the fact that the UCP lost votes to the Alberta Republican Party. Is there a fracture forming on the Alberta Right?
The NDP's newly elected leader could benefit from that by defining how the NDP would bring wealth and prosperity to Alberta without expanding fossil fuel production. There is a clear and strong business case for building out Alberta's renewable energy industry. Nenshi and the NDP don't need political donations from the oil and gas industry to be pro-business.
Nenshi should also appeal immediately in the strongest terms to Albertans who consider themselves Canadian citizens first. They are a current majority of Albertans Nenshi could speak for. Naheed, time to wrap yourself in the Maple Leaf and start an intelligent conversation on federalism and Canadian citizenship.
Of course it is, as Smith herself is encouraging it as she continues to fight against Ottawa for no valid reason.