Smith rebukes Eby’s “unconstitutional” pipeline comments

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith intensified her criticism of B.C. Premier David Eby’s pipeline stance but remained tight-lipped about any concrete support from Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Source: Facebook

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith intensified her criticism of B.C. Premier David Eby’s pipeline stance but remained tight-lipped about any concrete support from Prime Minister Mark Carney following their Ottawa meeting.

Speaking at a press conference in Ottawa, Smith dismissed Eby’s claim that Alberta’s proposed bitumen pipeline is “fictional,” calling his comments “un-Canadian and unconstitutional.”

“The Supreme Court has determined that the reason we have a country and have given trade and commerce power and control over ports and inter-provincial infrastructure to the federal government, is for exactly this reason, so that a parochial premier isn’t able to block nation-building projects,” said Smith

She issued a similar rebuke to Eby in a post to X on Tuesday morning, just before the press conference.

“There is no universe where Alberta will tolerate being landlocked in our own country by our neighbouring province, especially when the same industry he continues to demonize has generated so much wealth for his province and the country,” wrote Smith.

Her provincial partner on the other side, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, voiced his opinion as well.

“The Premier of Alberta is right,” said Moe. “The NDP Premier of British Columbia is wrong.”

She added it was Carney’s “obligation” to get such projects built.

She argued the project could add $20 billion annually to the Canadian economy if it moved one million barrels a day, with roughly 40 per cent flowing to government coffers.

Smith confirmed she met with Carney in Ottawa but stayed cagey on whether he responded positively to her push for a deal. She repeated her demand for an agreement by Grey Cup in mid-November that would repeal or substantially revise nine federal laws she claims are stifling investment.

Pressed on whether Carney showed willingness to move, Smith pointed instead to his past decisions to repeal the federal carbon tax and delay the net-zero vehicle mandate as evidence he is open to policy reversals.

However, in her post to X, Smith confirmed that anything less than the pipeline project moving forward by the Grey Cup would be unacceptable.

“The time for talking is over. It’s time to act,” she said.

Separatism also came up at the press conference. Smith was asked about former Alberta cabinet minister Thomas Lukaszuk’s petition for an independence referendum. She said he had about 200,000 signatures.

Smith distanced herself from the campaign but acknowledged it could force the issue, and she was watching “with great interest.”

Smith told reporters she warned Carney that Justin Trudeau’s policies created Alberta’s independence movement, and the prime minister could “take the wind out of it” by addressing federal laws that hurt Alberta’s economy.

“I’m really worried that we’re going to have in the future the same 10 bad years that we had over the last 10 bad years because of the federal Liberal policies. So I would say that that’s been the biggest depression to investment capital in our province, and I’m hoping that we’ll be able to get to an agreement by mid-November so that we can turn the page on that,” Smith said.

Beyond the clash with Eby and the separatism question, Smith reiterated her well-known positions: a new bitumen pipeline must link with the Pathways Alliance’s carbon neutrality plan; Alberta will continue to pursue Indigenous ownership in energy projects; and the province’s frozen $95-per-tonne industrial carbon levy keeps Alberta competitive.

Smith closed by stressing Alberta’s continued presence in Ottawa and outreach in Quebec, casting the efforts as part of a long-term strategy to rebuild investor confidence while pressuring Ottawa for energy approvals.