Premier Smith says Albertans' desire for leaving Canada has never been higher

Jack Farrell · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Jun 26, 2025 10:09 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the nationalist tendency successful her state to discontinue Canada has ne'er been higher.

Speaking Thursday to reporters successful Calgary, Smith said Albertans consciousness profoundly frustrated and aggravated with Ottawa.

She cited a separatist campaigner who garnered astir 18 per cent of the ballot successful a byelection successful the Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills riding earlier this week.

"I've ne'er seen specified a precocious level of separatist sentiment," she said.

Smith said the byelection effect was record-breaking successful presumption of separatist support, but a 1982 byelection successful the aforesaid Alberta riding saw a separatist campaigner triumph with much than 40 per cent of the vote.

She said the information that her United Conservative Party campaigner won Monday's byelection means the nationalist wants her to enactment with Prime Minister Mark Carney's government.

Asked what her authorities could bash to quell separatist desire, Smith said it was Ottawa's work — arsenic it was pursuing that 1982 byelection.

"A mates of years later, aft (then-prime minister) Brian Mulroney got escaped of the National Energy Program, the sentiment evaporated," she said.

"This is truly successful Ottawa's hands."

The present-day equivalent to that programme — which introduced terms controls and hiked the national stock of taxation gross from lipid accumulation — is respective laws that Smith said stifle vigor accumulation and concern successful Alberta.

In caller months, she has called for Carney to abolish respective national policies and programs, including a projected emissions cap, net-zero energy grid regulations and the West Coast tanker ban.

"If Ottawa wants to enactment with maine to origin that [separatist] sentiment to subside, past we request to materially code the 9 atrocious laws that person created that antagonistic concern climate," she said.

"If they marque the changes that we're requesting, past I fishy they tin instrumentality the aerial retired of that movement."

Speaking alongside Smith was national Internal Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland.

Asked what she thought of Smith's assessment, Freeland said she hopes Albertans volition spot precocious passed authorities to velocity up the support process of large projects arsenic a motion that Canada has reached a "turning point."

"I deliberation we are connected a truly bully way recognizing we request to beryllium united," Freeland said. "We request to find ways to physique Canada.

"With that attack of affirmative intent — a shared designation of the challenges Canada is facing, Alberta is facing — I truly deliberation that we are astatine the opening of a caller section wherever we're going to get a batch much done a batch faster."

Smith said Ottawa's legislation, which passed successful the Senate Thursday, gave her anticipation that alteration was happening.

Earlier this week, Smith announced a 15-member sheet that would circuit the state this summertime to stitchery ideas connected however Alberta tin combat national overreach.

It's an endeavour that erstwhile premier Jason Kenney did successful 2019. Smith has said her sheet is utilizing Kenney's arsenic a jumping-off point.

Smith's sheet volition sermon creating a provincial pension plan, constabulary unit and taxation postulation agency.

The sheet is besides polling Albertans connected creating its ain migration licence strategy that would chopped disconnected non-approved immigrants from accessing provincially funded services similar wellness attraction and education.