In the newest episode of Alberta Update, Premier Danielle Smith sat down with host Bruce McAllister to share her views on key provincial issues, from federal relations to red tape and tax relief. The 10-minute segment, aired this week, offered a clear look at where the Alberta government stands as federal election rumors grow.
The conversation opened with McAllister referencing growing rumors of a federal election and the recent rise of Mark Carney to the leadership of the federal Liberal Party. Smith described her recent interaction with Carney as “non-committal,” expressing skepticism about his willingness to repeal legislation that she believes harms Alberta’s oil and gas sector.
“I had nine different items I told him were interfering with oil and gas investment in our province,” Smith said, citing legislation such as the “no more pipelines” bill, the West Coast tanker ban, and various net-zero regulations.
She warned that unless the federal government repeals “offensive bills,” Alberta would continue to face barriers to growing its energy sector. “We’ve had 10 years of being targeted by the federal government,” she said. “There would have to be some very swift action to demonstrate a change of direction.”
Smith also spoke about the growing national discourse around trade, pipelines, and infrastructure, particularly in light of recent advocacy from business leaders under the banner “Build Canada Now.”
The discussion turned to the recently introduced Critical Infrastructure Defence Amendment Act, which Smith framed as a response to federal overreach—particularly the federal plan to cap oil and gas emissions and new rules around corporate environmental disclosures.
“The federal government made it illegal for companies to talk about their emissions success,” Smith said, claiming Alberta would take ownership of its emissions data to counteract this restriction.
Invoking Section 92 of the Constitution, Smith emphasized the province’s jurisdiction over natural resource development. “We are not going to let the federal government stand in the way of our oil and gas production anymore,” she said, arguing the emissions cap was a pretext to “keep it in the ground.”
Smith addressed the recent provincial budget, which included tax breaks that she said were welcomed by families and businesses. Highlighting Alberta’s flat 8% personal and corporate tax rates, Smith said the province is maintaining the lowest tax rates in the country while still growing its economy.
She pushed back on calls from opposition members to introduce a provincial sales tax (PST) similar to British Columbia’s, saying, “That’s taking it out of the pockets of hardworking British Columbians.”
Instead, she reiterated her government’s strategy of investing in Alberta’s Heritage Savings Trust Fund to generate new revenue without raising taxes. “We think the best people to decide how their money should be spent is Albertans,” Smith said.
The episode also spotlighted efforts to reduce bureaucratic delays at the municipal level. Minister Dale Nally’s work on red tape reduction was highlighted, with Smith noting that the government had already achieved a 33% reduction, saving nearly $3 billion for businesses.
The next goal, she said, is streamlining the permitting process. “We have 490 different permits at the provincial level. Just by shining a light on that, the wait times have already been reduced by 20%,” she said.
Smith outlined an “automatic yes” approach, where permits would be granted by default if they meet criteria or are not denied within a set timeframe. She urged Alberta’s 320 municipalities to adopt similar strategies to attract investment and support economic growth.