Prime Minister Mark Carney meets with Premier of Alberta Danielle Smith at his office in Ottawa on Friday, May 8, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean KilpatrickSean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
Premier Danielle Smith said Friday it’s time for negotiations between Alberta and Ottawa over the conditions for a possible new oil pipeline and carbon-capture project to wrap up.
The deal on the two elements of a broader memorandum of understanding between Alberta and the federal government was supposed to be finalized by April 1, but they blew past that deadline.
“If we’re going to move forward with that MOU, I hope it happens in the next number of days,” Ms. Smith told reporters at the start of her meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney. “I think in Alberta, there does need to be a demonstration that Canada can work.”
Pressure to reach a deal has increased in recent months as the separatist movement in Alberta simmers. It’s been amplified by Mr. Carney who has made his ability to unlock Alberta’s resources a key part of his case against separation.
“We’re working to make Canada work better for Albertans and for all Canadians‚” the Prime Minister said in his own remarks at the start of his meeting with Ms. Smith.
It’s a message he has delivered repeatedly this week.
Alberta pushing for longer roadmap on carbon pricing as part of pipeline deal
On Monday, the leaders of Alberta’s separatist movement said they had gathered enough signatures to force a vote on whether the province should split with Canada in a referendum scheduled for Oct. 19. The campaign could still be derailed by a legal challenge and an RCMP and Elections Alberta investigation, but its leaders insist it has the credibility to move ahead to a general vote.
He ran through a list of irritants that his government has already addressed since taking office last spring, pointing to things like the agreement struck on methane emissions regulations.
“The track record’s there‚” he said, adding he’s sure a deal on the remaining issues can be struck.
Negotiations that could pave the way for a new oil pipeline stem from a November memorandum of understanding struck between the two governments. The outstanding details centre on the politically divisive issue of an industrial carbon price and a carbon capture project.
The Globe and Mail reported on Wednesday that talks are being stymied by disagreement over the speed at which the province must increase its carbon price to $130 a tonne.
Ms. Smith is expected to address the energy talks and how her government is handling the separatist movement in Alberta when she speaks at a conservative conference in Ottawa later Friday.
More to come.