{"id":659803,"date":"2026-05-10T08:03:20","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T08:03:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/659803\/"},"modified":"2026-05-10T08:03:20","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T08:03:20","slug":"smith-says-working-with-ottawa-key-to-quelling-alberta-separatism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/659803\/","title":{"rendered":"Smith says working with Ottawa key to quelling\u00a0Alberta\u00a0separatism"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alberta\u00a0Premier Danielle Smith said Friday that she and Prime Minister Mark Carney are committed to working through the issues between\u00a0Alberta\u00a0and Ottawa as separatist sentiment rises in the western province.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Smith told reporters she\u2019s always taken the independence push seriously and that she\u2019s spoken about it with Carney, who was in the United Kingdom \u201cat the time that Brexit was not taken as seriously by political leaders.\u201d<\/p>\n

The premier said she doesn\u2019t want to see a repeat of the surprise Brexit result.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know that there are people who are frustrated, disappointed, given up. And it\u2019s my job, and I think (Carney) sees it as his job, to make the case about how we can work through these differences,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n

The premier got a warm reception at a gathering of Canada\u2019s political right wing in Ottawa on Friday, where she was introduced as an example of how politicians can put conservative policies into practice.<\/p>\n

Smith focused her speaking time at the Canada Strong and Free conference on her United Conservative Party\u2019s \u201cincredible record of success,\u201d earning appreciative cheers as she highlighted the province\u2019s lower taxes, reduced red tape and efforts to \u201c(put) an end to the era of woke-ism.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s proof that when you get the fundamentals right and stay true to conservative values, the results will follow,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Her remarks did not touch on separatist sentiment in her province, which polls show is particularly high among UCP supporters.<\/p>\n

Answering questions from reporters, Smith said her efforts to advance a memorandum of understanding with Carney on a potential pipeline to the Pacific coast are meant to \u201cdemonstrate that co-operative federalism works.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith also talked about her province\u2019s economic ties to the United States and described the relationship as undergoing \u201ca little bit of a disruption\u201d right now.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u201dWhat I\u2019ve learned about President (Donald) Trump is you don\u2019t go to him and say, \u2018Oh, you better not do that because it\u2019ll hurt me.\u2019 That is like the last thing that is going to win him over,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou say, \u2018Hey, why don\u2019t we work together? Because I\u2019m going to help you, this is going to make America great.’\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith said that approach is part of the reason why Alberta\u2019s trade relationship \u2014 and Canadian energy \u2014 is almost entirely tariff-free.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s Canada Strong and Free conference has featured a significant focus on Canada-U.S. relations.<\/p>\n

U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra did not make a planned appearance Friday at the conference in Ottawa, which is billed as the largest gathering of Canadian conservatives.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy said Hoekstra stayed in Washington, D.C., for meetings at the White House with senior officials in Trump\u2019s administration.<\/p>\n

Hoekstra attended the SelectUSA Summit with a delegation of Canadian businesses earlier this week.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, former U.S. secretary of state Mike Pompeo spoke for an hour about the ongoing talks on the continental trade pact.<\/p>\n

Pompeo told the crowd Canada should \u201cmove past the irritation\u201d with Trump and remember which countries share its values. He argued that China is not a reliable partner and said Carney\u2019s efforts to deepen ties with Beijing are misguided and \u201cshort-sighted.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cCanada is important to the United States. We are incredibly important to Canada,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The conference wrapped with a panel on the Canada-U.S. relationship that included Conservative MP Jamil Jivani.<\/p>\n

Jivani counts Vice-President JD Vance as a close personal friend and recently returned from a second trip to D.C., where he and representatives of Canadian oil and gas companies met with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.<\/p>\n

Jivani said he doesn\u2019t believe a majority of Canadians bought into the \u201chysteria\u201d around Trump\u2019s threats to annex Canada and the trade war during the last election.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think the majority of Canadians became anti-American bigots overnight,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He said the U.S. administration shouldn\u2019t be made a scapegoat for problems in Canada and argued that Carney\u2019s Liberal government has been given a free pass.<\/p>\n

Jivani called on Canada\u2019s private sector \u201cto get more vocal\u201d about calling for urgent action from the federal government on the trade negotiations with the United States.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do think that the average Canadian needs to know that our business communities need action and want action,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\tKeep it Factual<\/p>\n

Add CityNews Calgary as a trusted source on Google to see more local stories from us.<\/p>\n

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