Premier to face questions after addressing Alberta separatism

Premier Danielle Smith will take questions from reporters Tuesday, one day after a 20-minute public address that touched on Alberta separation, referendums, and “the path forward” under the new federal government.

During the speech, Smith said the province would only hold a referendum on separation if Albertans gathered enough signatures on a petition. The Alberta separatist movement has regained momentum in some communities following the election of Mark Carney and the Liberals last week.

In the lead-up to the federal election, nearly one-third of Albertans (30 per cent) told a pollster they would want to separate from Canada if the Liberals were elected again. Meanwhile, an online petition in support of Alberta separation that started in 2019 has over 223,000 signatures as of Sunday.

The premier says she wants a sovereign Alberta within a united Canada, but added the frustrated voices in the province following the federal vote are not fringe extremists and must be listened to.

“For Albertans, these attacks on our province from our own federal government have become unbearable,” she added.

Smith claimed Ottawa’s policies over the last decade have cost the province $500 billion in investments.

Alberta NDP leader Naheed Nenshi responded to Smith’s address Monday saying the premier is insistent on picking fights with Ottawa instead of fixing the real problems Albertans face.

“She didn’t say I denounce separatism,” said Nenshi. “What she said was ‘I’m going to pick another fight, I’m going to have another endless panel with my endless cronies, spending endless money of taxpayers, on an endless fight that I will never win.”

-With files from Alejandro Melgar, Michael Ranger, and Sean Amato