Premier Danielle Smith announced plans to appoint a special negotiating team to secure federal economic reforms critical to Alberta’s business climate, citing a decade of policies she claims have harmed the province’s resource sectors and cost hundreds of billions in lost investment.
In a major address to Albertans, Smith outlined her vision for what she termed an “Alberta Accord” that would protect provincial interests while remaining within Canada’s federal structure.
“We will be taking steps to better protect ourselves from Ottawa,” Smith said. “I will soon appoint a Special Negotiating Team to represent our province in negotiations with the federal government.”
The negotiations will focus on four key demands: guaranteed corridor access to seaports for Alberta’s exports, removal of federal resource development restrictions, protection against federal export taxes, and equalization payment reforms.
Smith emphasized these changes would benefit businesses across the province by removing barriers that have “scared away global investment to the tune of over a half a trillion dollars.”
Separatist sentiment growing?
While acknowledging growing separatist sentiment among some Albertans, Smith stated her preference for Alberta to remain within Canada. However, she announced the creation of an “Alberta Next” panel to explore options for protecting the province from “hostile policies of the federal government.”
The panel, which Smith will chair, plans to conduct town halls and public consultations leading to possible referendum questions in 2026. While Smith said separation would not be on the government’s referendum ballot, she acknowledged that citizen-led petitions could place the question before voters.
“Many of these individuals are not fringe voices to be marginalized or vilified—they are loyal Albertans,” Smith said of those supporting independence. “They are quite literally our friends and neighbours who have just had enough of having their livelihoods and prosperity attacked.”
Regulatory stability
For employers concerned about regulatory stability, Smith specifically criticized federal policies including the net-zero electricity regulations, industrial carbon tax, and emissions cap, which she claimed endanger Alberta’s power grid stability and drive up costs for businesses and farmers.
The premier pointed to recent court victories against federal legislation like Bill C-69 (the “no new pipelines law”) and plastics regulations as evidence Alberta can successfully challenge what she characterizes as federal overreach.
Business leaders may take note of Smith’s reference to ongoing provincial efforts to “counteract Ottawa’s chill on investment in energy, agriculture and our other job sectors through various tax cuts and incentive programs.”
Smith struck a conciliatory note in referencing her first conversation with newly elected Prime Minister Mark Carney, saying he had “promising things to say about changing the direction of his government’s anti-resource policies.” However, she added that Albertans are more interested in actions than words.
The announcement comes one week after the federal election returned the Liberal party to power, albeit with a new prime minister. Smith characterized the election results as deeply frustrating for many Albertans who had hoped for policy changes from Ottawa.
