Alberta Premier Danielle Smith confirmed yesterday she’s about to use her Alberta Sovereignty Act – the clearly unconstitutional legislation that even her United Conservative Party predecessor Jason Kenney called “a full-frontal attack on the rule of law.”
“A government that pretends it can, at will, set aside any court decision, ignore the Constitution, is deciding to deliberately undermine the rule of law,” Mr. Kenney explained, shortly before he left office in the fall of 2022.
Warning that implementation of the act could turn the province into a “banana republic,” he said “the so-called Sovereignty Act would effectively bring us to the brink of separation from Canada.”
The legislation has since been misleadingly renamed the Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act, but that changes neither the character of the law nor the former premier’s not unreasonable assessment of its dangers.
Premier Smith now proposes to employ her signature legislation to “protect” Alberta from the federal government’s draft clean energy regulations, which would not come into effect until 2035, the CBC reported on Friday.
The UCP Government will use the Sovereignty Act to introduce a resolution in the Legislature to declare Ottawa’s plan to reduce electricity grid emissions to be unconstitutional, the CBC said.
That, obviously, is the unconstitutional part of the Alberta law. There is only one way in Canada to settle a federal-provincial jurisdictional dispute, and that is through the courts – hence Mr. Kenney’s justified concern about his own party’s growing disdain for the rule of law.
Passing a bill that says the Alberta Legislature need not go to court to overturn a federal law a majority of MLAs don’t like, doesn’t make it so, as I am sure Ms. Smith and her sovereignist advisors well know. Alas, we are all obligated to obey laws we don’t like.
The UCP is going to do it anyway in the expectation Ottawa will have to challenge the legislation in court and the hope that will provoke a constitutional crisis, as advocated by political scientist Barry Cooper. Dr. Cooper, with Rob Anderson, the Director of the Premier’s Office, authored the Free Alberta Strategy, the separatist screed that now appears to be driving UCP policy.
Channelling Depression-era Alberta premier William Aberhart in both medium and message, Ms. Smith took to the radio yesterday to sketch out her plans.
Tossed a softball question about the CBC report by the host of her free Saturday morning Corus Entertainment radio program, Your Province, Your Premier, Ms. Smith confirmed the story, but added that “people will have to wait until Monday to see the architecture of it.”
Claiming tendentiously that it’s federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault who lacks respect for the law and the constitution, Ms. Smith rambled on about how the feds have lost two constitutional court cases recently and therefore the Trudeau Government has strayed from its constitutional lane with its clean energy regulations.
This is typical of Ms. Smith’s gaslighting. While it is true that Alberta has enjoyed recent success in the courts, the prevailing opinion of the experts – as hated as experts may be by the UCP – is that last month’s Supreme Court ruling tossing out much of Canada’s environmental assessment law will have no impact on oilsands emissions caps or clean electricity regulations.
Stuart Elgie, a University of Ottawa law professor, observed at the time, “it will be an uphill fight for Alberta to challenge new greenhouse gas emission law, and (the Supreme Court) decision doesn’t change that.” Neither does the Alberta Sovereignty Act, it is said here.
It is certainly not true, as Ms. Smith asserted, that unlike Mr. Guilbeault, she does care about the law and the constitution. All the evidence would suggest the opposite.
After repeating her bold but questionable assertion Alberta simply cannot meet the federal clean electricity standards by 2035, Ms. Smith stated: “We have to have a reliable grid. We have to have an affordable grid. And we’re going to make sure that we’re going to defend our constitutional jurisdiction to do that.”
Ms. Smith also made a provocative statement about not wanting any electricity operator to have to go to jail for being “unable to achieve the unachievable” – an intentionally misleading reference to the fact refusing to obey federal law can be a criminal offence.
This, though, may explain why the Smith Government has chosen to apply its Sovereignty Act to an issue where revisions to the federal regulations are not complete and it will be almost a dozen years before they take effect.
No one will have to defy federal law and risk facing the consequences for more than a decade, by which time the matter will probably be resolved one way or another.
Still, jail time may enter this story at some point if the UCP Government continues down its present separatist path.
History doesn’t offer many examples of nation states that just cheerfully allow themselves to be dismantled. So if the current trustees of the UCP persist with this strategy, at least after Canada’s courts have had a chance to rule on the constitutionality of the Sovereignty Act, serious jail time for sedition can’t be ruled out.
Consider the case of Carles Puigdemont, the elected Catalonian separatist leader who provoked a constitutional crisis with Spain and found himself in 2017 facing a choice of 15 years in a Spanish jail for sedition or exile in Belgium. Mr. Puigdemont, arguably, was roughly the equivalent of a Canadian premier.
Reasonably enough, I suppose, Mr. Puigdemont chose Belgium, likely on the grounds the beer and chocolate there were bound to be better than in a Spanish prison. The charges have since been dropped. Nevertheless, his predicament is something to keep in mind.
Edmonton should pass its own sovereignty law vis a vis the provincial government…it’s all bulls**t, of course, but they could start with a commitment to seperate from Alberta to join Canada in the event the UCP separatists get their way.
Expat: I think we should join British Columbia as the step after YEGxit. If Vancouver Island can be part of B.C., so can Edmonton. DJC
That map has been drawn, a corridor through Jasper connecting us to BC. Slightly naughty:)
D.C. we are going to have to talk about that. How about Edmonton seperates from Alberta and then join with the north of B.C. , Dawson Creek and Up. Have a chat with the Yukon and have a go at it.
Just because Vancouver Island is part of B.C. doesn’t mean Edmonton can be. It made sense to have V.I, be part of B.C. It wasn’t like V.I. had a lot of people living on it at the time and the quickest connection was to the mainland;. now people commute from Nanaimo to downtown Vancouver to work.
the one thing Edmonton has in its favour is, they vote NDP and it has the MacDonald Hotel, or I hope it still does. We will have to discuss how far down the boundary ought to be, because a friend in Calgary used to say the closer you get to Red Deer, the redder they get.
If you do join, do not complain about the rain or the current lack of snow on the mountains. cost of housing: even a single person making $100K a year is finding they can’t afford an apartment in vancouver. On average a 2 bedroom apartment runs $3800 a month in the lowermainland and Victoria. Houses $2M. Victoria is about the same. Once you’re past the Malahat prices go down, if you shop around.
eaf: I’m pretty sure the decision to unite the B.C. Mainland and the Island in 1866 was made because at the time the largest population centres were on the Island. Mind you, the decision was made in London, so I’m sure not a lot of attention was paid to the details. DJC
Actually northeastern BC — places like Prince George, Chetwynd, Tumbler Ridge, Fort St John & Dawson Creek — have far more in common with Alberta than the rest of BC: oil & gas, conservative politics, etc. I live in a northwestern Alberta city that is a scant 90 minutes from Dawson Creek, so I know whereof I speak.
So Edmonton would not be a good fit with that region of BC.
Who says a land locked country can’t be successful? Switzerland has a 500 year history of neutrality, secret bank accounts and cuckoo clocks.
You forgot edelweiss, Swiss cheese and chocolate!
Welcome to Alberta where, if you don’t like a law, it magically doesn’t exist. Murder away!
Does this mean we can assert our sovereign right to refuse to pay provincial taxes?
Mike: As I say in tonight’s piece, “don’t try this at home.” DJC
“History doesn’t offer many examples of nation states that just cheerfully allow themselves to be dismantled”. Perhaps, but we both live in a country that came very, very close to exactly that, and all indications were that if the 1995 Québec referendum had resulted in a slim majority ‘Yes’ vote, Canada would have reluctantly but peacefully entered into negotiations for separation.
No separatist politician in Québec has ever been prosecuted for sedition or treason, even though an argument could be made that advocating for the sovereignty of Québec is treasonous or seditious. The closest Canada has ever come to prosecuting separatists was its quite legitimate criminal prosecution of the FLQ, who attempted to use violent means to advance the separatist cause.
After the resolution of the 1970 October crisis, Québec separatists decided to use peaceful, democratic means to bring about their goals — much like Mr Puigdemont, in fact. But, unlike Spain, Canada decided to lie down and willingly accept this attack on our national unity.
Jerry: Not really. Mr. Chretien certainly fought hard for Canada, and it worked, even though it was a near-run thing. Be that as it may, the Quebecois, like the Catalans, have a historic, cultural and linguistic case for separation – as did the Norwegians from the Swedes, the only modern example of a peaceful state breakup I can think of. Alberta has none of that and the separation of Alberta would be extremely bad for Canada, and much worse for Alberta – enough so, I’m pretty sure, that it can’t be done without violence and suspension of democracy, neither of which I would put past the current UCP crowd. For that reason, it will be necessary for Canada to put down the rebellion and if a few seditionists have to spend some light time in jail, so be it. It could be, and might become, worse. DJC
Norwegians from the Swedes, the only modern example of a peaceful state breakup I can think of
Czechia and Slovakia.
North Macedonia?
Lefty: I suspect the North Macedonia matter is far from settled, the Prespa Treaty notwithstanding. It’s the fate of the Balkans always to be a powder keg. DJC
We live in a country where the center right and center left parties won’t take their own side in an argument. And where if we had any counterintelligence operations, they’d be directed against powerless indigenous groups, environmentalists, and maybe the odd expat community.
Smith is an operative. The people behind her need to be identified and imprisoned.
Yes.
Let’s see if the Liberals have enough gumption to exploit this possibly massive own goal. That plus the CPC voting against support for Ukraine in the House should provide a bit a of wedge, even in parts of Alberta and Saskatchewan.
The Alberta Sovereignty Act is essentially legislation that dictates what federal laws will and will not be followed.
At which point does Alberta become a failed state? In what other province does the rule of law not prevail? How far are the citizens of Alberta willing to go on like this? I’m curious to see where the line is, if indeed there is a line.
As bad as this is, and it is, just wait until TBA installs a new Premier to replace Smith. They will not replace her with someone more moderate that is for certain.
How long before Danielle Smith overturns the Criminal Code in Alberta to set “The Boys”, as their followers call them, free?
https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/pre-trial-hearings-for-coutts-protesters-adjourned-to-december-11-1.6631361
To me is seemed Danielle is unable to prevent others from meeting a target of reduced emissions by neglect, so she is now trying to legislate failure.
But having read this I think you are right. This is a ploy to try to force separation on the country. I also think your point that she, Parker and Cooper want Canada to take it to court, but that would validate it. If they want to fight a court case on the Sovereighty Act, then they should have to take the action, and have to answer the questions about why they are doing so.
As a radio host, Danielle Smith was able to push up her ratings by presenting off the wall ideas as good policy. Now, as premier, she is still presenting off the wall ideas as policy, but now it is other media outlets that are pushing up their ratings reporting on the whacky ideas our premier is coming up with. National media must love it when Danielle Smith comes up with another one of her whacky ideas on a slow news day.
Meanwhile, how much lower is the rest of Canada’s impressions of Albertans sinking? How much longer will it be before Albertans become the butt of jokes in the rest of the country? (Did you hear about the Albertan who went to the family reunion to pick up girls?)
Oh, look! A Norway has heat pumps warming two-thirds of the nation’s homes, even 140 km north of the Arctic Circle. I’ve heard a rumor that Norway is a major fossil fuel producer. How can this be true, if they’re not complete jerks, like here in Alberta?
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/nov/23/norway-heat-pumps-cold-heating
Another move by DS to wreck our great country. So I must ask your opinion on Rachel Notley and her team. Do you blame her or her advisers for blowing the election? Have there been any changes within the ABNDP braintrust? Will she survive a leadership review?
Lefty: I think Ms. Notley is going to move on quite soon. Then there will be a leadership race in which the best candidate will not win and someone who will perpetuate the NDP’s strangely passive response to the government’s outrages will. DJC
You hit the nail on the head! Again. Past time for a leadership review and election for the NDP. I think the NDP MLA’s don’t realize that the opponents operate outside of normal moral bounds and professional parliament behavior. How this can be after Kenney, and the election campaign is beyond my understanding.
They have the perfect target in David Parker (as a reply) to the NDP taking orders from J. Singh. Everyone of the UCP/TBA MLA’s have been threatened by David Parker. The NDP MLA’s seem incapable of using this in reply to the insults given them by the UCP/TBA MLA’s. Would a new leader make a difference? I think you are right, probably not.
Notley moving on? Perhaps like former BC NDP Premier Horgan she might move on to a fossil fuel gig with a tar company. If memory serves, Horgan moved on to Teck Resources. BTW, Glencore, the giant Swiss commodity firm just announced it had acquired Teck Resources BC coal business, Elk Valley Resources.
Oh well, it beats promoting right wing policies like the former Sask NDP finance minister McKinnon. I’d like to believe Notley has more consistency, but time will tell. Will she, like Horgan and Mckinnon demonstrate the truth of the adage that “no matter who you voted for, the government got in,” and validate Thatcher’s view that “there is no alternative.”
https://www.glencore.com/media-and-insights/news/acquisition-of-a-77-percent-interest-in-tecks-steelmaking-coal-business-for-USd6-93-bn
Kang: I always thought Mr. Trudeau was going to make her an ambassador, but you can really only give one NDP premier that job per prime minister. DJC
Alberta. The Florida man of North Arkansas.
Perhaps Madame Smith will join Carles Puigdemont in the French-speaking part of Belgium. Her new rallying cry could be, “Don’t forget the frites!”
Abs: I just returned from Belgium a few weeks ago and, while it is definitely preferable to jail, I do feel the frites are overrated and the beer tastes weird – owing to the yeast they use, I am told. Brussels struck me as a big Ottawa with a King and two prime ministers. And I didn’t see any Irish hitmen in Bruges, so, disappointment. The towns are definitely nicer than rural Alberta, though, if anyone’s considering spending their exile there. DJC
And the Belgians have a pipeline which everyone should be able to support, notwithstanding your reservations about their yeasts: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/08/bruges-pipe-dream-a-reality-beer-pipeline
The beer is weird? My favourite beers are Belgian, in particular Leffe and Triple Karmeliet. Now if I was small-minded, I would tease you about your love of Coors Lite and the like. But it’s the Christmas season so I won’t. Instead, Happy Eggnog!
Lefty: I said weird, not bad. But there is definitely an element of needing to reacquire an acquired taste with Belgian beer. (As I mentioned, apparently it’s the yeast.) I stayed in Ghent, and went elsewhere from there, and I became quite fond of Duvel 666, Duvel’s “light” draft, with only 6.66 per cent alcohol. Beer in the United Kingdom and Ireland was much more disappointing – it appears to have undergone the same process we have in Canada in reverse, becoming more standardized and watered down as beers here have improved. Still, with the growth of craft brewing in Alberta and British Columbia, I think a good case can be made that we now brew some of the best beer in the world right here at home. I share your disdain for Coors Lite and drink only craft beers from Alberta and B.C. (or wherever I’m visiting). My preference leans toward IPAs and one of my favourites is brewed right here in St. Albert, Endeavour Brewing’s Hazy Peaks NEIPA. DJC
Trappist Westvleteren XII beer. Sherbrooke in Edmonton had some special six packs a while ago. The trappists distributed the six packs worldwide to raise funds for a new building or something. Awesome beer.
CX: My daughter brought me some Trappist beer from Belgium but, at 9% ABV, it was too much for me. And the bottle came with a cork, so it was hard to drink a glass and save the rest. DJC
Ah me, with all this talk about beer, it looks like our premier has driven us to drink.
The next round is on Danielle..
It is fascinating to read the histrionics of people who can’t even state how many degrees of global warming Trudeau is aiming to prevent or how we measure factual progress on this.
Or why Trudeau has built zero nuclear plants in the past 8 years despite claiming it is a global boiling crisis and we must all stop burning any fuel.
Or where all the lithium and cobalt batteries are going to come from.
Or what anyone is doing about China or India coal use.
It is like listening to little children playing make believe because the floor is lava and if they only jump on the bed they will be safe.
Dear Boiler: Oil company caused global boiling (nice phrase BTW!) has been going on since the 1960s and the oil companies knew and covered it up.
Electricity is local while nuclear generated electricity is not only more expensive, but just gets worse the more local you attempt to make it. Nuclear is also a fossil fuel that burns hotter and leaves longer lasting waste.
Burning stuff is wasteful. We are fortunate that for every erg of fossil fuel energy we really only have to generate about one-third of that amount in electricity to do the same work. So the hand wringing about lithium (which is common as salt) or so-called rare earth metals is overdone. The transition will take several decades and with proper recycling certainly does not mean giant new mining operations.
We have seen this movie before with aluminum. In the 1940s everybody and his dog were digging bauxite mines and building hydro dams to power smelters. Now most aluminum is not mined or smelted, it is recycled.
So, no lava under the bed and no real need to panic either, although it looks like Alberta is determined to be left behind.
Caron: I don’t disagree with many of your points, but some clarification. Uranium is a non-renewable resource, but not a fossil fuel. Unlike coal, say, which is a fossil fuel, it is not burned to create energy. DJC
Agreed that uranium has its limits as well. It’s just as unrenewable as fossil fuels.
Dear DJC; I see your points, particularly that uranium a left-over from cosmic forces and therefore a non-renewable fossil.
And I grant that burning generally means combing oxygen, usually with carbon, to produce heat.
But if you accept that burning, in the most generic sense, is the disintegration of elements to release heat, uranium is a sort of fossil fuel.
So, for me, the distinction between oxidization of carbon-based materials and the artificial decomposition of uranium to produce heat is a sterile one.
Caron: A very good answer that allows us both to say, I’m right. I won! DJC
Danielle Smith and the UCP are ready to get their butts kicked, and will not be able to do anything about it. Her overinflated ego gets the better of her, and she doesn’t understand what she is allowed to do, and not allowed to do. Danielle Smith is blaming the federal government for something that isn’t their responsibility at all. We were screwed from Ralph Klein deregulating electricity, and natural gas, which sent power prices and gas prices into the stratosphere. Shady backroom deals involving power companies, known as PPAs (Power Purchase Agreements), also cost us a fortune. We also got shafted from utility companies, such as TransAlta, who were manipulating power prices. The UCP were also doing stupid things, such as getting rid of a cap on power prices that the NDP had implemented, did a cunning and deceptive vote buying ploy, making Albertans think they were paying lower power prices, when it was in fact a loan to power companies, that power consumers are now paying back, and permitting power companies to do economic witholding, which increased power prices in Alberta so much more. There have been power engineers, and former MLAs, from Peter Lougheed’s government, who said that electricity deregulation was a very stupid thing to do. Instead, Danielle Smith and the UCP are intent on blaming the federal government for this, with misleading ads, that are a big waste of money. In Alberta, there are matters of tailings pond leaks, that are in the northern part of the province, that were there for months, unreported, a massive orphan well mess, which Ralph Klein started, which will set Alberta back $260 billion, and even more, and the UCP’s lust to pursue open pit coal mining in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, which will cause even more environmental damage. The federal government has every right to intervene, if the UCP doesn’t care. These issues were never seen under Peter Lougheed, because he wasn’t this stupid.
Interesting bit of information …
It’s rumoured that David Parker has been blocked from logging into TBA’s Telegram account. What’s that, I heard once about leopards eating faces?
Just Me—- from Press Progress/Nov 23-2023…
“Elections Alberta is looking into TBA’s finances and donations, TBA’s former CFO says. ”
Will be interesting to see if they actually are. IMHO, it all depends on whether DS as well as the Ditchley Foundation want to disassociate from Parker/TBA.
” In the jungle….”
DParker on X…….
“If you think I’m letting a bunch of woke bureaucrats take my freedom, You don’t know the Scots.”
(Well now my B-i-Law is going to be really upset -aye laddie!!; I sense a denunciation coming. lol..
What a wonderful idea let’s waste a lot more of Alberta’s money on legal fees you can’t win. Now she is a hero for canceling the Photo Radar but what her ignorant supporters aren’t smart enough to understand is the increasing traffic accidents it will likely be create will increase their vehicle insurance premiums and the revenue that is lost will push their property taxes higher. In other words while the law breakers get off scot free the costs are passed off to the people to blame the insurance companies and mayors and councillors for.
Alan K. Spiller: You certainly have it right. Ralph Klein privatized driver training in Alberta, and that increased bad drivers and motor vehicle accidents even more. He was warned not to do it, but he refused to listen. The UCP removing photo radar will definitely increase motor vehicle accidents, and how will they address the problems that result? What will they do to deal with the increase in motor vehicle accidents?Where will they make up the revenue shortfall? Municipalities will have to increase property taxes, and they will be blamed. These phony Conservatives and Reformers will never take responsibility for their major mistakes. I remember reading about power engineers who had said that electricity deregulation was a stupid thing to do. Also, I recall reading about MLAs from Peter Lougheed’s government who said that electricity deregulation was a big mistake. Again, the UCP are shifting blame to the federal Liberal government, when Ralph Klein started this horrific mess, with electricity deregulation, which cost us a fortune, and the UCP have compounded things, from economic witholding, which allows the power companies to outright rip us off, costing us even more.
No need to look for Irish hitmen in Bruges. I can just wander down to the local hardware store parking lot on a weekend for that. Likely not Irish, though.
Danielle Smith’s stupid policies, lame rationalizations, and tactless goading of federalism are symptomatic of a movement in its throes. It reacts to facts with Twainian statistics, and proportion with transit-rail schematics. That’s how her TBA-led UCP mistakes the SCoC’s tossing out of much of the fed’s environmental assessment act —which, passed a dozen years before the essential policy goal of reducing GHG emissions, could just as well be considered a reference case that’ll guide revision of details—for total victory. And how her party’s circled wagon laager obscures the cart-before-the-horse to redoubters within. Anticipation of Mannings $2.25-million Covid-policy review report didn’t stop the UCP from going ahead with related draft legislation before the thing was actually delivered. Similarly, the feds haven’t done anything yet, excepting this ‘reference case,’ with respect emissions targets for 2035 that Smith objects to. Tying her pony’s reins to the Sovereignty Act’s trailer-hitch on her favourite separatists’ advice would have to be taken as a strategic provocation of Ottawa, an inductive scheme similar to the gambler’s fallacy.
The move might be compared to PM PET’s motion to protect francophone rights in Manitoba, suspended by the province in 1890, that caught the rookie Opposition leader Blarney Bulroney flat-footed (later, as PM himself, Bulroney could only erase the embarrassment by convincing his caucus —which was divided along linguistic lines—to accept that Liberal motion; enthusiastically approved by the ProgCons’ Quebec caucus, but only begrudgingly so by the cautious PC MPs from ROC, the PM had, on surface, successfully cobbled together the kind of compromise which afforded his party the two biggest parliamentary majorities in Canadian history—but ended up estranging Western PCs and fuelling the nascent Reform party) which, with the help of turncoat Bouchard, reduced the PCs to only two seats in 1993. Or, how’s about the wily Chrétien’s “If Canada is divisible, Quebec is divisible” quip, arguably contributive to defeating Quebec’s second separatist referendum in 1995. Is Smith’s resort to her goofy Sovereignty Act really in the same skewering league as these two? I just don’t think the UCP is that smart. Smart-ass, yes, but…
While I don’t credit Trudeau Fils with his father’s slyness or le P’tit Gars de Shawinigan’s wiliness, he is probably not as bereft of good council as Smith appears to be: how long will it be, then, before he responds to one of Pierre Poilievre’s incessant flights of defamation-immune ad hominem in the HoC by simply asking him if the CPC supports Smith’s Sovereignty Act? That oughta be a goo one. PP definitely doesn’t want to be seen as poo-pooing federalism.
Secession from Canada is complex and difficult, if not technically impossible. Since 1995 the federal Clarity Act requires just that in secession-referenda questions (recall that the questions in both Quebec referenda were unclear, and now that’s not legal: for example, what is “sovereignty association”—as the first referendum asked; and what does “become sovereign”—as asked in the second—really mean when Quebec, like all provinces—but not Territories—is already sovereign?), and, following up the Clarity Act, a SCoC reference opined that any province would need the acquiescence of all remaining federates in order to secede. Since there is thus a mechanism to secede, Albertan separatists would presumably have to do something more than suggest seceding in order to be charged with sedition. But the UCP’s whack-a-mole policy-making and the TBA’s spastic pseudo-politics certainly doesn’t disqualify.
Finally, whether Smith and the TBA like it or not, federalism is fraught with complexities not as easily absolved as making up a bullshit document and declaring it gold. From without, Canada has very, very tight treaty arrangements with the USA (Free Trade, NORAD, NATO, etc) which bind each nation to protect the other’s sovereign territory (oh, yeah: and the UN, too). Even if Alberta persuaded a majority of its electorate to secede, extremely complex negotiations would ensue—debt-share, infrastructure, monetary currency, and strategic assurances (for example, independent Alberta couldn’t seal a pact with, say, North Korea—or any other nation which could pose a threat to any of the three free-trading nations of North America). Let’s just leave it as a given: neither Smith, the UCP, the TBA, or the Alberta Sovereignty Act are capable or amenable to negotiating terms of anything, let alone secession: just look at the opener Alberta Pension Plan. But, temper tantrums? Well, that…yes, probably…
Scotty— My hubby was stationed in Lauzon, Que (Navy) at the time of the referendum and one of funniest conversations he had was with the ship workers and Quebecois serving: that they would be out of jobs if they separated; because as with Alberta— It’s the Canadian Military, the bases would be closed and moved to ‘Canadia’ soil. And they would have to negotiate a country to country agreement with the Canadian government to be able to work on any Canadian ships.(and also taking into consideration the air force and army personnel- gee Dani, who is going to come and help with the fire fighting ??—$$$$$)
Plus they would have to get new passports, their own currency etc. etc. It was an eye opener for them, because as with many uninformed children that are testing the boundaries, wishes and realities are not necessarily the same thing.
IMHO–The runway Premier and her cortage, have made it down the block to the first street light and have turned back and are yelling …”We’re going, we really mean it, you can’t stop us….”
I just wish that she and all her supporters who just want to be ‘murcans , would just go there instead. We like being
‘Canadian ‘…if you don’t, NO ONE is stopping you from leaving…and by the way, make sure you take Skippy with you!
“It is certainly not true, as Ms. Smith asserted, that unlike Mr. Guilbeault, she does care about the law and the constitution. All the evidence would suggest the opposite.”
The Alberta extractive rentier duck is what it is. Who knew? Quack, quack.
“This watchdog concluded an investigation in July 2022 saying that the ministry was breaking the law, and that its lack of response was essentially a decision “to refuse access” to the records. Sadly, under the rules of Alberta, there are no meaningful sanctions for this blatant disregard for the law. The oil companies set the agenda and drove the conversation around an initial list of 132 items — a list that appeared to expand as time went on.”
https://thenarwhal.ca/alberta-energy-capp-lobbying-foi/
But look on the bright side, “By serving oil interests, petrostates religiously court secrecy and shun transparency on money matters.”, thus making the lining of favored pockets that much easier as 9/10’s of the extractive rentier economic iceberg remains opaque and/or underwater for the average citizen. Opacity is a desirable feature for individuals engaged in unethical and/or corrupt behavior. So, there is that and in this instance the term revolving door grease money seems appropriate.
Besides, as a lobbyist, fighting the good fight for the oil and gas cartel against the “Transnational Progressive Movement” means that one is also saving capitalism and our modern way of life. With the preferred goal being one where the current global experiment involving atmospheric physics should be left alone to run its course with humankind adapting [or not] to the outcomes.
If Danielle Smith was premier of Alberta in 2010, what would she say about this? Or would it be different?
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/ottawa-tells-energy-firms-to-start-powering-down-coal-fired-plants/article1373738/
Hello DJC and fellow commenters,
Do you think it is possible that the feds will simply ignore Danielle Smith’s temper tantrum threatening that she will invoke the so-called Sovereignty Act? If the feds’ “clean energy policy” is a policy and not legislation, maybe it’s better not to involve the courts at the moment. A court case would be expensive and might create more separatist sentiment in Alberta and divisiveness in Canada than would be created by doing nothing.
Unfortunately for Alberta’s economy, I think that Smith’s pronouncements are likely to drive away investment and the hope of increased diversity in Alberta’s economy.
I appears that the sovereignty idea has been propounded by people is driven more by ideology and fantastical thinking than by practical considerations. Alberta couldn’t possibly support separation from a financial perspective.
Christina: I think that’s quite possible. I’m personally not sure ignoring sedition is a good idea, but that’s just me. DJC
Hi Christina. I vaguely recall an attempt by the AUPE (I think) to drag Jason Kenney’s government into the Supreme Court over the constitutionality of some anti-union legislation. While everyone agreed the law was unconstitutional on its face, the SCoC refused to rule on the matter. Why? Kenney’s government had not yet tried to use it! Until Kenney’s UCP actually broke a Canadian law, the SCoC wasn’t going to touch the case. (That seemed like a cop-out to me, but hey….)
So there are two reasons to think the Supreme Court won’t get dragged in quickly. One, Smith might declare the Sovereignty Act in force—but carefully refrain from using it (except as a threat). Two, until the regulations are finalized, there may be nothing to fight over. That won’t stop Danielle Smith and Barry Cooper, but the more they yammer, the more people will ignore their noise—I hope.
And yes, there is good reason to think Smith and Scott Moe have oversold their “victory” over the Feds’ Impact Assessment Act:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/supreme-court-decision-has-little-impact-on-other-federal-environmental-moves-experts-say-1.6998279
Not that this legalistic hair-splitting will stop Queen Danielle from yammering.
By all means – separate! The federal government is irretrievably corrupt. Good Luck and God Speed, Alberta! Oh, yeah, almost forgot – Climenhaga, you’re a hack! You should be in Ottawa working for the CBC.
I you’re the George I’m thinking of, it’s been a long time. Welcome back! DJC
My spies tell me that November 27 will be named a new provincial holiday, the ASAWUC Day. Celebrate as you wish but random gunfire encouraged.
Typo: That s/b the ASWUCA Day. Sorry.
I’m not a gun owner nor could I even borrow one if I could.
Would a few farts from my spouse and I in any direction of your choosing suffice?
OK, people, settle down! DJC
It would seem Premier “Pork Barrel” is holding off on her grand reveal! Such a Deva! Her droogies must be nipping her heals!
Alberta; a Province enamoured by tarsands wealth oblivious to nationhood and selfish to the extreme!
This is what I see from the BC side of the border and it pisses me off just as much as the USA influence on Canada has!!!
To call Alberta out as immature would be an understatement.
The greedy bastards club is alive and well in Alberta though those greedy bastards have long forgotten the brief moment they had to take benefits from the equalisation formulae!
https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/for-the-first-time-in-more-than-50-years-alberta-received-more-money-from-ottawa-than-it-sent
Alberta has had it’s chances for change but has ignored reality helped along by a lack lustre opposition.
Wake up ffs..
TB
While Danielle Smith ‘Hail Mary’ play of using the Alberta Sovereignty Act is little more than a distraction from the UCP’s special talent of extraordinarily bad government, it should be remembered that this whole matter will wind up in the SCoC soon enough, where it will get the boot.
Smith seems to have placed all her hopes on a trifecta of favourable court decisions that will prove, in her mind, that she’s awesome. Of course, she is overlooking that the first court decision regarding the so called ‘No More Pipelines Law’ was more of an admonishment to the Feds that their regulatory house is not in order and, potentially, subject to further lawsuits, didn’t dismiss the constitutional validity of the federal legislation in the first place. The second win concerning the ridiculous ban on plastic straws was rightfully tossed, because who in their right mind is using a straw to drink from a cup? Seriously? Adults who haven’t got over their teething phase?
The court will likely decide that Alberta has a case… but they’re wasting our time and go away, Danielle.
After reading the article and the BTL comments, mostly everything has been covered by you all. This is a great series the UPC is creating, can’t get enough of the acting and plot lines.
Mo’ popcorn!
Every province has its nutbars from time to time, but B.C. and Alberta seem to be better at it.
What is it with these Conservative types. When Harper was P.M. he passed 9 pieces of Leg. whch contravened the Constituion. He was advised of this, but passed the legislation anyh0w. Then all 9 pieces went to the Supremes Court of Canada and were over turned. In B.C when Campbell was premier he passed leg. to interfer with the Teachers Union right to bargain, etc. Taken to court, over turned. Alberta now has smith and her histrionics
Just saw Smith on the news saying, she hopes Ottawa backs down. OMG what has she been drinking? Her cheeks were a tad red, or it could be a bad make up job. Federal governments can’t back down on issues such as this or its, there goes the neighbourhood and the country.
BC Liberal education minister Christy Clark unconstitutionally tore up teachers’ contract negotiated with the preceding NDP government, and slashed education funding .
It was immediately challenged and wended its way through the appellate and supreme courts, ruled unconstitutional every time. Meanwhile Christy resigned, was a right-wing radio talk-show host for several years, won an upset victory for party leadership (predating tRump, she trumped much more qualified candidates) after Gordon Campbell was forced out, and was comfortably in the premier’s seat when the final decision came down.
It was a nine-year process and although the teachers won, most of a whole cohort of BC students were shorted for books, pencils, and teacher assistants for special-needs kids. The BC Liberals were ordered to restore the original contract. They cost the public purse millions of dollars in fines (for trying to re-appeal and duck the court-order) and tens of millions in court costs, but was given some time to come up with the money.
But soon the NDP and Greens toppled the freshly elected BC Liberal minority in 2017, Christy immediately resigned as leader and also as MLA.
The BC Liberals (so tarnished they recently changed their name) obviously thought the teachers or the courts would back down and that attitude cost BC a lot in so many ways. Since individual cabinet ministers are immune from litigation, one could only hope the court process would hurry up. The consolation prize was the termination of a corrupt regime, and a new governing party which, for the first time in BC history, was re-elected under the same leader, Premier John Horgan. But it shouldn’t have happened—and the BC Liberals knew it was unconstitutional from the start.
One good thing about the UCP is they will remind BC voters next year what our own far-right party did to us. We’re hoping for three in a row.
This is all about two things.
The first thing, personal for Danielle Smith, is keeping the Take Back Alberta folks sweet. Last thing she wants is a leadership review like Kenney had. They are the power behind the throne
Second,, IMHO it is all about putting a ‘shiny thing’ in front of voters to distract their attention away from critical issues such as the health care mess and the AHS mess. It would seem that bashing Ottawa is always a good ploy to change voter attention to some of the real issues facing Alberta.
Brett: To some degree I think the TBA crowd is distracting itself right now with its infighting over who has the keys to the website, who’s the boss, etc. Some background here. I absolutely agree with you about the shiny thing – much better to have people yelling about the Sovereignty Act than electricity rates, the CPP, health care privatization, or whatever else they have up their sleeves. DJC