Danielle Smith and Mark Carney meet days before federal election call
Liberal PM expected to call federal election on Sunday for an April 28 or May 5 vote
Let’s go!
With a federal election expected to begin on Sunday, over the next five to six weeks I am planning to follow the campaign and write about this important Canadian election from an Alberta context.
Alberta could be in a unique spot in this federal election, with both Liberal Prime Minister Mark Carney and Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre having grown up in the province, and a Premier who is playing footsie with the MAGA media environment that fuels US President Donald Trump’s agenda.
While the large majority of ridings in our rapidly growing province remain firmly in the Conservative column, wildly swinging polls mean that unexpected election night results in Calgary and Edmonton might not be out of the question.
It could be a wild ride.
Mark Carney and Danielle Smith meet in Edmonton
Prime Minster Mark Carney was in Edmonton yesterday for his first visit since winning the Liberal Party leadership and becoming leader of the government. Carney met with Premier Danielle Smith, who re-endorsed Poilievre the night before at a sold out Leader’s Dinner fundraiser in the capital city.
The Prime Minister and Premier did not make themselves available to speak with the media after the meeting and there were no photos taken of the two politicians together, which is probably an indication of how well we can expect the meeting went (Smith’s office later posted a photo of her meeting with Ambassador of Austria Andreas Rendl, which also gives us an idea of where the Prime Minister fits in her pecking order).
A statement posted on Carney’s Facebook page said the two leaders “had a detailed and frank discussion about the opportunities for Alberta and Canada during this time of crisis” and that “[w]e have to be strong as a nation — and we are stronger when we can work together.”
Carney later joined the Edmonton Oilers on the ice during their morning practice at Rogers Place and made an announcement cancelling the GST on new homes purchased for $1 million or under by first time homebuyers.
Smith’s office released a statement after the meeting with Carney that repeated a series of demands for the federal government to repeal laws related to the oil and gas industry and climate change. Smith warned in her statement that her demands needed to be met within the first six months of the next federal government’s term in order “to avoid an unprecedented national unity crisis.”
It’s unclear if Smith spoke about any other issues important to Albertans during her meeting with Carney or why she would believe threatening to create a national unity crisis would help Albertans.
The meeting came one day after Smith announced her government’s plans to amend the Critical Infrastructure Defence Act to ban federal employees from visiting oil and gas facilities and corporate office if they intend to collect data about carbon emissions and resource production.
While almost certainly unconstitutional, the announcement by Smith and Minister of Justice Mickey Amery made clear that the amendment was part of a package that included measures to appease American President Donald Trump’s unfounded wild claims that fentanyl is pouring over the Canadian border into the United States.
“Whether securing our border or calling on the federal government to scrap its harmful, job-killing emissions cap, our government will always prioritize public safety and defend Alberta’s interests,” Amery said. “These amendments will ensure we have the necessary tools to protect our economy, industry and economic prosperity right now and in the years to come.”
Smith is very skilled at speaking to her own base of supporters, so it will be interesting to see how Albertans (and other Canadians) respond to her decision to double-down on an Alberta autonomy agenda and threaten to fuel a national unity crisis at the same time as Canada continues to face threats from Trump to destroy the country’s economy and force us to become the 51st State.
Amarjeet Sohi jumping back into federal politics, say sources
Carney didn’t announce he’s running in Edmonton Centre, as many people speculated he might during this visit, but Radio-Canada and the Edmonton Journal report sources are saying Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi will run for the Liberals in the federal election.
While the reports did not indicate which riding Sohi would run in, he would probably run in the newly redrawn Edmonton Gateway or Edmonton Southeast ridings. Those two ridings include most of the neighbourhoods in the Edmonton Mill Woods riding he represented as an MP from 2015 to 2019 and the ward he represented on City Council from 2007 to 2015.
As Mayor and a former federal cabinet minister, Sohi would be a big name candidate for the Liberals but he has not confirmed the rumours that he will be a candidate in the federal election.
The Liberals have already nominated Ron Thiering as the party’s candidate in Edmonton Gateway. Former City Councillor Ben Henderson was planning to run for the Liberal nomination in Edmonton Southeast but bowed out after he was appointed by City Council to serve on the Edmonton Police Commission.
Edmonton Mill Woods Conservative MP Tim Uppal, who was defeated by Sohi in 2015 and then defeated Sohi in 2019, is running for re-election in Edmonton Gateway, and lawyer Jagsharan Mahal is the Conservative Party candidate in Edmonton Southeast.
What about the Alberta NDP?
While the UCP’s allegiances are firmly with Poilievre’s federal Conservatives, the shifting federal political sands are a little more complicated for the Alberta NDP.
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