Western Standard - Western Premiers’ Conference

00:00:00.000 Thank you.

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00:03:00.000 you for joining us today it was an honor to host the western premier's conference here in beautiful

00:03:04.880 kananaskis country and i'm grateful to my western premier colleagues for being fantastic partners

00:03:09.680 in strengthening the country i'm also grateful to the indigenous business leaders who joined the

00:03:14.320 western premiers in a round table yesterday to explore practical approaches to economic

00:03:18.800 reconciliation we had a productive discussion sharing successes and lessons learned and

00:03:24.320 opportunities to strengthen collaboration across the west we all understand that this is canada's

00:03:29.520 moment and that we need to work together to make the most of it. To achieve the prosperity and

00:03:34.800 change we want to see in this great country, we need unity, certainty, and stability that enables

00:03:39.800 each province and territory to develop their economies and to export their resources to the

00:03:45.040 world. We are all stronger members of a united Canada. We are committed to working together and

00:03:51.700 with the federal government through challenging issues that have created frustration for many

00:03:55.780 Western Canadians to create a more prosperous future. There are many ways to do this because

00:04:00.500 Western Canada is home to an incredibly diverse economy. We have vast energy and mineral resources,

00:04:06.520 tremendous agricultural capacity, deep innovation in everything from AI to life sciences to carbon

00:04:12.100 capture, and transportation networks that connect it all together. The West punches above its weight.

00:04:17.500 In fact, we rival Ontario's economy. Last year, Western Canadian provinces and territories

00:04:23.300 accounted for more than 41 percent of Canada's global exports. Our energy alone represented more

00:04:29.720 than 27 percent of that total. The West's agricultural products were almost half of

00:04:34.920 Canada's exports in the field. Collectively, the Western province's population is the same size

00:04:41.260 as Ontario's, and we have the same GDP generation as Ontario. In fact, the West is responsible for 0.93

00:04:47.360 37 percent of Canada's total GDP, and those are impressive numbers, but to realize the West's

00:04:52.860 true potential, we need to think bigger because we are just getting started. Thinking big was a

00:04:57.100 huge part of our conversations these past couple of days. In all of our discussions, the focus

00:05:01.200 was on how to position Western Canada as a global leader. We are pleased to publicly release an

00:05:06.440 Economic Corridors in Western Canada report, which helps map the infrastructure and trade

00:05:10.860 connections needed to unlock the West's full potential. The report advances upon the objectives

00:05:16.000 achieved by the Western Premiers through the MOU that we signed in 2025.

00:05:22.900 If Canada wants growth, resilience, and expanding access to global markets,

00:05:26.580 we need corresponding federal investment and partnership in a port-to-port-to-port strategy.

00:05:32.140 We discuss prioritizing nation-building projects from pipelines, rail, and ports

00:05:37.000 to electricity transmission and trade corridors.

00:05:39.820 We all agree that more federal investment and faster action are needed on these projects,

00:05:44.440 And we welcome the federal government's intention to advance reforms to accelerate project approvals, which must be implemented through legislation and concrete policy changes.

00:05:54.420 Canada can't afford delays in developing nation-building infrastructure.

00:05:58.260 With KUSMA negotiations underway, we also agree on the importance of stable and predictable North American trade frameworks.

00:06:05.100 We must strengthen our current trade relationships while also making sure that we develop new partnerships across the globe.

00:06:12.440 We also discussed the growing importance of defence and national security in the West and the North.

00:06:18.180 From Arctic sovereignty to critical infrastructure to reliable energy and supply chains,

00:06:23.780 Western Canada has an essential role to play in Canada's security.

00:06:27.440 Beyond economic growth, we discussed ensuring Western Canada has a strong voice

00:06:31.680 in advancing practical reforms that keep communities safe, support victims, and strengthen frontline capacity.

00:06:37.500 We shared deep concern and sorrow about the tragic events in Tumblr Ridge in February and discussed the need for federal legislation to address the needs for mandatory reporting of threats to protect communities.

00:06:50.200 And finally, we also discussed this year's wildfire season and the need for additional federal funding for Western provinces and territories to continue investing in disaster preparedness.

00:07:00.420 And we noticed that the federal government just announced an investment in additional 10 firefighting helicopters today, and we're grateful for that.

00:07:06.680 There are many points of agreement among us, and we are firmly aligned on the need to continue to build a stronger, more competitive and secure Canada by fully realizing the strengths of the Western provinces and territories.

00:07:18.260 I'm proud to be an advocate for the West's success, and I'm excited about how much we'll accomplish together for this nation that we love and the people that we serve.

00:07:25.740 Thank you, and now we'd be happy to take questions.

00:07:28.660 Thank you. We'll now enter the media Q&A portion.

00:07:31.140 We'll be taking one question, one follow-up.

00:07:33.180 A reminder to media to state your name and outlet before asking your question and direct it to the according premiers as well.

00:07:38.380 We'll start up with questions here in the room and then before trying to make our way onto the Zoom call for some questions there too.

00:07:43.260 We'll go ahead to our first at the mic.

00:07:45.080 Hi there, Janet French with CBC Edmonton.

00:07:46.900 My question is for Premier Canu.

00:07:48.960 So I understand that you met with chiefs yesterday, some Alberta First Nation chiefs, to hear their concerns about separation referendum question and other matters.

00:07:56.860 And I'm wondering why did you want that meeting and tell us what happened in the meeting?

00:08:01.140 Thank you. First of all, I want to thank Premier Smith and her team for doing a wonderful job in hosting us here in Kananaskis, and thanks to all the folks who work here at this beautiful hotel.

00:08:15.060 So I come bearing an important message from the First Nations of Canada on the question of Alberta separation.

00:08:24.440 I've heard loud and clear that Indigenous people from coast to coast to coast are prepared to use every treaty right at our disposal to ensure that Canada does not lose Conor McDavid.

00:08:36.840 we wanted to spend some time with uh some of the leadership and uh of course i want to acknowledge

00:08:46.440 the leaders who are participating in the round table here as well as a suggestion of goodwill

00:08:52.200 this is um i was raised uh to pay respects when we came to a territory and so i would describe

00:08:59.960 yesterday's meeting as a cultural gathering cultural visit and i was very moved they actually

00:09:05.800 gave me a Blackfoot name during the opening ceremony that we had and we had a very good

00:09:11.800 discussion. There was a lot of issues being raised of course but there was also a lot of cultural

00:09:20.760 movements. We were moving to hear Cree and Blackfoot and Nakoda spoken in the meeting and

00:09:28.840 of course I nodded along pretending that I understood what was being said in these other

00:09:33.560 languages. But I had the opportunity to share with Premier Smith yesterday some of the concerns

00:09:40.520 around Section 35 and the need for it to be respected. So there was some of that bringing

00:09:46.960 forward a message, definitely. And I want to share that with the room here. I also had a message for

00:09:55.040 the Chiefs, which is, I'm a patriot. I love this country. And I just wanted to say thanks as a

00:10:01.620 fellow Canadian or the what the the leadership in the room would stop the referendum question

00:10:08.360 from moving forward and I thought that that was important to to say as a representative of

00:10:15.540 Manitoba and so we had a really good visit and then we came here and we had a really good meeting

00:10:19.700 with our fellow premiers and so I think the other thing that I wanted to share is after the meeting

00:10:25.700 and when we were leaving Calgary, we stopped at A&W

00:10:29.800 and there was an older woman who was working there

00:10:32.840 and she stopped me and she was handing me the brown paper bag

00:10:36.560 and she goes, what? 0.90

00:10:39.300 Tell our premier we don't want to separate from Canada.

00:10:43.160 I'm passing that message on to you, Danielle,

00:10:45.740 and saying on behalf of the rest of Canada,

00:10:49.040 we're with that lady from A&W.

00:10:50.920 i actually meant to ask you to answer that in french as well so i apologize

00:10:56.440 if you wouldn't mind even the bad jokes the lame jokes

00:11:01.980 you better mention conor mcdavid in like i'll say as well yeah

00:11:07.020 Thank you.

00:11:37.020 this chance to engage at the cultural level, to engage at the level of politics.

00:11:46.020 And then, yes, I shared some messages with the Prime Minister of Alberta

00:11:52.020 on the subject of the issues of the Indigenous rights.

00:11:56.020 But at the same time, there was a lot of engagement here

00:12:00.020 And just could you, as a follow-up, English and French, could you be a bit more specific

00:12:15.900 about your concerns about Premier Smith's mentioning of having a look at Section 35.1?

00:12:21.820 Thanks.

00:12:23.200 Well, I think I'll do the questions the way that I wanted to.

00:12:27.660 Thank you so much.

00:12:28.360 go ahead turn next to the mic hi caroline bargoot with cbc national news this question is for premier

00:12:35.800 eb a number of media outlets including bloomberg are reporting that canada has made a deal with

00:12:42.180 a german company to buy lng from silicons can you talk a little bit about that and tell us

00:12:47.580 where the project is at uh sure um let me uh begin by uh thanking our host here in alberta

00:12:54.120 We had a great meeting and this is a beautiful part of the world. I've never been to Kananaskis before and I got my first pair of cowboy boots. So it's been a memorable visit. So thank you, Premier Smith, and thank you to your team and to everyone who hosted us here.

00:13:09.500 um the uh one of the things we're really proud of uh in british columbia is uh our ability to get

00:13:17.440 big things done and the role uh that we see for ourselves in the future of canada and the kind

00:13:24.140 of economy that we're trying to build for canadians uh from coast to coast to coast when

00:13:28.840 we're canada can stand on our own two feet when we're diversifying our trade flows uh and uh and

00:13:34.700 we see a key role for ourselves in that and we're delivering um we have about 88 billion dollars of

00:13:39.340 projects uh that are moving towards final investment decision including the largest

00:13:43.500 private sector investment in canadian history lng canada phase two uh this has been the work of

00:13:48.460 yours uh and uh solism's lng is a project of the niska nation uh proud 3d nation modern treaty

00:13:57.820 nation in british columbia they've done incredible work we've been supportive from the very beginning

00:14:01.820 of their initiative and i am so glad to see the federal government joining us to take the

00:14:09.980 foundation that has been built in british columbia the work of argument the work of first nations

00:14:15.660 working in partnership the work of communities and and take it to the next level feel like i'm

00:14:22.700 like uh feel like british columbia is throwing the ball up uh and uh and it's given the federal

00:14:28.060 government a chance to take that alley-oop and dunk it and this announcement that the federal

00:14:33.660 government will be sharing more about is about how we can work together to deepen those trading

00:14:39.660 relationships around the world in this case with Germany and it really reflects what is possible

00:14:47.340 when we work together and the role that British Columbia is going to play in building this economy

00:14:52.220 So we look forward to celebrating the formal announcement of this with the NISCA, with the federal government.

00:15:00.240 It's an example of the work we're doing together.

00:15:02.040 We're super proud of it.

00:15:04.020 My follow-up is, where is Solisim's at?

00:15:06.340 Has construction begun on that project?

00:15:09.020 Well, they have all of their permits from the provincial government, and they're ready to go.

00:15:14.980 They are working towards what's called final investment decision, which is the go-no-go decision on construction.

00:15:22.220 And part of the work to get to final investment decision is securing offtake agreements, that's commitments to buy ELNG from the facility.

00:15:29.620 So a major announcement with a European partner of purchasing LNG gets us that much closer to final investment decision of this more than $10 billion investment in British Columbia and Canada.

00:15:44.080 Thank you. We'll go to our next up mic.

00:15:46.240 Thank you for taking my question.

00:15:48.100 Another BC reporter, Ben O'Hara-Byrne.

00:15:49.880 To David Eby, yesterday you said you'd come here looking for clarity about what exactly your counterpart, Danielle Smith, was up to with her question on separation.

00:15:59.520 How satisfied are you with the answers, and what did you hear?

00:16:03.060 Thanks for the question.

00:16:04.480 I think the dominant question I was hearing in British Columbia is why is Alberta doing this?

00:16:10.960 Why are they putting a referendum question forward about the future of the country?

00:16:15.160 a question I brought here to Premier Smith to engage with her

00:16:20.020 on this important question about the future of our country.

00:16:23.240 I've expressed my concerns about it.

00:16:25.860 You know, I am really pleased that we were able to agree on language

00:16:31.040 in this communique, all premiers, myself, Premier Smith,

00:16:35.540 everybody across the table, that a unified Canada

00:16:38.700 is what enables all of the work that we want to do together

00:16:42.280 to build a strong economy, to build the country that we want.

00:16:46.380 In the absence of a unified Canada, we will be poorer.

00:16:51.000 We will not be as successful.

00:16:53.480 We will give comfort to people who want to break up our country

00:16:57.140 and sell it for parts. 0.85

00:17:00.680 And so that very clear language at the beginning of the communique

00:17:04.820 is a reassurance to me.

00:17:06.240 I remain incredibly anxious, frankly, about this.

00:17:10.680 i've seen the brexit referendum that was just supposed to be a chance for people to to express

00:17:17.080 the clarity that they wanted to stay part of the eu and it did not end up that way

00:17:21.400 i communicated those anxieties to premier smith she understands them and my hope is that we can

00:17:27.800 all come together and as a unified country address those concerns because we can address shared

00:17:34.840 concerns together just like a family we can work it out together and we'll be stronger for it and

00:17:40.680 and that's where I hope we end up. And to you, Premier Smith, what did you hear from your

00:17:44.440 counterparts at this table about those same concerns? This reads like a manifesto of why

00:17:48.040 there shouldn't be a referendum. As I told you yesterday, in British Columbia, Alberta, and

00:17:52.880 Saskatchewan, we have citizen-initiated referenda. British Columbia themselves had one when 700,000

00:17:58.880 people signed a petition on the HST, and that went to a vote, and it probably didn't go the way the

00:18:03.000 government of the time thought it would go either. And so we're very conscious of the fact that

00:18:08.860 700,000 citizens signed one of two petitions wanting to have this question.

00:18:13.300 And it's my job to ensure that they have hope in Canada again,

00:18:17.360 that we have to address the legitimate grievances

00:18:19.640 that have come from 10 years of economic attack on our province.

00:18:24.380 And I'm grateful that the Prime Minister is working with us

00:18:28.000 to address those legitimate grievances.

00:18:30.160 And so that's what I'm going to be working on over the next five months

00:18:33.000 is to convince those Albertans who have lost hope

00:18:35.660 that there's reason to have hope again.

00:18:36.880 And I hope it's forums like this that allow for Albertans to see just how strong we are as a Western Canadian group of provinces and territories.

00:18:47.860 It is, when you think about the incredible opportunity that we have, that we're already the population size and economic strength of Ontario,

00:18:57.460 and we're just getting started on opening up markets into Asia.

00:19:03.020 It seems to me that when you look at what we've agreed to in this communicate, there is an incredible amount of optimism and hope that we'll be able to work together to develop those corridors.

00:19:12.940 So I think that that was what we spent most of our time talking about over the last couple of days.

00:19:17.920 Hi there, Julia Wong, CBC National. This is for Premier Smith.

00:19:25.520 You said it's worth taking a look at Section 35 of the Constitution, which affirms treaty rights, and includes a duty to consult with Indigenous groups.

00:19:33.080 I know that Manitoba Premier Canu said that he told you he wants it to be respected.

00:19:38.080 I wonder if you brought this up with your counterparts, and if so, what conversations were had?

00:19:43.240 No, I mean, the way we're going to seek clarity is through the court.

00:19:46.480 We think that the duty to consult is meant to be looked at through a lens of major projects, and we take that very seriously.

00:19:54.100 We had an Indigenous roundtable yesterday where I shared with the premiers how we're using our Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation to help underwrite major project participation, to give revenues to Indigenous nations, and how we want to continue engaging with Indigenous nations on that.

00:20:11.820 But the issue, I think, in the court is whether that duty to consult should apply to citizen-initiated petitions.

00:20:19.940 And that's where I think that the court erred in judgment, and I think it's also anti-democratic, the decision that they made.

00:20:26.000 But we'll make the arguments in court about what the limits to duty to consult ought to be, and we'll see how that conversation goes.

00:20:32.920 There's a couple of rounds that we have to go through, obviously, to Court of Appeal, probably also to the Supreme Court of Canada.

00:20:38.120 but we want to make sure that we have a very clear understanding of what the duty to consult

00:20:42.480 really means and what it doesn't mean and I think at the moment there's a lack of clarity on that

00:20:46.600 and you've talked a lot about I'd like to respond so I think we know that that that is not correct

00:20:54.000 a lot of what you just said there Premier Smith specifically and we spoke about this so I don't

00:20:59.860 mind repeating this it is not up to the petition gatherers to fulfill the duty to consult it is up

00:21:07.060 to you as the Alberta government to fulfill the duty to consult. And in this case, when there's

00:21:13.780 clearly going to be an impact on well-established existing hunting and fishing rights by putting up 0.94

00:21:19.660 an international border, if some would have their way, the judge ruled, and I would agree with the

00:21:25.540 judge's ruling, that that is going to infringe on rights. And so there is a duty to consult.

00:21:30.200 Now, to take a step further, for the Albertan who's been frustrated over the lack of progress on pipelines, he's got the Premier of BC announcing LNG, we're working on Churchill, we're working on Northern Trade Corridors.

00:21:46.920 This is a moment to get big things built in Manitoba.

00:21:50.640 And I would say now is the time to work together.

00:21:54.660 Why don't we hold off on this referendum talk for a year or two

00:21:58.060 and see if we get these pipelines under construction?

00:22:00.860 Because at the end of the day, we want Canada to succeed.

00:22:05.280 We're all very proud of this place.

00:22:07.220 I myself am very, very patriotic.

00:22:09.560 And what I think it's important for us to say when we hear this sorts of discussion

00:22:13.600 happening here in Alberta is for us to say,

00:22:16.520 okay thank you first nations in alberta for hitting the pause button on this now the rest

00:22:21.480 of canada let's work together and show alberta just how appreciated they are in the rest of this

00:22:26.600 country and c'est pas nécessairement un désaccord c'est juste un fait que section 35 c'est un fait

00:22:37.720 que les gouvernements dans le canada doit le respecter c'est le même que le reste

00:22:42.840 constitution. Alors pour moi, oui, j'ai partagé des mots avec le premier ministre Smith de l'Alberta,

00:22:49.240 mais ce n'est pas avec un but de chicaner. C'est avec un but d'engager l'Alberta et puis les

00:22:56.920 peuples qui habitent ici pour leur montrer le but d'avoir un Canada incroyable. Et puis oui,

00:23:02.840 c'est la même approche que j'ai avec une province de Québec qui voudrait engager avec cette même

00:23:10.200 sort of the discussion.

00:23:13.660 And this is why we have the courts, because you can have politicians disagree, and that's

00:23:18.140 why you take it through the court, you take it through the appeals, and you go to the

00:23:21.080 Supreme Court.

00:23:22.060 And ultimately, though, I respect the difference of opinion that Premier Canu has raised.

00:23:27.400 I think we'll wait to see how our Court of Appeals process goes, and see what the courts

00:23:32.300 have to say in the end.

00:23:34.160 Follow up.

00:23:35.200 Yeah, my second question is, Premier Smith, you talked a lot about the strain of the relationship

00:23:39.480 with BC Premier David Eby and other BC Premiers in the past.

00:23:44.300 The words tension and awkwardness have been used

00:23:46.520 to describe the relationship between the two of you.

00:23:48.820 I'm wondering over the course of the last couple of days,

00:23:51.460 is that relationship being repaired

00:23:53.720 or is it beyond repair at this point?

00:23:55.540 I think you should look at the maps that we put out.

00:23:58.180 We've been working for some time

00:23:59.540 on figuring out a port-to-port-to-port strategy

00:24:01.920 and how we can support each other

00:24:04.100 in developing those economic corridors,

00:24:06.580 the main ones going up to Gray's Bay

00:24:08.880 so that we can support the Northern Territories,

00:24:10.940 Arctic security, Arctic sovereignty,

00:24:12.940 and dual-use infrastructure,

00:24:15.020 but also going from Prince Rupert to Churchill,

00:24:18.200 as well as the important expansions

00:24:20.140 that are happening in Vancouver.

00:24:21.500 And when you see just the breadth of things

00:24:25.380 that we're working on together for infrastructure

00:24:27.440 to support each other in not only trading with each other,

00:24:31.400 but also finding new markets,

00:24:32.680 I think that that speaks very loudly.

00:24:34.360 We've been working on it for some time.

00:24:35.640 Our officials worked on it for some time.

00:24:37.040 And we came to an agreement today, which is why we've released the document and released the maps.

00:24:42.180 And I think that that's a testament to where we want to work together.

00:24:45.580 Thanks, Julia.

00:24:46.060 Would you be able to respond?

00:24:48.300 Yeah, just quickly.

00:24:49.600 I mean, British Columbians sent me here with a clear mission, which is to work with the other premiers and get things done for the country.

00:24:58.760 They are not asking me to fight with other premiers.

00:25:02.120 they're not asking me to uh to uh delay uh things they're just saying make sure that our interests

00:25:08.860 are represented around creating jobs creating opportunities supporting my family with having

00:25:13.240 enough money to pay the bills and deal with the cost of living those are the priorities of british

00:25:17.820 that's what i come to this table with i disagree profoundly with premier smith's referendum i think

00:25:22.460 it is a huge mistake um and premier smith disagrees with me profoundly about uh issues related to a

00:25:28.540 pipeline to the north coast to the north coast tanker ban that's okay uh we can disagree with

00:25:33.300 each other and uh and uh she can still give me a real nice pair of boots and i can come here and

00:25:38.960 say what an amazing province you have uh we got to find a way to work these things out together

00:25:43.440 at the table uh and we have to be at the table to be able to do that and we will thank you all right

00:25:50.200 we'll go to our next to the mic hi there edward jen from city news my first question is for the

00:25:54.580 Premier of Alberta. Premier Smith, you said that

00:25:58.440 BC leadership, both current and previous, has led or

00:26:02.340 contributed to separatism sentiment here in Alberta. Following the

00:26:06.480 two days that you had with the Premiers, including the BC Premier, is that

00:26:10.620 still your same view that the current

00:26:14.260 leadership in British Columbia is leading to separatism sentiment

00:26:18.280 here in Alberta? I can't erase history. I can't erase the 10 years

00:26:22.420 of targeting with policy against our energy sector.

00:26:26.360 I can't erase the actions of BC premiers

00:26:29.860 going all the way back to Christy Clark

00:26:31.240 to set up barriers and try to derail

00:26:33.900 our economic infrastructure to the coast.

00:26:37.140 I know that British Columbians have concerns

00:26:40.540 that need to be addressed.

00:26:41.660 We've been working through and trying to understand

00:26:44.260 what those are and how we might be able to address them.

00:26:46.700 And I hope that we're able to find a way

00:26:50.260 to come to some common ground.

00:26:51.580 But I think there is no question there has been a 180-degree turn on this in the last 18 months.

00:26:59.160 I think we don't forget about the past that happened that led to this moment.

00:27:04.000 But we also have to acknowledge that the Prime Minister is working very constructively with our province and others to try to find solutions.

00:27:13.320 That's what our MOU is about.

00:27:14.700 It was about undoing eight out of the nine bad laws that were impairing our ability to attract investment dollars.

00:27:21.280 There's still one other issue that's outstanding that I'm going to work on.

00:27:24.960 But I believe that the prime minister is playing the role that the prime minister of this country has always been supposed to play.

00:27:32.060 Trade and commerce powers fall under federal jurisdiction for a reason.

00:27:35.160 And it's so that if there are disputes between provinces, then they're able to act as a mediator and mitigator and champion to try to make sure that issues get resolved so that both parties are able to get their products to market.

00:27:47.980 So, as Premier Yves said, there's some disagreements on rooting and some of the concerns that he's raised.

00:27:56.080 But I believe that the Prime Minister, in good faith, is going to work with us to try to find a mutually beneficial arrangement.

00:28:03.320 And that is the role the Prime Minister always should have played.

00:28:05.860 It's not the role the Prime Minister played when it was Prime Minister Trudeau.

00:28:10.060 It's part of the reason why Albertans are as frustrated as they are.

00:28:13.300 And part of the reason why I have to demonstrate that through my actions and through the work that I can do with the prime minister, that things have changed.

00:28:21.520 And that's important. And when things have changed, we have to acknowledge it.

00:28:25.240 Doesn't mean that people still don't have hurt feelings and frustration at the economic harm and pain that has been caused for the past 10 years.

00:28:32.160 But we can undo a lot of that by making sure that we're working constructively together.

00:28:36.380 And I think we've entered a new era on that, and I'm glad for it.

00:28:38.800 uh premier evie um can you just describe the nature of the talks that you had with premier

00:28:45.520 smith uh were they tense and what was her response and what were you satisfied with her response uh

00:28:52.700 with those conversations that you had with um well uh we uh all the premiers uh spent the day

00:28:59.880 together discussing many issues of common interest you can see them outlined in the communique

00:29:04.160 And one of the things that I do appreciate about my relationship with Premier Smith is even in the depths of significant disagreement on major priorities, we're still able to come together and have frank and civil conversations.

00:29:19.400 You know, I've outlined my very strong belief and our government's very strong position that the tanker ban off the North Coast cannot and should not go anywhere that it is essential to protecting a $2 billion a year economy.

00:29:36.060 And it is essential to social license for projects like Solism's LNG that we were just talking about at the beginning of this press conference.

00:29:42.700 I outlined my deep concern that British Columbia has not been at the table around discussion of major national policies related to carbon price and methane emissions, given that we are a producer of natural gas and petroleum products in British Columbia as well.

00:29:58.820 And I outlined my concerns about the referendum question, and Premier Smith outlined her concerns to me and her priorities for her province.

00:30:06.140 That's what this table is all about.

00:30:08.540 And so I respect the relationship.

00:30:10.840 It's an important relationship for us.

00:30:12.160 Alberta is our biggest interprovincial trading partner.

00:30:15.580 It's one of the biggest interprovincial trading relationships in the country.

00:30:19.280 I hope it continues that way.

00:30:21.480 And we have far more to lose than to gain by letting disputes come between us and certainly by not finding a path forward.

00:30:30.080 Now, I just want to put on the record so that there's no confusion here.

00:30:33.240 I may have to go vote shortly.

00:30:35.760 I've encouraged all my colleagues to win elections by more than one vote to avoid this scenario.

00:30:41.680 but I haven't found a better press conference somewhere else,

00:30:44.520 and it's not in relation to your questions.

00:30:46.320 If you see me suddenly, I'll leave the stage next.

00:30:49.040 We have time for a few more questions.

00:30:50.560 We'll take a couple more in the room and then go to Zoom.

00:30:53.120 Hi, Annie Vero from Radio Canada.

00:30:55.060 My first question will be for WebKinu in French.

00:30:57.860 Please, c'est possible de répondre en français et en anglais.

00:30:59.800 Je crois que mes collègues m'apprécient.

00:31:01.700 Je vais faire suite à la question de ma collègue.

00:31:03.360 Vous avez rencontré les leaders des peuples autochtones ce matin.

00:31:06.700 Je me demandais si les discussions que vous avez eues aujourd'hui,

00:31:09.080 selon vous, vont être suffisantes

00:31:11.120 pour répondre aux inquiétudes

00:31:12.760 qu'on vous a relevées ce matin?

00:31:20.520 Hier, on a rencontré avec

00:31:22.640 plusieurs chefs

00:31:24.520 et des leaders des communautés

00:31:26.740 autochtones. Il y avait

00:31:28.440 ici aussi, à Canada,

00:31:30.580 qui engageait avec les autres premiers ministres.

00:31:33.380 Et puis, pour moi,

00:31:34.740 c'est toujours important

00:31:36.560 de juste montrer le respect,

00:31:38.080 Just to say that, yes, we are here to engage with the questions of politics, the questions of economic resources, and then, for me, it was important, before I engage with my colleagues here, to show this sign of respect to the indigenous people here, and then, they engage with me in a cultural way, so for me, it was very important.

00:32:03.740 Au niveau de votre question de comment ça a marché ici, après cet engagement, oui, il y avait une conversation au niveau des politiques de la séparation d'Alberta,

00:32:21.780 Mais surtout, c'était un engagement avec les enjeux économiques, les enjeux dans le système de santé, les enjeux au sujet des services sociaux et des autres besoins.

00:32:35.400 Alors oui, ça se peut qu'on a une discussion de l'unité nationale au niveau ici, mais beaucoup de chefs que j'ai rencontrés sont plus engagés avec les services directs à leurs citoyens et avec les autres Albertains et puis Canadiens.

00:32:51.780 Oui. Et puis, une autre chose qui était… Tu as utilisé le mot inquiétude. Une inquiétude, c'est la division entre les personnes qui habitent ici dans l'Alberta. Et je prends ça très sérieux.

00:33:08.160 Alors oui, il y a des questions de l'unité canadienne, mais il y a aussi juste des questions des voisins qui devraient être capables d'habiter d'un côté à l'autre.

00:33:21.240 Alors j'espère qu'en engagant avec le Premier ministre de l'Alberta et puis les autres collègues, nous pourrons trouver une façon de réunir les Canadiens de côte à côte à côte.

00:33:32.880 so just to repeat in english for your colleagues um you know when i met with folks yesterday

00:33:39.840 there was a lot of engagement culturally there was a lot of political discussion of course

00:33:45.520 alberta separation is very top of mind for everybody but i think it was more so about

00:33:49.580 questions of the economy health care tensions and the ability to sustain social services for

00:33:57.220 their citizens so we could have a discussion at this level about you know national unity but

00:34:02.280 like most leaders i think the chiefs that i was engaging with are also very very concerned about

00:34:06.700 how they're going to help people you know pay the rent and put food on the table and stuff like that

00:34:10.960 and then when you asked about anxieties or uncertainties that people have expressed to me

00:34:16.340 certainly we want to see canada work with alberta it was like a strong strong economic engine and a

00:34:23.760 source of cultural life and vitality for the rest of the country but i think one of the concerns

00:34:28.520 that i heard was just about the division uh that is unfortunately crept up from time to time and

00:34:36.040 you know that's what really you know over the course of my political career i've tried to focus

00:34:41.320 maybe more on a message of unity because it is about neighbors being able to live next to neighbors

00:34:47.400 and whether you're indigenous non-indigenous albertan non-albertan you know we're all canadians

00:34:51.960 and we've got to find a way to live together so hopefully through some of the more challenging

00:34:55.320 conversations uh as evidenced by the comments by both premier evie and premier smith today

00:35:01.800 i just hope that we can all live together as canadians and have our disagreements when we

00:35:05.720 have them but more importantly focus on the things that unite us as a part of this great country of

00:35:11.160 canada my follow-up will be with for daniel smith according to some information from radio canada

00:35:16.760 steven guilbeau is set to leave politics soon i would like to have your reaction on that i wish

00:35:22.520 him well in his future endeavors. Thank you. Thank you. We have time for two more questions.

00:35:27.800 We'll take one more here from the room and then we'll take one from the Zoom. David Winnick,

00:35:31.460 Western Standard. This one's for Premier Smith. Prime Minister Carney said a referendum vote of

00:35:35.880 50% plus one is not enough to separate from Canada. Do you agree? I think the Prime Minister

00:35:41.740 also said that the question we're asking is not a Clarity Act question. It's a question asking

00:35:49.760 if Albertans want to remain in Canada

00:35:52.860 or if they want to start the process

00:35:54.920 of ultimately moving to a referendum

00:35:58.240 on whether or not to separate.

00:35:59.900 So it is testing the waters

00:36:01.160 based on 700,000 signatures,

00:36:03.080 collected 400,000 on the remain petition,

00:36:05.240 300,000 on the independence petition.

00:36:07.900 But it's structured in a way

00:36:09.500 that allows us to get some indication

00:36:12.460 from Albertans on policy.

00:36:14.020 It's not a Clarity Act question.

00:36:15.220 It's not binding.

00:36:16.620 Okay, and this goes to Premier Eby.

00:36:18.460 this has to do with the german lng deal um if bc natural gas is good for export then why is delberto

00:36:23.820 oil so uh thanks for the question um in the uh north coast uh region where the lng tankers will

00:36:32.780 be passing uh from the salism's lng facility uh they're a collection of uh first nations that have

00:36:40.140 lived in that area for thousands of years and their culture life economy is dependent on

00:36:50.620 the north coast fishing the beaches being able to harvest food that they need and also for

00:37:01.820 the economies up there which are not it's not the easiest place to make a living

00:37:05.340 uh there have been oil spills nearby uh we had the nathan stewart which is a tug spilled diesel

00:37:14.060 destroyed a fishing area off of uh bella bella and then of course the exxon valdez and so

00:37:22.120 there's a lot of anxiety in that region about the impact of a catastrophic oil spill and more

00:37:31.220 particularly a bitumen spill and the impact that that would have that could not be remediated

00:37:36.160 these are incredibly treacherous waters a natural gas leak evaporates into the atmosphere

00:37:43.580 a bitumen spill is around forever and so when we are engaging with these nations that have

00:37:51.040 rights and title in the area about economic development in the region they say look we're

00:37:55.200 game. We're here. We're partners in economic development. Just please do not do work here

00:38:01.040 that could catastrophically impair our livelihoods for generations to come. And that means no

00:38:08.520 bitumen tankers, no oil tankers in this region. That's why multiple generations of politicians

00:38:13.760 from multiple parties have supported the tanker ban in this region. Dangerous waters, fragile

00:38:18.800 ecosystems, dependent communities. And that's the difference. That's why we support the expansion of

00:38:26.060 the TMX pipeline through the optimization project, why we're working on that with Alberta. And that

00:38:31.700 is why at the same time, we say, please do not remove the tanker ban off the North Coast. It is

00:38:37.640 not the same thing. And don't feel like it is the same thing, because a lot rides on whether or not

00:38:43.680 those nations are supportive, not the least of which is the largest private sector investment

00:38:47.440 in Canadian history, LNG Canada phase two, as well as the CILISM's LNG project that I was just telling

00:38:52.240 you about earlier. Thank you. Thank you. We have time for one last question. We're going to go to

00:38:56.960 the Zoom. We'll be going to National Post, Rahim Mohamed. You should be unmuted and can ask your

00:39:02.400 question. I see Premier Evie's just leaving, unfortunately. But so on top of the headline 0.99

00:39:09.520 question that Premier Smith is asking about Alberta's future in Canada, she's also putting

00:39:15.520 forward five constitutional questions to Albertans. A big one is for more provincial

00:39:21.560 control over judicial appointments. Abolishing the Senate is another one. I wanted to check

00:39:27.840 the temperature and gauge the interest across the room in another round of constitutional

00:39:33.780 talks and a potential Western Canada-led fix to the problem parts of the Constitution.

00:39:40.200 it it's been much discussed not only at this table from a western canada perspective over the

00:39:52.360 you know eight and a half years that i've been a part of this table but also the council of

00:39:56.680 federation table as well and it really comes down and not so much to a western versus the rest of

00:40:03.880 canada change of the constitution however the focus may be that direction at times

00:40:11.240 but to a provincial autonomy and having a respect for the constitution and i think

00:40:17.400 you know the federal areas of the constitution and the provincial areas of the constitution and

00:40:21.800 i think before we even get into that we can agree on the fact that when we have strong and growing

00:40:28.520 and vibrant provinces that are working together unified and having uh to david eby's points of

00:40:34.120 frank and civil conversations like you saw here over the last day and a half uh to you know further

00:40:39.400 our our opportunities collectively uh ultimately uh the success of those provinces is going to

00:40:45.720 very much make for a stronger nation of canada and i would think over time very much a more united

00:40:52.760 nation of canada it's that very lack of respect for uh those uh constitutional areas uh that

00:41:00.280 provinces have uh the very right under that constitution to govern in and to make decisions

00:41:05.240 in development of our natural resources for example that over the last 10 years have largely

00:41:10.200 been trampled on by the the former prime minister as i uh jokingly not affectionately jokingly uh

00:41:17.000 say he should not be named um that has created many of the differences that uh some areas of

00:41:24.120 this nation are managing their way through today and i i spoke of this uh yesterday and i i speak

00:41:30.440 of this every day that appears to be changing and not albeit not perfect for in my view i would like

00:41:36.920 to see things move quicker faster and go further um however they are changing and they're changing

00:41:44.840 significantly and we should take note of that all of us and each of us as individuals we have

00:41:51.000 the province of manitoba putting forward an lng pipeline to the uh to as a major project accepted

00:41:57.420 by the major projects list um you know to export british columbia and alberta lng to european

00:42:04.180 markets very much a conversation that didn't happen around this this table uh even a few years

00:42:10.660 ago we see the major projects office an office i would say that is there to find its way through

00:42:17.580 what is an unworkable regulatory environment that has been formed over the course of the last 10

00:42:21.620 years but a significant a significant policy change by prime minister carney and i think

00:42:27.400 one that is appreciated by most if not all of the provinces you see the province of british

00:42:33.400 columbia alberta we have an interest in expanding our our energy producing industry in saskatchewan

00:42:39.500 in particular on the west side but also in the southern part of our province and accessing some

00:42:44.000 of that additional egress capacity and we'll we'll find a route we've done this before we just built a

00:42:48.940 line to the west coast a number of years ago and we will do it as Canadians by talking to one

00:42:54.740 another and consulting with one another throughout that that process you've seen Prime Minister Carney

00:43:00.300 greatly elevate Canada's credibility in the global sphere in the global trade environment

00:43:05.740 I've seen that firsthand as I've been on a number of missions with them to other countries that are very important to the, not only the Saskatchewan economy and all of our provincial economies, but more broadly, the economy of our nation of Canada.

00:43:20.780 And so you see significant changes, albeit admittedly, you know, not perfect.

00:43:27.140 But there is certainly an approach and a collaborative approach from the Prime Minister that I know that we can work with.

00:43:33.000 And we won't get our way each and every time, nor will Premier Canoe, nor will Premier Smith, Premier Abbey, Premiers from our territories.

00:43:39.580 You won't get your way every time.

00:43:40.940 However, you will have the opportunity to have the conversation to make your case.

00:43:45.700 And I think it's important to note that we will get our way sometimes in certain areas of the nation,

00:43:50.860 and we will be able to build our economy in our provinces, each of our provinces, and access those markets around the world.

00:43:58.400 and the very opening paragraph of the Communicate today

00:44:01.400 speaks to the conversation that we had with that respect.

00:44:06.200 And I would just overshadow all of this with one point.

00:44:10.760 Three of the largest projects that are happening,

00:44:14.260 private sector projects that are happening in Canada today,

00:44:17.120 are happening between the premiers that are sitting on this stage

00:44:20.300 in Western Canada.

00:44:21.860 The largest being the LNG project in British Columbia,

00:44:24.980 BHP in a data center, BHP Potash Mine in Saskatchewan

00:44:27.980 is number two a data center is number three and you can go beyond that down the list and you'll

00:44:32.660 find those in a number of our our provinces in western canada so premier smith's point about

00:44:38.080 the uh the unrivaled growing economy in western and northern parts of our nation

00:44:43.540 is our path to that that economic powerhouse or the strongest economy in the g7 it is our path

00:44:51.040 to becoming a global energy superpower alongside those significant projects that are tens of

00:44:57.400 billions of dollars i i would suggest that the largest projects are yet to come and they're to

00:45:02.720 come in that energy space whether that be in alberta or british columbia whether that be

00:45:07.660 flowing a product to our west coast or out the port of churchill some of the most significant

00:45:12.400 and largest projects that are going to have the largest most significant impact on our canadian

00:45:17.700 economy have yet to come if we continue to work together have those frank and civil conversations

00:45:23.600 speak about working together in the unity of our nation giving everyone reason to want to be a part

00:45:30.500 of our nation and i certainly saw that in the room over the last day or day and a half and i just say

00:45:36.240 thank you to my provincial counterparts for although we don't agree on everything we can set

00:45:41.460 aside not set aside those divisions work through those divisions to a better place for all of us

00:45:46.620 and i think what you'll see in the next uh you know number of weeks and months is a discussion

00:45:51.120 about all the reasons that we should be continuing to work together,

00:45:54.760 expand our economy so that we can make those investments

00:45:56.980 in community that you spoke of earlier, Premier Canoe, across this nation.

00:46:01.440 And that's the only way we're going to do it,

00:46:02.920 is by not backing away from the table, not judging,

00:46:06.260 not casting judgment on any other Canadian,

00:46:09.280 but giving them reason to want to be a part of this nation.

00:46:11.440 I see it starting to turn with the federal leadership that we have.

00:46:15.080 Not perfect, but it certainly is better than we have.

00:46:17.360 And I would say that it is an opportunity for us to aspire to some of the statements that he's made.

00:46:22.780 And I think aspire to a number of the things that we want to aspire to in our respective jurisdictions.

00:46:29.980 Go for your follow up.

00:46:31.840 So, Premier Mo, what I'm hearing from you is a big part of what's changed is you have a prime minister in Ottawa who's more respectful of provincial autonomy than the last guy.

00:46:42.480 But should the provinces have to rely on the benevolence of Ottawa? And if not, would it be worth changing the Constitution to write in things like an opt-out clause for provinces from federal programs, to write in a statement of privacy, a privacy of provincial law in areas of shared jurisdictions, both of which are questions being put to Albertans right now in that province's referendum?

00:47:05.860 uh challenges and this i guess i got away from this in the uh in my last answer but one of the

00:47:14.500 challenges is it's not easy to change the constitution um we've changed it once on an

00:47:19.140 item to do with taxation on uh in in the railway system in saskatchewan um i've openly tried to

00:47:26.900 change it a number of other times as well uh in some of the themes that uh you have spoken about

00:47:32.500 over the course of the last 10 years when we were having you know unconsulted policies

00:47:36.900 from saskatchewan's perspective and the industries that are employing saskatchewan's people's

00:47:40.900 perspective that were harmful uh to families and to communities in in our province and that

00:47:46.260 that feeling was very real and so i have had conversations at west at the western premier's

00:47:50.740 conference in years gone by and the council of federation conference in years gone by about

00:47:56.020 putting forward motions in that theme to actually change the con the the constitution um

00:48:02.500 That was the only way that we saw as possible to get the changes that we needed with the current leadership that we have.

00:48:10.000 Today, that's different.

00:48:11.580 You can pick up the phone and you can talk to the Prime Minister.

00:48:14.100 I don't think there's anybody here that feels that they can't.

00:48:17.740 You can work through the challenges that you might have, which I would suggest is the Canadian way.

00:48:25.380 For us to work through to a what is the best solution, you aren't always going to get your way, also the Canadian way.

00:48:32.500 But you are going to get your way sometimes and we are going to arrive at a better place collectively.

00:48:37.020 That is, you know, what I see happening right now.

00:48:41.000 And I'm happy for it.

00:48:43.580 And that'll be all the time we have for questions today.

00:48:46.080 Thank you, everyone, for joining us.

Western Standard - May 26, 2026

Western Premiers’ Conference

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