With Prime Minister Mark Carney and his cabinet officially sworn in, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith released a statement on Friday, March 14, challenging Carney to call an election as soon as possible.
“Now that Prime Minister Mark Carney has been officially sworn in, his first item of business should be to call a general election.”
Smith notes that while the Prime Minister may be new, the cabinet he is leading is not.
“I am extremely concerned that this cabinet includes most of same ministers responsible for the most damaging government policies levelled by Ottawa against Alberta in our over 100-year history. We are gravely concerned that plans to significantly increase the industrial carbon tax will be just as damaging to Alberta’s economy as the consumer carbon tax has been.”
Points of friction with the Trudeau administration were also brought up in the statement.
“The Prime Minister also has not yet condemned harmful policies such as:
- The proposed emissions cap which continues to threaten our energy sector.
- Bill C-69 which still hampers critical infrastructure projects.
- Failed bail policies which continue to put our communities at risk, undermining the safety and security that Albertans deserve.
- Gun bans that target law-abiding hunters and sport shooters.
- Open border policies which are allowing over two million people per year to enter Canada.
- The plastics ban which puts billions of dollars of investment and thousands of jobs at risk.
- Bill C-59 which bans businesses from communicating about their environmental goals.
- The electric vehicle mandate which calls for 100 percent of new vehicles sold to be electric by 2035.
- The Sustainable Jobs Act, which aims to transition energy workers to a net zero economy as they work to shut down the energy sector.
The premier says she will continue to stand up for Alberta despite the change in leadership at a federal level.
“Our province has always been a leader in innovation, economic growth, and responsible resource development. We will continue to stand up for our industries, push back against policies that unfairly target Alberta, and fight for a fair deal within Confederation.
Smith says an election needs to be called as soon as possible so Canadians and Albertans can have a say in who leads the country as tension with the United States continues to rise.
“The prime minister must put Canada first and call an election immediately to ensure that whoever is leading this country has a four year mandate from all Canadians, especially in light of the ongoing tariff conflict with the U.S.”
Carney signed a Record of Decision on Sunday, March 16, as the first step in creating an Order in Council which would amend the price of the Consumer Carbon Tax to zero dollars, starting on April 1.
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