The Ben Mulroney Show - Alberta Premier Danielle Smith joins Ben to react to Mark Carney's win

Episode Date: April 29, 2025

Guests and Topics: Guest: Danielle Smith, Premier of Alberta If you enjoyed the podcast, tell a friend! For more of the Ben Mulroney Show, subscribe to the podcast! https://globalnews.ca/national/program/the-ben-mulroney-show Follow Ben on Twitter/X at https://x.com/BenMulroney Enjoy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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is like being part of humanity's greatest. The money you raise, the time you spend, the energy that you give is helping people live, is giving people hope, and that's just so beautiful. Care of the fire for cancer research. Join the ride at ridetoconquer.ca. So during an election campaign, you pick up your swords, you go into battle, you pick your side,

you try to get your side to win. The election's over, so I am of the ilk that you put down your swords, you pick up your swords, you go into battle, you pick your side, you try to get your side to win. The election's over. So I am of the ilk that you put down your swords, you roll up your sleeves, and you get to work with whoever won. You criticize when you feel the need, but the goal is to build a bigger and better Canada. After the election of Mark Carney, where the Liberals were given a fourth consecutive government, a third consecutive minority. The premier of Alberta, Danielle Smith, wrote on Twitter, I congratulate Prime Minister Mark Carney on his minority government election victory last night. I want to sincerely thank Pierre Poliev for his powerful and principled advocacy against the last decade of punitive taxation and anti-resource policies

that have made our country weaker, more divided, and overly dependent on the United States. It goes on quite long. So rather than read it all, I'd like to welcome to the show again, Danielle Smith, the Premier of Alberta. Premier, welcome to the show. Hey, Ben, nice to talk to you. Okay, so are you are you of like mind with me? Is it time to roll up our sleeves and get to work with this new government? Well, I've always been of that view. When I first got elected, but my very first conversation with Justin Trudeau, Mark Carney's predecessor was to talk about how we could align our interests around developing resources and meeting emissions targets in a reasonable period of time. That was my very first conversation. And then I watched for two and a half years while they did everything but. And so this part of the reason why when I got in when the election was called, I had nine things that I believe that the federal government needs to do if they want to reset the relationship with Alberta. And I put it on the table for whoever was going to be Prime Minister today and I'm

looking forward to talking with the Prime Minister and seeing if he's willing to address some of those. Anthony Kosh, another friend of the show, said that if these numbers stay as they are and the liberals do in fact win 168 seats and the NDP keep their seven, they have a de facto majority and I've got to wonder do you think that makes an East-West pipeline anytime soon realistic? Well I hope that the prime minister doesn't misread the results of this election. The results of this election were 312 seats got won by parties that wanted to build pipelines, turn us into an energy superpower, and clear away some of the regulatory mess and taxes and punitive regulations that have landlocked our resources. 312. The fringe parties, all

of them lost ground. The block lost ground, the NDs lost massive ground, and the Greens lost ground. That was a total rejection of the keep it in the ground policies, the carbon taxes, the excessive emissions taxes, everything that they felt they needed to do to maintain their coalition last time around. I hope that the Prime Minister realizes that it was his more moderate tone, his more conciliatory tone of wanting to actually build things that resulted in a higher vote share for him as well as for for Pierre Polyov who's been advocating that for the last two and a half years. So I hope he doesn't misread the result of this because

that is what is going to end up creating tension in the relationship with the provinces. Premier Smith, do you have a call lined up with Mark Carney at this point? I do not. I have a press conference today, so I'm sure I'll be asked a lot of questions about it. But I put out in my congratulations a statement that I'm looking forward to meeting with him to talking about these areas of mutual interest. And keep in mind that they are specific specific tangible things that he needs to do. You have to be able to build and permit new pipelines in a reasonable period of time.

Not frustrate a process by taking 10 years and billions of dollars. That's the reason we haven't had pipelines built in this country. You have to end the tanker ban off the West Coast. You can't say that you are seriously interested in finding new markets when our best opportunity for new markets is in Asia and you've created an arbitrary restriction on getting your product to the coast. He has to make sure that he abandons the aggressive by 2030 net zero targets on everything from cars to houses to electrical power grids. We need

a time horizon that allows for us to achieve emissions reductions with technology, with innovation, rather than a timeline that is unrealistic and unachievable that will essentially only be achieved if we keep resources in the ground. So that's what I'm looking for, is I'm looking for some action to match the words that I heard during the campaign. And I hope we see that. But as soon as I have an opportunity to chat with him, I'll certainly know more. How do you think the people of Alberta, the voters of Alberta are feeling today? I don't think we saw too too much of a surprise in terms of how people in Alberta voted. But that is not reflected yet again in the government that is being sent to Ottawa. So there is a disconnect between the will of the people of Alberta and more

generally the will of Canada. Well, imagine how people might feel if you know, they've had 10 years of being demonized, beat up, punched down, and had their economic opportunity taken away from them and see the same party that did all that to them get re-elected with a higher number of seats. You can imagine how Albertans are feeling today, frustrated, disappointed. I think in our fellow Canadians that the vision of Pierre Poliev was not the one that had a massive endorsement last night. I think that we have a hope that we're going to see some change of direction, but let's

face it, it's all the same players at the table and they've changed leaders. Leaders can chart a new course. But I'll be very interested to see who does he put in energy? Who does he put in environment? What kind of signals is he going to send about whether or not he got the true message of this campaign or whether we're going to see same old same old? Frustration when it's properly focused and properly organized and managed can turn into something much more. And there was discussion prior to the election of the unhappiness in Alberta possibly crystallizing into well more than what it's been more than the protest that we've heard of nationalism turning into

a separatist movement. If, if't get those nine things that you need from this government, could that rebuke be turned into a movement that would be undeniable? Well, I can read the polls along with anyone else. Senghis Reed did poll for the sentiment about sovereignty across the country. It's actually highest, separatist sentiment is highest in Saskatchewan and it's about tied in Quebec and Alberta at about 30%. So that's a very high number. That's a number that should be concerning. And so I'm going to do everything I can to make Eastern Canada and Mark Carney understand that we have to address these issues. These are very practical issues about why it is that Albertans are feeling angry and alienated,

but it's also very easy to solve them by finding some common ground. And so I want to see if there's a spirit of goodwill on that, but if there isn't, we'll know pretty soon. I can predict Albertans will react. And Premier Smith, I guess that's where the conversation is ultimately going to go. And goodwill on that. But if there isn't, we'll know pretty soon. I guess that's that's where the conversation is ultimately going to go. And the question either gets answered today or, or down the line, is there a red line in a politician like yourself, where you say, you know, enough's enough. I've been fighting for a strong Alberta within a strong Canada for years and years and years. But is there a red line in your mind or

in your heart or in your soul, where you say, you know, if the government crosses that line, I got to pick a side here. And, you know, they're making they're making me choose. Well, look, the government has crossed a line. They don't allow us to have unfettered access to corridors. They have the no new pipelines, Bill. They've got a tanker ban off the west coast. They have an emissions cap that they're threatening. They've got clean electricity regs that are supposed to come in in 10 years. They've got a tanker ban off the West Coast. They have an emissions cap that they're threatening. They've got clean electricity regs that are supposed to come in in 10 years. They've regulated plastics as toxic. They've got a net zero car mandate. They are threatening to bring in an additional heavy industrial carbon tax. And they have a federal censorship law preventing energy companies from being able to advocate and celebrate their emissions

reduction. So they've already crossed the line. I'm just asking them to come back a bit. If they continue with those policies, I can't predict how Albertans are going to respond. I'm trying to be reasonable, responsible, try to find some ground, but it takes two to tango. And so people are asking me, I'll work with him. I'm asking if he'll work with me because I have always been on Team Canada, but Team

Canada hasn't always been on Team Alberta. And this is our opportunity to really reset the relationship. And I hope that happens. Albert, a premier, Danielle Smith, thank you so much for joining us. I know that you are going to be exceptionally busy with this new government, hopefully reshaping a more positive relationship between the province and the federal government. And we really appreciate you taking the time to join us on the Ben Mulroney show we hope you come back soon. Thanks Ben. I always appreciate the candor from Danielle Smith you know conversations about separatism would

never be easy. Me asking her, putting it to her, you know, do you have to pick a side? I appreciate her candor there. Want to transform your space and your Sundays? Well, Home Network is giving you the chance to love your home with $15,000. There can only be one winner. Tune in to Renovation Resort every Sunday and look for the code word during the show. Then enter at homenetwork.ca slash watch and win for your chance to win big.

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