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Alberta

Danielle Smith promises to strengthen Alberta’s laws to protect speech, vaccine free, gun owners

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From LifeSiteNews

By Anthony Murdoch

‘I believe in freedom’

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith promised to enshrine into “law” protections for people in her province who choose not to be vaccinated as well as strengthen gun rights and safeguard free speech by beefing up the provincial Bill of Rights.

“I can give you my commitment that no one is going to be forced to make a medical choice that they don’t want to,” Smith told local blogger Shaun Newman on his regular “Podcast” show on Monday.

“I just don’t believe that that is the direction that Albertans want to go. I believe in freedom, and so until I can get that enshrined in law, you have my commitment, no one’s going to be forced to be vaccinated.”

Last month, a panel convened by Smith to investigate the previous government’s COVID governance released its findings, recommending many pro-freedom policies be implemented, such as strengthening personal medical freedoms via legislation so that one does not lose their job for refusing a vaccine as well as concluding that Albertans’ rights were indeed infringed on.

The panel was tasked to review “legislation and governance practices used by the Government of Alberta during the management of the COVID-19 public health emergency.”

Notable highlights from the report show a list of what are considered fundamental rights of Albertans that the report recommends the government take steps to protect via the Alberta Bill of Rights.

Newman asked Smith about the panel’s findings and what her government would do with the recommendations. She responded by saying that some work has already been done to ensure that “unelected” health officials do not have sole decision-making power in emergencies.

“We had a health act that essentially gave the exclusive power to one person to shut down our entire economy and if there was any attempt stepped in to moderate those views. That was the part that was considered illegal, which makes no sense,” Smith said.

Smith is not just talk, however, when it comes to making politicians accountable. She is looking to pass a new law, Bill 6, or the Public Health Amendment Act, that would hold politicians accountable in times of a health crisis by putting sole decision-making on them for health matters instead of unelected medical officers.

Even before Smith became premier, she was not shy in speaking out in favor of the rights of those who chose not to get the COVID shots.

She made headlines in October 2022 after promising she would look at pardoning Christian pastors who were jailed for violating so-called COVID policies while Kenney was premier.

Smith took over from Jason Kenney as leader of the United Conservative Party (UCP) on October 11, 2022, after winning the leadership of the party. Kenney was ousted due to low approval ratings and for reneging on promises not to lock Alberta down as well as enacting a vaccine passport.

Under Kenney, thousands of nurses, doctors, and other healthcare and government workers lost their jobs for choosing to not get the jabs, leading Smith to say – only minutes after being sworn in – that over the past year the “unvaccinated” were the “most discriminated against” group of people in her lifetime.

Smith promises to protect gun rights

When it comes to gun rights of Albertans, Smith pledged that she would do what she can to make sure the federal government stays “out” of its lane and keeps its hands off people’s legally purchased firearms.

“We now just have a bill that’s passed through the federal government, which is going to, presumably, start confiscating the firearms from people who purchased them legally or using them for legal purposes, and is that something that we should also be putting into the Bill of Rights,” Smith said.

“So, the discussion about opening the Bill of Rights began because of wanting to preserve medical choice, we’re seeing the need to expand in on the free speech front because free speech rights are under attack. But we also think that there might be other things that we need to look at.”

Smith noted that she has already had a conversation with one of the MLAs and asked him if he would be “willing to take on a consultation to make sure that when we do amend the Bill of Rights, which we will do, that we’re not missing anything.”

The Canadian federal government’s controversial gun grab bill C-21, which bans many types of guns, including handguns, and mandates a buyback program became law last week after Senators voted 60- 24 in favor of the bill.

In May, it passed in the House of Commons. After initially denying the bill would impact hunters, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau eventually admitted that C-21 would indeed ban certain types of hunting rifles.

Smith, along with premiers from no less than four additional provinces, are opposed to C-21.

Trudeau’s gun-grab was first announced after a deadly mass shooting in Nova Scotia in May 2020 in which Trudeau banned over 1,500 “military-style assault firearms” with a plan to begin buying them back from owners.

If the ban is enforced, legal gun owners in possession of the federally regulated Possession and Acquisition License (PAL) would be barred from buying, selling, transporting, and even importing a slew of guns the government has categorized as “assault-style” rifles.

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Alberta

Big win for Alberta and Canada: Statement from Premier Smith

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Premier Danielle Smith issued the following statement on the April 2, 2025 U.S. tariff announcement:

“Today was an important win for Canada and Alberta, as it appears the United States has decided to uphold the majority of the free trade agreement (CUSMA) between our two nations. It also appears this will continue to be the case until after the Canadian federal election has concluded and the newly elected Canadian government is able to renegotiate CUSMA with the U.S. administration.

“This is precisely what I have been advocating for from the U.S. administration for months.

“It means that the majority of goods sold into the United States from Canada will have no tariffs applied to them, including zero per cent tariffs on energy, minerals, agricultural products, uranium, seafood, potash and host of other Canadian goods.

“There is still work to be done, of course. Unfortunately, tariffs previously announced by the United States on Canadian automobiles, steel and aluminum have not been removed. The efforts of premiers and the federal government should therefore shift towards removing or significantly reducing these remaining tariffs as we go forward and ensuring affected workers across Canada are generously supported until the situation is resolved.

“I again call on all involved in our national advocacy efforts to focus on diplomacy and persuasion while avoiding unnecessary escalation. Clearly, this strategy has been the most effective to this point.

“As it appears the worst of this tariff dispute is behind us (though there is still work to be done), it is my sincere hope that we, as Canadians, can abandon the disastrous policies that have made Canada vulnerable to and overly dependent on the United States, fast-track national resource corridors, get out of the way of provincial resource development and turn our country into an independent economic juggernaut and energy superpower.”

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Alberta

Energy sector will fuel Alberta economy and Canada’s exports for many years to come

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From the Fraser Institute

By Jock Finlayson

By any measure, Alberta is an energy powerhouse—within Canada, but also on a global scale. In 2023, it produced 85 per cent of Canada’s oil and three-fifths of the country’s natural gas. Most of Canada’s oil reserves are in Alberta, along with a majority of natural gas reserves. Alberta is the beating heart of the Canadian energy economy. And energy, in turn, accounts for one-quarter of Canada’s international exports.

Consider some key facts about the province’s energy landscape, as noted in the Alberta Energy Regulator’s (AER) 2023 annual report. Oil and natural gas production continued to rise (on a volume basis) in 2023, on the heels of steady increases over the preceding half decade. However, the dollar value of Alberta’s oil and gas production fell in 2023, as the surging prices recorded in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine retreated. Capital spending in the province’s energy sector reached $30 billion in 2023, making it the leading driver of private-sector investment. And completion of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project has opened new offshore export avenues for Canada’s oil industry and should boost Alberta’s energy production and exports going forward.

In a world striving to address climate change, Alberta’s hydrocarbon-heavy energy sector faces challenges. At some point, the world may start to consume less oil and, later, less natural gas (in absolute terms). But such “peak” consumption hasn’t arrived yet, nor does it appear imminent. While the demand for certain refined petroleum products is trending down in some advanced economies, particularly in Europe, we should take a broader global perspective when assessing energy demand and supply trends.

Looking at the worldwide picture, Goldman Sachs’ 2024 global energy forecast predicts that “oil usage will increase through 2034” thanks to strong demand in emerging markets and growing production of petrochemicals that depend on oil as the principal feedstock. Global demand for natural gas (including LNG) will also continue to increase, particularly since natural gas is the least carbon-intensive fossil fuel and more of it is being traded in the form of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Against this backdrop, there are reasons to be optimistic about the prospects for Alberta’s energy sector, particularly if the federal government dials back some of the economically destructive energy and climate policies adopted by the last government. According to the AER’s “base case” forecast, overall energy output will expand over the next 10 years. Oilsands output is projected to grow modestly; natural gas production will also rise, in part due to greater demand for Alberta’s upstream gas from LNG operators in British Columbia.

The AER’s forecast also points to a positive trajectory for capital spending across the province’s energy sector. The agency sees annual investment rising from almost $30 billion to $40 billion by 2033. Most of this takes place in the oil and gas industry, but “emerging” energy resources and projects aimed at climate mitigation are expected to represent a bigger slice of energy-related capital spending going forward.

Like many other oil and gas producing jurisdictions, Alberta must navigate the bumpy journey to a lower-carbon future. But the world is set to remain dependent on fossil fuels for decades to come. This suggests the energy sector will continue to underpin not only the Alberta economy but also Canada’s export portfolio for the foreseeable future.

Jock Finlayson

Senior Fellow, Fraser Institute
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