Ministerial Mandate Letters highlight upcoming showdowns between Alberta and Ottawa

Contributed by Free Alberta Strategy

After every election in Alberta, once the new government is formed and Cabinet has been selected, the Premier provides documents called mandate letters to each of their new Cabinet Ministers. These mandate letters outline the government’s priorities and policy objectives, as well as the Premier’s expectations, for each Minister’s performance in their respective roles. It is also common for these mandate letters to be released publicly, giving us as the public an early look at where the government is likely headed in the coming months and years. Over the last few days, the first of these mandate letters have been released, so we wanted to bring you a few of the highlights.

The constant theme throughout the letters is a very clear message to the federal government that Alberta will be flexing its muscles on the national stage in the coming four years. In particular, the two highest-profile Ministries – namely Finance and Energy – got mandate letters that put the federal government right in their crosshairs.

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Drumheller-Stettler MLA Nate Horner is in Cabinet as Finance Minister and has been tasked with looking at the establishment of an Alberta Revenue Agency and an Alberta Pension Plan.

These are both fundamental concepts of the Free Alberta Strategy, and both are strongly opposed by the New Democrats led by Rachel Notley.

The concept of an Alberta Revenue Agency isn’t as scary as most of the opposition is making it out to be.

Quebec already has a Quebec Revenue Agency that collects all provincial tax.

Saskatchewan just passed the Saskatchewan Revenue Agency Act, which gives them the ability to defend Saskatchewan’s economic autonomy, industries and jobs from federal intrusion and constitutional overreach.

Also, Alberta already collects provincial corporate tax through the Tax and Revenue Administration department.

So, in some ways, the Alberta Revenue Agency already exists – we just need to expand its mandate to include other types of taxes other than corporate tax.

This move would also provide greater flexibility for the province when it comes to provincial tax collection policy.

As a bonus, once this is done, we will then be able to join Quebec in lobbying the federal government for the ability of provinces to collect federal taxes.

This is something that Quebec has been pushing for for quite some time, and while they haven’t made any progress in convincing the current federal Liberal Party, several recent Conservative Party leaders have expressed support for the idea.

With regards to an Alberta Pension Plan, there is an actuarial report due to be released sometime soon that has studied this issue.

“It’s something that’s been outlined as a potential opportunity and something that we need to really flesh out and get into the numbers and make sure that Albertans understand,” said Horner.

We’ve pointed out here a few times that Albertans contribute more into the Canada Pension Plan than we take out in benefits.

In essence, Ottawa is using the CPP as just one more way to subsidize the rest of Canada with our money.

We anticipate the report – when it is released – will point out that due to our young demographics and provincial income levels, an Alberta Pension Plan will give us the ability to decrease contributions while maintaining the same benefits to our seniors, keep contribution levels the same while increasing benefits to our seniors, or some combination of the two.

Alberta’s exit from the Canada Pension Plan would also leave a huge hole in the national fund – one that would require premiums to dramatically increase in the rest of the country to make up for the subsidy they’ll no longer be getting from Albertans.

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Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche MLA Brian Jean steps into the crucial role of Energy and Minerals, a very fitting role given the riding he represents is the very heartland of the energy industry.

Jean will face off against a federal government that has been violating provincial natural resource jurisdiction ever since its election, and he will be expected to stand up to the politicians in Ottawa who are seeking to systematically decimate our natural resource industry.

Specifically, Jean is tasked with “defending Alberta’s energy interests against federal overreach and developing strategic alliances with other provinces to deal with energy-related issues.”

Recently, Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault has gone so far as to state his belief that oil and gas production is likely to be reduced by 75% by 2050.

And given Justin Trudeau’s plans for a Just Transition / Sustainable Jobs Act, a net-zero electricity grid by 2035, an emissions / production cap on oil and gas at the end of this year, and more, we should believe him when he says he intends to try.

Considering the impact the aggressive climate ambitions of the federal government are anticipated to have on the national economy, prioritizing the defence of the industry on a jurisdictional basis is absolutely essential to ensure the future of Alberta.

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Horner, Jean, and the rest of Cabinet are about to become willing participants in the biggest fight of their political lives.

They will be expected to stand up for Alberta against the next wave of federal attacks and wrest control of our future back from Ottawa.

Here at the Free Alberta Strategy, we will be pushing the government to stay resolute in the face of these attacks, and to implement our ideas and proposals.

We’ve seen once before that a government in Alberta can be elected on a strong mandate to stand up to the federal government but back off when left-wing activists and media pressure them to stop.

That’s why we need to keep the pressure on to keep going, and make sure this government follows through.

To help us keep the pressure on, please consider making a donation to the Free Alberta Strategy:

DONATE

We need your support to continue our research, policy analysis, grassroots organizing, and communications efforts.

Thanks for your support!

Regards,

The Free Alberta Strategy Team

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DONATE has two key objectives:

Establishing complete Provincial Legislative Sovereignty within Canada
Ending Equalization and Net Federal Transfers out of Alberta

The Strategy accomplishes these two objectives through a series of legislative and other policies that must be implemented by Alberta’s Provincial Government

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The case for expanding Canada’s energy exports

Published on December 10, 2025

Todayville

From the Canadian Energy Centre

By Deborah Jaremko

For Canada, the path to a stronger economy — and stronger global influence — runs through energy.

That’s the view of David Detomasi, a professor at the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University.

Detomasi, author of Profits and Power: Navigating the Politics and Geopolitics of Oil, argues that there is a moral case for developing Canada’s energy, both for Canadians and the world.

David Detomasi. Photo courtesy Smith School of Business, Queen’s University

CEC: What does being an energy superpower mean to you?

DD: It means Canada is strong enough to affect the system as a whole by its choices.

There is something really valuable about Canada’s — and Alberta’s — way of producing carbon energy that goes beyond just the monetary rewards.

CEC: You talk about the moral case for developing Canada’s energy. What do you mean?

DD: I think the default assumption in public rhetoric is that the environmental movement is the only voice speaking for the moral betterment of the world. That needs to be challenged.

That public rhetoric is that the act of cultivating a powerful, effective economic engine is somehow wrong or bad, and that efforts to create wealth are somehow morally tainted.

I think that’s dead wrong. Economic growth is morally good, and we should foster it.

Economic growth generates money, and you can’t do anything you want to do in social expenditures without that engine.

Economic growth is critical to doing all the other things we want to do as Canadians, like having a publicly funded health care system or providing transfer payments to less well-off provinces.

Over the last 10 years, many people in Canada came to equate moral leadership with getting off of oil and gas as quickly as possible. I think that is a mistake, and far too narrow.

Instead, I think moral leadership means you play that game, you play it well, and you do it in our interest, in the Canadian way.

We need a solid base of economic prosperity in this country first, and then we can help others.

CEC: Why is it important to expand Canada’s energy trade?

DD: Canada is, and has always been, a trading nation, because we’ve got a lot of geography and not that many people.

If we don’t trade what we have with the outside world, we aren’t going to be able to develop economically, because we don’t have the internal size and capacity.

Historically, most of that trade has been with the United States. Geography and history mean it will always be our primary trade partner.

But the United States clearly can be an unreliable partner. Free and open trade matters more to Canada than it does to the U.S. Indeed, a big chunk of the American people is skeptical of participating in a global trading system.

As the United States perhaps withdraws from the international trading and investment system, there’s room for Canada to reinforce it in places where we can use our resource advantages to build new, stronger relationships.

One of these is Europe, which still imports a lot of gas. We can also build positive relationships with the enormous emerging markets of China and India, both of whom want and will need enormous supplies of energy for many decades.

I would like to be able to offer partners the alternative option of buying Canadian energy so that they are less reliant on, say, Iranian or Russian energy.

Canada can also maybe eventually help the two billion people in the world currently without energy access.

CEC: What benefits could Canadians gain by becoming an energy superpower?

DD: The first and primary responsibility of our federal government is to look after Canada. At the end of the day, the goal is to improve Canada’s welfare and enhance its sovereignty.

More carbon energy development helps Canada. We have massive debt, an investment crisis and productivity problems that we’ve been talking about forever. Economic and job growth are weak.

Solving these will require profitable and productive industries. We don’t have so many economic strengths in this country that we can voluntarily ignore or constrain one of our biggest industries.

The economic benefits pay for things that make you stronger as a country.

They make you more resilient on the social welfare front and make increasing defence expenditures, which we sorely need, more affordable. It allows us to manage the debt that we’re running up, and supports deals for Canada’s Indigenous peoples.

CEC: Are there specific projects that you advocate for to make Canada an energy superpower?

DD: Canada’s energy needs egress, and getting it out to places other than the United States. That means more transport and port facilities to Canada’s coasts.

We also need domestic energy transport networks. People don’t know this, but a big chunk of Ontario’s oil supply runs through Michigan, posing a latent security risk to Ontario’s energy security.

We need to change the perception that pipelines are evil. There’s a spiderweb of them across the globe, and more are being built.

Building pipelines here, with Canadian technology and know-how, builds our competitiveness and enhances our sovereignty.

Economic growth enhances sovereignty and provides the resources to do other things. We should applaud and encourage it, and the carbon energy sector can lead the way.

Agriculture

Growing Alberta’s fresh food future

Published on December 10, 2025

Government of Alberta

A new program funded by the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership will accelerate expansion in Alberta greenhouses and vertical farms.

Albertans want to keep their hard-earned money in the province and support producers by choosing locally grown, high-quality produce. The new three-year, $10-milllion Growing Greenhouses program aims to stimulate industry growth and provide fresh fruit and vegetables to Albertans throughout the year.

“Everything our ministry does is about ensuring Albertans have secure access to safe, high-quality food. We are continually working to build resilience and sustainability into our food production systems, increase opportunities for producers and processors, create jobs and feed Albertans. This new program will fund technologies that increase food production and improve energy efficiency.”

RJ Sigurdson, Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation

“Through this investment, we’re supporting Alberta’s growers and ensuring Canadians have access to fresh, locally-grown fruits and vegetables on grocery shelves year-round. This program strengthens local communities, drives innovation, and creates new opportunities for agricultural entrepreneurs, reinforcing Canada’s food system and economy.”

Heath MacDonald, federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

The Growing Greenhouses program supports the controlled environment agriculture sector with new construction or expansion improvements to existing greenhouses and vertical farms that produce food at a commercial scale. It also aligns with Alberta’s Buy Local initiative launched this year as consumers will be able to purchase more local produce all year-round.

The program was created in alignment with the needs identified by the greenhouse sector, with a goal to reduce seasonal import reliance entering fall, which increases fruit and vegetable prices.

“This program is a game-changer for Alberta’s greenhouse sector. By investing in expansion and innovation, we can grow more fresh produce year-round, reduce reliance on imports, and strengthen food security for Albertans. Our growers are ready to meet the demand with sustainable, locally grown vegetables and fruits, and this support ensures we can do so while creating new jobs and opportunities in communities across the province. We are very grateful to the Governments of Canada and Alberta for this investment in our sector and for working collaboratively with us.”

Michiel Verheul, president, Alberta Greenhouse Growers Association

Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP)

Sustainable CAP is a five-year, $3.5-billion investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments to strengthen competitiveness, innovation and resiliency in Canada’s agriculture, agri-food and agri-based products sector. This includes $1 billion in federal programs and activities and $2.5 billion that is cost-shared 60 per cent federally and 40 per cent provincially/territorially for programs that are designed and delivered by provinces and territories.

Quick facts

Alberta’s greenhouse sector ranks fourth in Canada:

195 greenhouses produce $145 million in produce and 60 per cent of them operate year-round.

Greenhouse food production is growing by 6.2 per cent annually.
Alberta imports $349 million in fresh produce annually.

The program supports sector growth by investing in renewable and efficient energy systems, advanced lighting systems, energy-saving construction, and automation and robotics systems.