Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek said she is frustrated with Alberta’s controversial Sovereignty Act, saying it will take away autonomy from municipal government.
The Alberta legislature passed the Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act early Thursday, giving the provincial government the opportunity to take a more confrontational approach with the federal government on issues deemed unconstitutional and an overreach in provincial jurisdiction.
The bill originally gave Premier Danielle Smith’s cabinet overriding powers to bypass the legislature and rewrite laws, but that was stripped when the bill moved to third and final reading in the legislature.
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Alberta passes sovereignty law, but first strips cabinet of powers
In an interview with Sue Deyell and Andrew Schultz on 770 CHQR, Gondek said she was frustrated by the bill even after a call with Municipal Affairs Minister Rebecca Shulz.
“There is a provision in this law that says the provincial government can dictate provincial bodies, which include municipal councils, to resist federal legislation,” Gondek said. “It puts us in a terrible position, especially when you consider that we may have to break federal law to join the province.”
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Gondek said she is willing to work with the federal government to find solutions to municipal issues. She said she had a good conversation with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the recent metropolitan mayors’ caucus in Ottawa.
“We have a very good opportunity to work with the federal government that is willing to listen to us. That’s what I heard while I was in Ottawa,” Gondek said. “The prime minister emphasized that he wants to make sure that provincial governments are partners at the table regarding decision-making.
“I think the prime minister is trying to send a strong signal and this is one way to do that, and we’ll have to see what comes next now that the bill has been passed.”
Ward 11 gr. Kourtney Penner also opposed the bill, calling it a “childish tantrum” designed to get attention. According to Penner, municipal leaders were not consulted or informed about the bill before it was passed on Thursday.
“To push a narrative that seeks to undermine the premise of good government – relationship building – should show us all that Bill 1 is not about Albertans’ best interests,” Penner said in a series of tweets Thursday morning.
“This is nothing more than a childish tantrum designed to get attention in all the wrong ways.”
– with files from Dean Bennett, The Canadian Press
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