Ottawa ‘not looking for a fight’ over Alberta sovereignty bill, Trudeau says

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Ottawa is “not looking for a fight” with Alberta over the provincial government’s proposed sovereignty bill, but added he won’t take anything off the table.

His comments come the morning after Alberta Premier Danielle Smith tabled legislation that, if passed, would give the provincial cabinet broad powers that have already faced fierce opposition criticism — and are already raising constitutional questions.

On his way to a caucus meeting Wednesday in Ottawa, Trudeau said the proposed “exceptional powers” in the bill are “raising a lot of eyebrows in Alberta.”

“We’re going to see how it plays out,” Trudeau said after being asked if he intended to have the federal government step in and challenge the bill.

“I’m not going to take anything off the table, but I’m not looking for a fight either.”

If approved, the province says the proposed law could be used “to oppose federal government encroachment and interference in areas of provincial jurisdiction, including … private property, natural resources, agriculture, firearms, regulation of the economy and delivery of health, education and other social programs.”

3:57
Alberta introduces sovereignty bill that gives cabinet broad powers to fight Ottawa

The proposed law gives the cabinet authority to “direct provincial entities not to enforce specific federal laws or policies with provincial resources.” Anyone subject to the bill must comply, but the bill does not outline enforcement measures.

When defining the provincial entities over which he would have power, the bill casts a wide net. These include provincial Crown-controlled organizations and public agencies, regional health authorities, school boards and public post-secondary institutions, and municipalities, as well as municipal police services.

The law will give the cabinet the power to change legislation by order of council. This means laws can be changed or amended without legislative debate.

The process would be: any minister or the premier introduces a motion in the legislative assembly, identifying a federal initiative that is believed to be harmful to Alberta. Then they will file a motion that will include a response – or instructions – to that initiative using the law. The motion will be debated in the legislature and if the majority of the MPs vote for it, it will be accepted and then go to the cabinet. Taking the motion and directives as guidance, cabinet ministers would then have the ability to unilaterally, if they so choose, change legislation.

As the province sought to reassure indigenous communities that the proposal would not infringe on their rights, both Treaty 6 and Treaty 8 chiefs released statements reiterating their opposition to the Act. They warned that the law “could conceivably apply to any federal law or requirement, whether related to public health, the environment or treaties – international agreements that take legal precedence over provincial and federal legislation.”

Opposition NDP MPs, meanwhile, voted against the bill’s first reading and released a statement saying the legislation would “create investment uncertainty, jeopardize federal funding agreements and jeopardize Alberta’s economic future.”

As the controversial legislation moves through the province’s legislature, Trudeau said the federal government will “focus on delivery for Albertans.”

“There are going to be things we agree with that government on, there are going to be things we disagree on,” he said.

“My focus will always be to be constructive in terms of delivery for people across the country.”

© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.