Joel Dryden

Joel Dryden

On home turf, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith jabs familiar foes to warm reception

Premier targets Trudeau, Guilbeault at Conservative Party convention; doesn’t mention Carney by name. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith flexed her star power amongst Conservative Party faithful on Saturday, advocating for policies popular with conservatives while not directly addressing the separatist issue that has made headlines this week. The Alberta provincial leader was warmly received by delegates of the federal party, reflecting...

Jason Markusoff, Joel Dryden

Alberta separatism casts shadow over Conservative convention

Conservative leader expected to address separatism in speech tonight. The Conservative Party convention boasts roughly 2,650 delegates, which doesn’t make this the largest right-leaning political gathering this week in Calgary — or even the biggest on the Calgary Stampede park grounds. That title would belong to Stay Free Alberta’s separatist rally and petition signing event that drew more than three...

Joel Dryden

Chance of privately developed pipeline almost ‘zero’ if no government backstop: former Alberta energy minister

A former Alberta energy minister says a proposed bitumen pipeline to the northwest B.C. coast is unlikely to materialize if Canada relies on the private sector alone to build it. “I would say it's not just diminishing, the likelihood of a private sector proponent.… I would almost say it is zero at this point,” Sonya Savage said on CBC's West...

Joel Dryden

Elections Canada adds security ahead of Alberta byelection amid reported threats

Number of candidates in Battle-River Crowfoot led to decision, agency says. Elections Canada has hired security guards in advance of this month's byelection in Battle River-Crowfoot, candidates were told Friday. More than 200 candidates are contesting the riding alongside Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre, who is running in the riding to regain a seat in the House of Commons. Last...

Joel Dryden

Alberta byelection candidates reported 'potentially threatening' comments: RCMP

Independent candidate Sarah Spanier says she's been target of harassment, personal attacks. Several candidates contesting next month's byelection in Battle River-Crowfoot have reported receiving negative and sometimes "potentially threatening commentary" on social media platforms in recent days, according to RCMP. "While Canadians are entitled to express their opinions, even those critical of political figures, threats or comments that cross the...

Joel Dryden

Danielle Smith's U.S. media remarks stoke reaction as party leaders hit campaign trail

Smith mused about possibility of putting tariffs ‘on pause’ to benefit Conservatives. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's recent comments to right-wing U.S. media outlet Breitbart News have quickly drawn reaction from party leaders seeking to position themselves as the best option to manage a contentious relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump. Over the weekend, a resurfaced March 8 interview with Breitbart...

Robson Fletcher, Joel Dryden

Alberta pioneered industrial carbon pricing. Now, Poilievre says he'd kill the federal mandate for it

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith welcomed a promise from the Conservative Party of Canada on Monday to eliminate the federal backstop on industrial carbon pricing, if it were to form the next federal government. Although it appears unlikely the province would abandon its longstanding pricing system altogether. "We fully support Pierre Poilievre's commitment to return jurisdictional authority back to the provinces...

Joel Dryden

Trump's musings on 'very large faucet' in Canada part of looming water crisis, say researchers

Water sharing between Canada and the United States has long been a contentious issue. In 2005, former Alberta premier Peter Lougheed warned against sharing Canada's water supply with the United States, suggesting Alberta's most important resource was water, not oil and gas. "We should communicate to the United States very quickly how firm we are about it," Lougheed said.

Joel Dryden

'We have to be prepared' for tariffs, Alberta premier says after Trump meeting - warned of national unity crisis if Ottawa considers energy export restrictions

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says while she doesn't want to assume anything after her meeting with U.S. president-elect Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence over the weekend, Canada needs "to be prepared" that threatened tariffs are on the way. Smith met with the president-elect at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday evening, and again at his golf club on Sunday morning. She was...

Joel Dryden

$7M Alberta advertising campaign against oil and gas emissions cap rolling out in 5 provinces

The Alberta government is launching a $7-million advertising campaign in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia in what it says is an effort to throw cold water on the federal government's plan to implement an emissions cap on the oil and gas sector. The campaign, which the province has titled "Scrap the Cap," will involve television, online...

Joel Dryden

Here's what's in Alberta's Bill of Rights — and what Danielle Smith is set to change

When the 17th Alberta Legislature opened on March 2, 1972, then-premier Peter Lougheed moved quickly to introduce what the Edmonton Journal described as "the keystone piece of legislation for his administration." Lougheed said the primary effect of the legislation — the Alberta Bill of Rights — was to "shield the citizen from government abuse of its power," the Calgary Herald...

Joel Dryden

UCP maintaining voter support that won election, NDP competitive amid leadership race: poll

Nearly one year after Danielle Smith's United Conservative Party defeated Rachel Notley's Alberta New Democrats, new polling suggests Smith's party is mostly hanging on to the support that brought it into office. The random polling of 1,200 Albertans was commissioned by CBC News and conducted by Edmonton-based Trend Research under the direction of Janet Brown Opinion Research between May 1 and 15.

Joel Dryden

Some sectors of oil industry 'dragging their heels' on climate in favour of profit: Trudeau

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith found themselves at loggerheads yet again Wednesday after he suggested that at least some in the oilpatch have prioritized profits over securing a long-term future for its workers. In an interview on Real Talk Ryan Jespersen, Trudeau said that parts of the oil and gas industry, by "dragging its heels" on...

Joel Dryden

Ottawa floats new options for electricity rules that drew ire of Alberta and Saskatchewan

The federal government is considering significant updates to its proposed regulations aimed at reducing emissions from electricity generation to net-zero. The move comes after months of consultations with Canadians, the government said, but also follows strong opposition from politicians in Alberta and Saskatchewan. A draft version of the Clean Electricity Regulations was initially released last August. The regulations function as...

Joel Dryden

2 of 4 men accused of conspiring to murder RCMP during Coutts protest plead guilty to lesser charges

Two of the four men accused of conspiring to murder RCMP officers during the border blockade and protests at Coutts, Alta., will be released from custody today after pleading guilty to lesser charges. On Tuesday, Jerry Morin pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic firearms, and Christopher Lysak pleaded guilty to possession of a loaded restricted firearm (handgun) in an unauthorized...

Joel Dryden

Approval rating for Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek slides to 30%, down 6 points from June: poll

Thirty per cent of Calgarians polled in a new survey say they approve of the performance of Mayor Jyoti Gondek just over two years since she was elected, amid a year that has seen council grapple with a housing crisis, rising costs and a much-debated arena deal. ThinkHQ's online survey of 1,138 Calgarians earlier this month shows the mayor's approval...

Joel Dryden

Supreme Court rules environmental impact legislation largely unconstitutional

Canada's top court has delivered a highly anticipated judgment, writing in a majority opinion that Ottawa's Impact Assessment Act (IAA) is largely unconstitutional. The IAA, previously known as Bill C-69, allows federal regulators to consider the potential environmental and social impacts of various resource and infrastructure projects. It was enacted in 2019.