Trudeau Reacts to Sovereignty Act Tabled in Alberta

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rises during Question Period in Ottawa on Nov. 24, 2022. Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Nov. 30 he’s paying close attention to the sovereignty bill tabled in Alberta this week and that all options are on the table, while also qualifying he doesn’t want to clash with the province.

“We’re gonna look at this very, very closely and think about the implications,” Trudeau told reporters on Parliament Hill.

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

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith tabled on Nov. 29 Bill 1, the “Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act”, hence fulfilling one of her campaign promises as she sought to replace Jason Kenney at the head of the United Conservative Party (UCP) and the province.

The bill seeks to defend the interests of Alberta and protect the province from what it sees as federal overreach within its sphere of jurisdiction.

Smith said those areas include firearms, energy, natural resources, healthcare pertaining to COVID-19, and agriculture.

The federal government has jurisdiction over firearms, but Alberta and other provinces have said they will push back on Ottawa’s intention to confiscate from lawful owners those firearms it declares illegal.

Trudeau addressed indirectly some contentious issues he has with the province and said his government would go ahead as planned with its agenda.

“Our focus remains on making sure that Albertans get affordable childcare, and making sure that Albertans are part of a growing cleaner economy that are going to create good jobs and protect our environment for years to come,” he said.

Trudeau said making communities safer includes “banning military style assault weapons” and “these are things that we know Albertans care about, and we’re gonna stay focused.”

The prime minister also said Bill 1 would give “exceptional powers” to the Alberta government to bypass the legislature, “causing a lot of eyebrows to raise in Alberta.”

This was disputed by the province in a Nov. 30 statement which said that under the act, the Alberta cabinet would be able to amend legislation only after a resolution has been passed by the legislature.

“The rationale for this process is simply to allow the legislative assembly a tool to act swiftly and efficiently in protecting Albertans from federal initiatives that violate the constitutional or charter rights of Albertans or which otherwise harm the interests of Albertans,” says the statement.