Danielle Smith Says Prime Minister Should Have Contacted Her When Visiting Alberta

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith speaks to the party faithful at the United Conservative Party annual general meeting in Calgary on Nov. 4, 2023. The Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh

Alberta’s premier says the prime minister did not contact her about his visit to her province. Justin Trudeau made a similar move when he stopped in Saskatchewan in early 2023, connecting his reasons to that province’s resistance to Ottawa’s energy policies.

Premier Danielle Smith said Mr. Trudeau “spoke with Alberta media during which he managed to call Albertans fools, claimed the carbon tax was saving Alberta families thousands of dollars, and condemned anyone supportive of parental involvement in their child’s education” during a visit on Feb. 21.

Alberta has been calling for a pause on the carbon tax, which the government says is costing residents. Ms. Smith has also announced that the province will not allow medical transitions of children and that schools must obtain parental consent for students 15 years of age and younger who want to change their names or pronouns.

Mr. Trudeau has been outspoken about the policies, saying they hurt those in the LGBT community.

“Instead of attacking our province, Mr. Trudeau could have informed our government about his visit to Alberta and extended an invitation to meet with me,” she posted on X, formerly Twitter.

She said she would have talked to the prime minister about the province’s “amazing energy sector and workers, Alberta green technologies that are changing the world,” as well as housing and affordability issues.

When reporters asked him why he did not meet with Ms. Smith, Mr. Trudeau said she had not asked.

“I’m always happy to meet with any premier whenever they asked me to meet. So, she should have asked for a meeting then.”

Ms. Smith said on social media that Alberta residents don’t take Mr. Trudeau’s comments seriously.

“However it is sad to see this Prime Minister, like his father before him, try to use Alberta as a punching bag to win votes in other parts of the country,” she added.

“Next time the Prime Minister visits Alberta, I hope he calls my office to arrange a meeting as he did with the Premiers of Ontario, British Columbia and Manitoba. I await his call.”

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said he was “disappointed” in Mr. Trudeau’s decision not to meet with him during a stop in early 2023.

“The Prime Minister’s visit to Saskatchewan today to tour a rare earth elements processing plant is disappointing, but not surprising,” he said in a Jan. 16, 2023, post on X.

He also said he had not been made aware of Mr. Trudeau’s plans to stop in the province. Mr. Moe said the Prime Minister’s Office apologized for the move on Jan. 18, according to The Canadian Press.

Mr. Trudeau said the decision was in connection to the Saskatchewan government’s response to the clean energy policies.

“We’ve had lots of great opportunities to make announcements with Premier Moe over the years, the government of Saskatchewan is an important partner on many different issues,” he said.

“At the same time, we also know there’s work to be done on encouraging the government of Saskatchewan to see the opportunities that companies and indeed workers are seeing in cleaner jobs, in the opportunities for cleaner energy projects, these are things that we’re going to continue to work on.”

Mr. Trudeau’s decisions to not meet with the premiers comes as tensions have been rising between the two provinces and the federal government.

In October, 2023, both Mr. Moe and Ms. Smith put pressure on Mr. Trudeau to pause the carbon tax on home heating sources. The request was made after Ottawa put a three-year pause on the tax for home heating oil. It’s a move that largely benefited Atlantic Canada, where 30 percent of households rely on the oil to heat their homes.

Alberta launched a national ad campaign to push back against draft electricity regulations proposed by Ottawa.

“We are sending a message to Ottawa: ‘No one wants to freeze in the dark,’” Ms. Smith said in a social media post on Sept. 29. “This campaign is about energy security and affordability for every Canadian.”

Saskatchewan and Alberta have also resisted Ottawa’s push to curb carbon emissions by 2030. Both provinces’ economies are driven largely by natural resources, and they say that some of Mr. Trudeau’s policies will hurt the industry and the economy.

As of Jan. 1, 2024, Mr. Moe’s government has stopped collecting the carbon tax on home heating sources, including natural gas.

Noé Chartier, The Canadian Press, Isaac Teo, and Matthew Horwood contributed to this report.