Smith addresses MLA’s support of separatist petition

EDMONTON — Alberta’s premier says she welcomes diverse opinions in her caucus after a legislature member of her United Conservative Party opined a referendum on separation is good for the province.

Danielle Smith also reiterated on her provincewide radio show Saturday her government supports Alberta staying in Canada, and she has taken steps to obtain provincial autonomy, such as signing the Alberta-Canada energy memorandum of understanding with Prime Minister Mark Carney.

“There are others who … don’t believe these grievances can be addressed or will be addressed, and they’ve lost hope in Canada. It’s my job … to find these issues and to solve them one by one by one,” she said.

“So one voice in our caucus has a different perspective and we are a caucus that allows for diversity of opinions, but I can tell you our caucus and our government supports my view that we are in support of Alberta’s sovereignty within a united Canada.”

Smith made the comments after the radio show’s host asked her about Red Deer-South MLA Jason Stephan’s promotion of a petition pushing for a referendum on separation in an op-ed he penned. It was published Friday in the conservative media outlet “Western Standard.”

The host asked whether Stephan’s opinion reflects “broader tolerance within (Smith’s) government.”

Stephan, who is also the premier’s parliamentary secretary for constitutional affairs, wrote that he invites “all who love freedom and prosperity” to sign the petition.

Among the multiple arguments he made was that the “Ottawa establishment” is trying to gaslight Albertans into thinking a referendum will cause economic uncertainty, and he said a referendum is about holding Ottawa accountable.

He said Ottawa has cost Alberta jobs and investments and the federal government’s “laws and policies” “erode Albertans’ freedoms in favour of a nanny state.”

“The status quo is unacceptable, and it will get worse. Sign the petition,” he said near the end of his op-ed.

The petition, led by the Stay Free Alberta group, has until May 2 to get just under 178,000 signatures.

In recent weeks, Smith and multiple Alberta MLAs have confirmed they have not signed the petition, repeatedly saying they support a sovereign Alberta within a united Canada.

But Smith’s government has also been criticized for changing rules to make it easier for a separation question to go on a referendum ballot and for not candidly denouncing the separatist movement.

Among the recent critics of Alberta’s government was Doug Griffiths, the president and CEO of the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce.

“If I had a choice, it would be for the Alberta government to say, ‘Enough. We’re focusing on business growth, economic growth … not talking about leaving this country,” Griffiths said in an interview earlier this month.

His comments came after results of an Alberta Chambers of Commerce survey of members and investors suggested more than half of participants expressed that the provincial separation issue is affecting the provincial economy.

It found a large portion of businesses believe the separation issue is making it hard to plan for the economic future.

Shauna Feth, the chamber’s chief executive, called separation a top business issue in Alberta.

“The concern isn’t about ideology so much as it is about the uncertainty that that discourse creates,” she said.

» The Canadian Press