Alberta Premier Urges Trudeau to Consider Carbon Tax Freeze Amid Contentious Meeting

The Alberta Premier, Danielle Smith, has urged her federal counterpart, Justin Trudeau, to take into account the growing calls from certain provincial premiers to forego the upcoming annual increase in the ‘carbon tax’ on April 1st. As the two leaders met in Calgary on Wednesday morning, their first face-to-face since last summer, tensions were high.

Despite the strained relations between Ottawa and Alberta, Justin Trudeau and Danielle Smith began their meeting in Calgary with big smiles and collaborative tones. Before shutting the door to the cameras, Alberta’s Premier, who often criticizes federal decisions, highlighted areas of agreement.

She mentioned the federal financial support for projects like Trans Mountain and Air Products in the Edmonton region. ‘I would also like to thank the Prime Minister for advancing the Trans Mountain pipeline almost to the finish line. This will be a significant boost not just for Alberta, but for the entire country,’ she emphasized.

‘I’m glad to be back in Alberta to talk about clean growth, investments we are making in future jobs,’ said Canada’s Prime Minister.

Beyond the meeting with Danielle Smith, Justin Trudeau is set to make an announcement on dental care in the morning and engage with seniors in the early afternoon. However, the face-to-face between the two politicians is expected to be anything but all smiles.

Danielle Smith pointed out that several provincial premiers have suggested that a pause on the carbon tax increase should be considered. ‘I hope we can find a solution,’ she said, glancing towards Justin Trudeau.

The carbon tax is not the only point of contention between Alberta and Ottawa. The provincial government opposes numerous federal policies such as the target of net-zero emissions by 2035, the establishment of a net-zero framework for the oil and gas sector, and plastic regulations.

The province has also indicated that it will not participate in the federal pharmacare program. On the other hand, the federal government has, in the past, criticized the Smith government for its proposal to withdraw from the Canada Pension Plan and for other policy disagreements.

The two politicians had not met for eight months despite sometimes being in the same city. Three weeks ago, the Prime Minister made an announcement on housing in the Alberta capital in the absence of his Alberta counterpart.

Instead of attacking our province, Mr. Trudeau could have informed our government of his visit to Alberta and invited me to a meeting to discuss our wonderful energy sector,’ Danielle Smith wrote on her social media. The Alberta Premier also did not meet her federal counterpart during the inauguration of an Alberta representation office in Ottawa.