Premier Danielle Smith will deliver a live address to Albertans on Monday following her first official call with Prime Minister Mark Carney and a special meeting of the United Conservative Party caucus.
The address is scheduled for 3 p.m. today and will be livestream-only, according to a May 3 Government of Alberta advisory.
Smith and Carney both posted about the call to X on May 2. Smith described it as a "positive first meeting." She said they discussed "policies and legislation that are holding back Alberta’s economy," along with "specific proposals for projects and legislative reforms" to increase market access for Alberta oil, gas, agricultural products and other goods. She also said they discussed Alberta’s ongoing trade dispute with the United States.
"Repairing the damage to Alberta’s economy caused by Ottawa’s last 10-years of anti-resource legislation and policies will take tremendous effort and cooperation, however, today’s conversation was a positive first step," Smith wrote.
Carney referred to the exchange as a "call." In his post, he wrote: "Thanks for the call, Premier. We’re both focused on bringing down the cost of living and increasing opportunities in the energy sector for hard working Albertans. I look forward to working together — to break down interprovincial trade barriers and to build one strong Canadian economy."
The following day, Smith’s office issued the May 3 advisory announcing her address, which followed an April 29 written statement from the premier responding to the outcome of the April 28 federal election. In that statement, she congratulated Carney on forming a Liberal minority government and said a "large majority of Albertans are deeply frustrated that the same government that overtly attacked our provincial economy almost unabated for the past 10 years has been returned to government."
"As Premier, I will not permit the status quo to continue," the statement read. "Albertans will have an opportunity to discuss our province’s future, assess various options for strengthening and protecting our province against future hostile acts from Ottawa, and to ultimately choose a path forward."
Breaking down the federal election results in Alberta and nationally
According to preliminary Elections Canada results, the Conservative Party led in 34 of Alberta’s 37 federal ridings, receiving 63.5 per cent of the provincial popular vote. The Liberal Party led in two ridings with 27.9 per cent of the vote, and the NDP led in one riding with 6.3 per cent. Voter turnout in Alberta was 69.95 per cent.
Nationally, the Liberal Party led in 169 ridings with 43.7 per cent of the popular vote. The Conservatives led in 144 ridings with 41.3 per cent. The Bloc Québécois and NDP led in 22 and seven ridings, respectively. National turnout was 68.7 per cent.
One of the post-election developments drawing national attention involves Alberta MP-elect Damien Kurek. According to preliminary results, MP-elect Damien Kurek was re-elected in Battle River–Crowfoot with 81.8 per cent of the vote. Voter turnout in the riding was 76.7 per cent.
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On May 2, he confirmed he intends to step aside for the current parliamentary session to allow Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to run in a by-election in the riding. The announcement was posted to Kurek’s social media accounts.
"It has been a tremendous honour to serve the good people of Battle River–Crowfoot as their Member of Parliament since 2019," the statement read. "Their support and commitment to the Conservative movement and our mission to bring back hope and prosperity to this country has been unmatched. Which is why, after much discussion with my wife Danielle, I have decided to step aside for this Parliamentary session to allow our Conservative Party Leader to run here in a by-election." He also wrote: "Offering this seat to our Party Leader is an important step in that process."
Poilievre responded to the announcement on X the same day, writing: "It is with humility and appreciation that I have accepted Damien Kurek's offer to resign his seat in Battle River–Crowfoot so that I can work to earn the support of citizens there to serve them in Parliament."
The Canadian Press reported that the Conservative Party has confirmed Poilievre will run in the riding once the by-election is called. A party spokesperson also told CP that Kurek must be sworn in as a Member of Parliament before he can formally resign the seat.
Meanwhile, outside Parliament, online petition activity related to Alberta’s separation from Canada has seen renewed momentum following the federal election, according to a May 2 news release from Change.org Canada.
The release said a petition titled Alberta separation / Western Alliance, originally launched in 2019, had surpassed 220,000 signatures and continued to grow. It also reported that more than a dozen new, independently created petitions calling for Alberta or Western separation or referendums had been posted to the platform since the April 28 vote.
"A trend of similar petitions started independently gives us a clear signal that people are looking for a place to be heard," Change.org Canada spokesperson Sarah Dixon wrote in the release.
One of the newly created petitions, titled Hold a referendum for Alberta’s independence, was launched on April 29 by Eric Larson. In the petition description, Larson wrote: "The current political climate in Canada has left many Albertans feeling disempowered and frustrated, as decisions made at the federal level often do not consider the specific circumstances and priorities of our province."
Smith’s May 5 address will be livestreamed through official Government of Alberta channels.
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