(Edmonton) The top adviser to Danielle Smith, who will be sworn in as Alberta’s new premier on Tuesday, says her proposed sovereignty bill would respect Supreme Court of Canada rulings.
Posted at 6:08 a.m.
Updated at 6:13 a.m.
This is a reversal of the political promise made by Mme Smith in the recent United Conservative Party leadership race.
Rob Anderson, who chaired the campaign for Mme Smith for the leadership and who is now the executive director of her transition team, assured the CBC over the weekend that the sovereignty law proposed by the new leader will not allow Alberta to ignore the decisions of the Supreme Court.
Danielle Smith’s spokesperson, Jonah Mozeson, declined to answer specific questions about Rob Anderson’s statement. Mr. Mozeson nevertheless wrote that “as the Prime Minister-designate has said, the Sovereignty Act will be drafted in accordance with sound constitutional principles […] in accordance with the rule of law. ”
Danielle Smith is scheduled to be sworn in as Alberta’s new premier at 2 p.m. local time Tuesday at the Legislative Assembly in Edmonton. She will make herself available to the media after her first cabinet meeting.
Mme Smith currently does not sit in the Alberta Legislative Assembly, but she announced on Saturday that she would run for the seat of the riding of Brooks-Medicine Hat, in the southeastern part of the province, in an election partial, even if she does not live in the region.
That seat became vacant when current MP Michaela Frey resigned on Friday. Mme Frey had previously indicated that she had no plans to run again in the 2023 provincial election.
A new council of ministers will be announced on October 21.
Danielle Smith won the United Conservative Party leadership race last week. She touted her sovereignty bill as a paradigm-shattering initiative against what she called Mr. Trudeau’s ‘lawless’ intrusion into provincial jurisdictions, including energy development and health rules related to COVID-19.
The law as proposed by the leader would allow Alberta to refuse to follow federal laws and court rulings that she deems contrary to the best interests of Alberta and that she would characterize as illegal intrusion into her spheres of influence duly delegated under the Constitution.
Just a month ago, Danielle Smith said the Sovereignty Act would only be used in special circumstances and would require the consent of the legislature.
She also emphasized that Alberta would not consider itself bound by the courts. In a statement released Sept. 6, she wrote, “If a court stays or finds actions taken by the province under a specific special motion in Alberta’s sovereignty law to be unconstitutional, then the government and the Legislature shall review the actions of the special motion in question and decide whether or not to modify, terminate, or continue them, understanding the legal implications such a decision may entail.”
The subject of the Sovereignty Act dominated debate throughout the summer-long leadership campaign to replace Jason Kenney as party leader and prime minister. Mr. Kenney said it was an illegal and dangerous plan destined to trigger economic chaos because Albertans, investors and businesses would not know what laws they had to follow.
Alberta Lieutenant Governor Salma Lakhani entered the debate at one point, saying she had a duty not to enact a bill that violates the Constitution.
Danielle Smith said the Sovereignty Act will be introduced in the very next fall session.