Alberta and Ottawa are in formal negotiations to sign a relationship-reset accord, with Alberta aiming to finalize a memorandum of understanding, according to the premier’s office.
Both sides say the goal is a formal MOU that would mark a break from years of acrimony. The Alberta premier’s office has publicly set an ambitious target to “ink the deal” before Nov. 16.
A senior federal source has also confirmed that talks are underway to “iron out a deal” meant to reset the relationship.
The disputes have piled up over roughly a decade. Successive Alberta governments have blamed federal policies for poisoning relations, including amendments to impact assessment legislation, the ban on oil tankers along British Columbia’s northern coast, net-zero electricity regulations, draft regulations for an oil and gas emissions cap, and clean electricity rules.
That Climate Competitiveness Strategy reaffirmed policies that have angered Alberta, including enhanced methane regulations and clean electricity rules. It did not scrap the proposed oil and gas emissions cap, but it set conditions that, if implemented, could make a cap unnecessary. Those conditions include deploying carbon capture technology at scale and strengthening the industrial carbon pricing system that governs large emitters.
Smith withheld judgment pending the outcome of negotiations. A spokesperson pointed to a prior line from the premier that Alberta is working toward an agreement with Ottawa that includes the removal, carve-out, or overhaul of federal climate policies the province has opposed.
Alberta has also indicated it is moving forward as the proponent of a bitumen pipeline to British Columbia’s northern coast and plans to apply through the federal Major Projects Office as part of that process.
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