A day after addressing Albertans on the province’s path forward with the federal government, Premier Danielle Smith held a media session on Tuesday, with most questions focusing on the possibility of Alberta holding a separation referendum and the province’s relationship with Ottawa.

During the 30-minute meeting, Smith answered several questions. While the topics ranged from the timing of her Monday address to the announcement of the Alberta Next panel, the main discussion remained centred around calls for Alberta to leave Confederation.

In her earlier address, Smith said her government does not support separation from Canada, but would respect any successful citizen-initiated petition calling for such a vote.

When asked if a separation referendum could be held next year, and if the answer were yes, whether she would honour it and start the process of Alberta separating from Canada, Smith replied she would respect the wishes of Albertans.

“Until I see an actual question with 177,000 signatures of Albertans that are supportive of it, it’s difficult for me to know what that looks like,” she said. “But I honour the process.”

She added that her government is creating a process that allows citizens to identify issues and bring them forward with the support of their fellow citizens, enabling those issues to be put to a referendum.

Smith was also asked how she would respond to First Nations chiefs who argue that  separation from Canada would violate treaties made with the Crown.

She said the province is still several steps away from having that kind of conversation.

“We have put forward a suite of changes to elections law that included making a petition campaign achievable,” Smith said.

She added that it’s important to give citizens a real chance to bring forward issues they care about, and that means having a reasonable threshold for collecting signatures.

According to her, the new requirements strike a balance — lower than Saskatchewan’s, a bit higher than in parts of the United States, and in line with long-standing municipal rules in Alberta.

Smith was also asked about the role of treaty rights in any potential separation referendum and whether negotiations with First Nations communities would need to happen first.

In response, Smith clarified that she does not know what the referendum question would look like, as she had stated in her address the day before that her government would not be bringing forward a question on independence.

She emphasized that the process would be initiated by individuals, not the government.

When asked about how negotiations with First Nations would fit into the process, Smith reiterated that without a formal referendum question or an active petition, these discussions remain theoretical.

“There is no referendum question, there is no campaign. We haven’t even put the structure in place for the Elections Act,” she said. “Until we see an actual active question and an active petition campaign, it really is just hypothetical.”

When asked about her push for Alberta to have guaranteed access to all three Canadian coasts, and how that respects the authority of other provinces, Smith said it’s Ottawa’s job under the Constitution to ensure access to markets.

She said there’s also international law that supports the idea that no country should block another from reaching markets.

“The federal government was given trade and commerce power when we came together as territories in order to enable access to markets,” she said.

Citing recent examples like the Coastal GasLink pipeline, LNG Canada and the Trans Mountain expansion, Smith said that while those projects faced challenges, they still moved forward.

She added that before the last federal election, all provinces, along with the prime minister, had agreed to support economic corridors, including for oil and gas.

“So I’m just reaffirming that that was the commitment on the part of all of the provinces prior to the election, and I hope it’s the commitment of all of the provinces now that the election is over,” she said.

With municipal elections scheduled for October, Smith was asked whether a referendum could be held at the same time if a citizen-led petition meets the required threshold.

She said that while referendums have been held during municipal elections in the past, the timing likely wouldn’t work this time with just 120 days remaining for the polling.

Smith also fielded questions about the timing of her speech, which coincided closely with Prime Minister Mark Carney’s meeting with United States President Donald Trump.

She clarified that the timing had been set a week after the federal election, allowing her time to consult with her caucus and meet with Carney.

Smith emphasized her intent was to ensure Alberta’s concerns were clearly communicated across the country, particularly to Eastern Canada, where she said coverage of Alberta’s grievances is often lacking.

“I wanted to be thoughtful in how I gave my response,” she said, pointing to Alberta’s overwhelming support for a different political party as a key factor.

When asked if her speech risked undermining Canada’s position in trade negotiations with the U.S., Smith placed responsibility on the previous federal government, citing a deteriorated Canada-U.S. relationship.

“We’ll see if Prime Minister Carney can reset that in the meeting he has today, and I’m hopeful that he can,” she said.

She added that renegotiating the free trade agreement ahead of its expiration in 18 months would benefit all Canadians.

Addressing concerns that her government’s actions, particularly the town halls exploring separation, could harm Alberta’s negotiating power or Canada’s international relations, especially with the U.S., Smith turned the focus back to federal politics.

She described the Liberals’ experience in the election as a wake-up call.

“I would hope that near-death experience made them realize that what Canadians want, Albertans want, is to be an economic superpower that includes energy, includes food, includes getting all of our resources to market,” she said, stressing the need to remove barriers to resource development.

The Alberta separation topic has received renewed attention since the Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act, commonly known as the Alberta Sovereignty Act, passed in December 2022. The act gives Alberta the ability to reject the application of specific federal laws or policies deemed harmful to provincial interests, subject to approval by the legislature.

Smith speaks on Alberta’s path forward

On Monday, Premier Smith addressed Albertans about the province’s increasingly strained relationship with the federal government and outlined her vision for Alberta’s future within Canada.

While acknowledging the recent change in federal leadership with Prime Minister Carney, Smith said Alberta is waiting for actions, not words, and announced the appointment of a special negotiating team to pursue a new Alberta Accord with Ottawa.

Smith said that while many Albertans are disillusioned, she is hopeful that meaningful reforms could restore confidence in Alberta’s place within Canada.

A full transcript of Smith’s public address can be found here.