Danielle Smith willing to make changes to her signature Alberta sovereignty bill following criticism
Just days after introducing her first bill as Alberta’s premier, Danielle Smith says she is prepared to make changes after widespread criticism that the legislation grants unchecked power.
“It‘s surprising for something that was her signature policy that more care wasn’t put into drafting it,” said Duane Bratt, political scientist at Mount Royal University.
If passed into law, the Alberta Sovereignty within a United Canada Act would give Smith’s cabinet sweeping authority to decide what federal laws, programs and policies infringe on Alberta’s jurisdiction and order institutions in the province not to enforce them.
It would also let cabinet rewrite laws without legislature approval.
“That’s not the way things operate and that would be a huge erosion of democracy in this province, something that only occurs in exceptional, almost war-like situations,” Bratt said.
After days of rejecting criticisms like this, Smith now says she is open to making changes to clear up those concerns.
“If there’s some things that we need to change to be able to make it clear that the legislature has the ultimate authority, I’m prepared to do that, but the purpose of the bill is to make sure that Ottawa stays in its own lane, and that’s the reason we put it forward,” Smith said in an interview with CTV Power Play on Friday.
In a statement on Sunday, the premier’s office said Smith will speak to her caucus on Monday about potential amendments to ensure the bill clearly enables the legislative assembly to direct cabinet to take action to defend the interests of Albertans.
However, even with those amendments, Alberta’s NDP says it won’t support it.
“Regardless of the size or number of amendments that the government tries to bring in, this bill cannot fix the damage that’s been done to Alberta’s reputation. The only way to restore our reputation is to kill this bill,” Alberta NDP Economic Development Critic Deron Bilous said at a press conference on Sunday.
The premier’s office said it’s disappointed that the NDP has already voted against the bill before seeing it or proposing any amendments.
The bill is currently in its second reading. There will be more debate this week before third and final reading on this legislation.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING NEWS Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'