Liberal, NDP confidence agreement rejected by Premier Kenney

A confidence agreement between the federal Liberals and New Democrats in Ottawa, which will see the minority Liberal government in alliance with the NDP through 2025, is a gut punch for Alberta premier Jason Kenney.

During question period in the legislature on Tuesday, Kenney claimed that the deal will further destroy efforts of promoting Alberta energy on the global stage.

"We always knew it, the NDP here was in cahoots with Justin Trudeau," said Kenney.

"Now they have made it formal, in a political marriage in Ottawa that will keep Trudeau’s anti-Alberta policies in place for the next three years. I put them on notice.  This government will fight to defend our economy."

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and NDP leader Jagmeet Singh made the deal late Monday night.

It will see an NDP campaign promise for a national pharmacare act tabled next year, and allow the Liberal government to pass all confidence motions and budgets, with the support of NDP MP’s.

With a UCP leadership review vote days away, a new poll shows Alberta Premier Jason Kenney stuck around 30 per cent

BALANCING ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT

But will the impact be as grave as the premier claims?

"Whether it be industry leaders, we're seeing lots of those industry leaders moving in the direction of balancing energy (and) the environment more effectively," said political scientist Lori Williams, at Mount Royal University.

"It could actually generate more investment, rather than less in Alberta."

Both the federal Liberals and NDP are strong advocates of critical climate strategies, against big emitters, including energy companies.

Kenney says Alberta will be left behind until this deal runs out in 2025.

"We will use every tool we can to fight the Trudeau-Singh alliance and their effort to kill pipelines and damage Canada’s largest job creating industry," he said.

The liberals say this move was about stabilizing the Canadian government and its own party.

"Lots of people have been speculating that the 2021 election was the last one that Justin Trudeau would contest as prime minister," said Williams.

"But I don't know. That isn’t certain at this stage. It might depend on who becomes the leader of the opposition."

The federal conservatives have called the new alliance a ‘coalition.’

But political experts say that is not the case, because the NDP will have no members in cabinet.

"Even though the NDP were working with the Liberals informally up until this point, this more or less, assures that the NDP on matters of confidence and money matters will be supporting the Liberal government through 2025," said Williams.

"That means that the accountability that we often associate with minority governments, and the possibility of them, losing a vote of confidence, that prospect will actually be more distant."