Letter from Canada: New Alberta premier brings uncertainty
Danielle Smith’s proposals to take power back from Ottawa do not even have the oil and gas sector’s support
“Today marks a new beginning in the Alberta story,” said the province’s new premier, Danielle Smith, on winning the leadership race for the governing United Conservative Party in early October. “No longer will Alberta ask permission from Ottawa to be prosperous and free... we will not have our resources landlocked, or our energy phased out of existence by a virtue-signalling prime minister." Smith, who is from the libertarian wing of the UCP, campaigned on another legal challenge to the federal government’s carbon tax—despite the Supreme Court of Canada’s March 2021 decision to uphold it—and the prompt passage of a proposed Alberta Sovereignty Act (ASA) to protect the province from perceived
Also in this section
5 September 2024
The 20th century’s two global conflicts made clear the geopolitical importance of oil, while Russia and Saudi Arabia joined the US as hydrocarbons superpowers
5 September 2024
In the second part of our history of oil special on the ascent of the US, Russia and Saudi Arabia, we examine the early years of the age of oil
5 September 2024
In this first part of the first chapter of our 90th anniversary special on the history of oil, we look at oil’s humble beginnings and the start of its rise to prominence
2 September 2024
The island nation plans to phase out nuclear energy and substitute coal for gas, but must first overcome import capacity constraints