The 2024 Canadian Politician of the Year: Danielle Smith

[Herman]

Jesus H that burns my ass. Danielle Smith is going to hold a referendum on whether to hold a referendum on seaparation.

[DKG]

I saw the news on Smith's address.

If I was an Alberta separatist, this would be a smart move. The Alberta independence movement has had two court injunctions against it. The courts cannot touch this question.

[DKG]

I saw the news on Smith's address.

If I was an Alberta separatist, this would be a smart move. The Alberta independence movement has had two court injunctions against it. The courts cannot touch this question.

Smith said Albertans have an appetite to vote on independence, whether for or against, but said Justice Shaina Leonard's recent court ruling to shut down Stay Free Alberta's independence petition due to a lack of First Nations consultation by the Alberta government will likely block such a vote from happening in October.

[Herman]

Naheed Nenshi went on CTV and claimed the referendum will cost "between fifty and a hundred million dollars." Elections Alberta has budgeted $20 million — and adding a question to a vote that's already happening costs under $2 million. The only way it blows the budget by 500% is if Nenshi ran it himself.

Finally, commentator Jen Gerson waved off the entire movement as "MAGA nihilism" and a "millenarian" religious cult — a tidy way to dismiss the more than 700,000 Albertans who signed petitions demanding a vote, the largest citizen mobilization the province has seen in years.

[Herman]

Danielle Smith is throwing Alberta's support behind a proposed 3,300-kilometre oil pipeline linking Hardisty, Alta., to Sarnia, Ont., saying the project would boost domestic energy security, expand export opportunities and help the province achieve its goal of doubling oil production.

In a statement Monday, Smith welcomed Ontario's announcement of a proposed route for the Northern Shield Energy Corridor, describing it as a major step toward providing Alberta producers with direct access to refineries and markets in eastern Canada while opening additional export opportunities through Eastern ports.

Smith said the project stems from an agreement signed last year between Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario to work together on new pipeline infrastructure and an economic corridor stretching from Alberta to Ontario.

According to the premier, the proposed pipeline could initially transport an additional 500,000 barrels of oil per day, with the potential to expand capacity to 800,000 barrels per day in the future.

Smith said improved access to tidewater would allow Alberta to serve growing overseas markets while ensuring Canada captures more of the value from its energy resources.

"This project is about making Canada stronger," Smith said. "By connecting Alberta's energy with Canadian refineries and markets, we can create jobs, grow our economy and make better use of the world-class resources we already have."

She said Alberta remains committed to working with provincial and federal governments to move the project forward, arguing the pipeline would connect Canadian-produced oil with Canadian consumers while supporting long-term economic growth.