There was cautious optimism in the air as provincial and territorial premiers began arriving in Saskatoon to meet with Prime Minister Mark Carney.
The first ministers are meeting on Monday, and Carney has said he wants to hear provincial ideas for “nation-building projects.”
The prime minister struck an optimistic tone as he spoke to the premiers in front of reporters at the meeting table on Monday.
“The coming weeks and months will be critical, really, to turn the momentum that’s been created by you around this table — that the federal government is looking to add to — to translate that momentum, those ideas into action,” Carney said.
“But I’m very confident with the experience, the expertise, the goodwill and the support of Canadians, that we will do just that.”
Ford serenades cameras as premiers, PM meet
Ontario Premier Doug Ford playfully sang “love is in the air” as he walked by reporters into Monday’s meeting.
The premiers — and other stakeholders — joined Carney for a reception Sunday night and the tone also seemed fairly optimistic.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith — who has been pushing for Ottawa to meet a number of her government’s conditions to move projects forward — met with Carney during the Sunday night event.
“I’m looking forward to finding some common ground. We had a couple nice texts and a couple of nice phone calls, and I think that there’s a spirit of collaboration,” Smith said on her way into the reception.
The Alberta premier had sent a letter to Carney in mid-May, saying there are several preconditions necessary to make his nation-building ambitions a success: Include an oil pipeline on the initial list of projects, abandon the “unconstitutional” oil and gas emissions cap, overhaul the Impact Assessment Act and repeal Canada’s industrial carbon tax, as well as clean electricity regulations.
In a social media post on Monday morning, Smith indicated that her meeting with Carney went well, but said she wants to see more of a commitment to roll back the policies she outlined in her May letter.
“While there appears to be a desire to move forward with new projects, including a West Coast bitumen pipeline, a clear commitment is needed to act on barriers that have held back private investment,” Smith wrote in a post on X.
One potential sticking point in Monday’s meeting could be Smith’s request for a pipeline that brings western oil to the northern coast of B.C. A previously proposed pipeline met resistance from communities along the project’s route and was effectively killed when the federal government announced the tanker moratorium in 2016.
Niki Sharma, B.C.’s deputy premier, said Monday morning that her province has “differences of opinion” on a pipeline through northern B.C.
“We’re focused on where we can find alignment,” Sharma told reporters on her way into Monday’s meeting. “With [a northern B.C. pipeline] project, there’s no proponent at this stage. We’re going to be focused on really shovel-ready projects.”
But Smith told reporters that proponents for a pipeline through northern B.C. will come forward if the regulatory system changes.
“Unless we address the terrible policies that have damaged investor confidence, we’re not going to get the proponents coming forward,” Smith said before heading into the meeting.
Quebec has historically been opposed to pipeline projects in its jurisdiction. But Premier François Legault recently opened the door to pipeline development in the province, saying Quebecers recognize the importance of reducing the country’s dependence on energy exports to the United States.
“If there’s a project, we’re ready to look at it, if it goes through Quebec territory. But we’ll need to have economic impact — positive ones — for Quebec,” Legault said Sunday evening.
When asked about a potential pipeline through Quebec on Monday morning, Legault again suggested that he would be willing to look at any proposals — but he dismissed the suggestion that one is on the table at this meeting.
“I’ve been invited here by Mr. Carney not by Danielle [Smith] or whoever,” he told reporters.
Smith seemed less interested in a potential pipeline through eastern Canada and more in favour of one that runs to Hudson’s Bay.
“I’m interested in working with partners who want to work with me,” she said Monday morning.
Carney addressing western alienation better than Trudeau, Sask. premier says
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe told reporters that he thinks Carney so far has done a better job of addressing western alienation than former prime minister Justin Trudeau.
“The words I’m hearing from the prime minister, I think, are encouraging and I hope are encouraging for all Canadians.… But policies do matter so we are going to need a shift in policy,” Moe said.
Carney told CBC’s Power & Politics last week that he’s seeking to have projects compete for federal approval, with the best ideas winning out.
“In effect, we’re going to have a competition with projects. Some projects are good ideas, but they’re not ready. Others are ready, but they’re bad ideas,” he told host David Cochrane.
When asked by reporters about his expectations for Monday’s meeting, Northwest Territories Premier R.J. Simpson said he was a little worried about smaller provinces and the territories getting overlooked.
“The Northwest Territories, and the North in general, has not received a lot of infrastructure investment over the past number of years,” Simpson said. “But there’s been a lot of attention on the North this past year — even the last six months. So I’m hopeful that’s going to result in some major infrastructure investments.”
What types of ‘nation-building’ projects do provinces want to see?
P.E.I. Premier Rob Lantz said he and the other Atlantic premiers are taking a “regional approach” to Monday’s meeting with Carney.
“I think anything we advance is probably not gonna rise to the level of a national interest project. But we’ve been discussing a regional project with the other Atlantic provinces around energy security,” Lantz said Monday morning.
Ford said he hopes Monday’s meeting is less about certain projects winning out over others and that the focus remains on pursuing projects that benefit Canada as a whole.
“I think we’re here for a message of unity, making sure we do the right things for all of Canada — not just parts of Canada,” he said.
In the coming weeks, the Liberal government is expected to table “one Canadian economy” legislation that would provide up-front approvals for major projects.
But some First Nations are raising concerns about the pending bill.
Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak said Monday that she is worried about how the legislation could impact First Nations’ rights.
“While we support efforts to protect Canada from geopolitical and economic uncertainty, First Nations are very concerned that this federal proposal has the potential to violate many collective rights of First Nations respecting lands, water, resources, inherent title, rights, jurisdiction and treaty,” Woodhouse said in a statement.
“First Nations will require clarification regarding the design of Crown-First Nations engagement and consultation, timelines and how rights holders will be invited to respond to the Crown on this matter.”
