Skip to content

Canada's Business and Tech Newsroom

  • Professional Subscription
  • Partnerships & Advertising
  • Licensing & Syndication
Log In Subscribe
Welcome,
  • My Account
  • Log Out
  • Business
  • Tech
  • National
  • The Big Read
  • Briefings
  • Commentary
Search
Log In Subscribe
Welcome,
  • My Account
  • Log Out
News

Ms. Smith goes to Ottawa

OTTAWA — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith opened a new provincial office in Ottawa Monday and spoke to the Economic Club of Canada as part of a swing through eastern North America. She praised some parts of Justin Trudeau’s federal government and excoriated others.

News

Ms. Smith goes to Ottawa

Alberta premier opens office in capital, dishes out praise, needles adversaries

By David Reevely
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith wears a green suit and a string of pearls. She holds an open binder in her left hand.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith arrives for a news conference in Ottawa on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024. Photo: The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick
Feb 5, 2024
A A
A Small A Medium A Large
Share

Gift

Share

OTTAWA — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith opened a new provincial office in Ottawa Monday and spoke to the Economic Club of Canada as part of a swing through eastern North America. She praised some parts of Justin Trudeau’s federal government and excoriated others.

Here’s what you need to know:

Why: Alberta’s Ottawa office is meant to “strengthen our relationship with partners on Parliament Hill and in other parts of Canada and will help us to stay informed on emerging decisions that impact Alberta,” Smith said. Headed by James Carpenter, it’s to be a lobbying shop, a point of contact for the media and a beachhead for Alberta ministers to make Ottawa contacts.

Building some bridges: Smith said she has a good relationship with federal Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne, whom she called “a champion of industry all across the country.” The federal government has backed numerous Alberta industrial projects that Smith rhymed off, including Air Products’s clean-hydrogen plant, Heidelberg’s low-carbon cement factory and Dow Chemical’s petrochemical facility.

Related Articles

Renewables in my backyard? Alberta’s cleantech boom sparks a familiar backlash

By Jesse Snyder

Federal government fuels up $1.6B Alberta hydrogen project with $300M from flagship fund

By Murad Hemmadi

Economic development “isn’t a partisan issue,” Alberta’s Technology and Innovation Minister Nate Glubish told The Logic in a separate conversation. “I think all Canadians agree, we want to be more innovative, we want to attract more investments into developing new technologies in Canada, and certainly we believe that in Alberta.”

Hide the hat: During a brief tour of the office, a small corner suite on the 17th floor of a building a few blocks southwest of Parliament, staffer Alex Puddifant noticed a cameraman shooting a blue baseball cap—on an otherwise bare bookshelf—embroidered with the words “More Alberta, Less Ottawa.” Puddifant tucked the cap away as soon as he could do so discreetly.

No. 1 nemesis: Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault, however, is “one extraordinarily ideological member of that cabinet who seems to be running the show” and Smith said she would like to see him replaced “so that we can reset our relationship.”

The premier repeatedly warned that depending on renewable sources for energy in Alberta could kill people (though she promised that a moratorium on new renewable-energy projects will end as scheduled at the end of February).

A long shadow: Smith arrived in Ottawa after promising legislation and policy changes restricting minors’ access to gender-affirming surgeries and rights to use different names or pronouns in school without parental involvement.

That prompted advocates to organize a rally for trans youth outside a reception Smith has scheduled in Ottawa this evening. Edmonton Liberal MP Randy Boissonnault, who is gay, welcomed her to the capital by saying Smith has put up “a warm fuzzy video that holds a bunch of daggers for our community.”

Gift the full article

Next up: Smith had meetings scheduled with several federal ministers, a possible appearance before the Commons natural-resources committee (if an exchange with its chair, Liberal George Chahal, turned into anything but a social-media spat) and the reception. She has plans to continue her eastern swing in Toronto and then Washington.

#Alberta #climate #Danielle Smith #economy #Energy #renewable energy

Sponsored Content

How to shift your workforce from AI experimentation to adoption

By Jessica Aftimus Rosa

The real-world economic offshoots of sovereign AI

By Deborah Aarts
Illustration of a plane flying above a mailbox

Increasing healthcare access across Canada

By Deborah Aarts
Paid promotional content

Loading...

Thanks for sharing!

You have shared 5 articles this month and reached the maximum amount of shares available.

Close
This account has reached its share limit.

If you would like to purchase a sharing license please contact The Logic support at [email protected].

Close
Want to share this article?

Upgrade to all-access now

Close
Gift the full article!

You have gifted 0 article(s) this month and have 5 remaining.

Copy link and gift
Copy Link
Email to a friend
Send Email
Gift on Social Media

Recipients will be able to read the full text of the article after submitting their email address. They will not have access to other articles or subscriber benefits.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith wears a green suit and a string of pearls. She holds an open binder in her left hand.

Photo: The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick

Most Popular This Week

News

Canada-U.K. digital trade is set to grow under new phase of Pacific Rim trade pact

By Joanna Smith
Christian Weedbrook stands in a vacant warehouse next to a Canadian flag at a podium labelled for the Strategic Response Fund.
News

Xanadu gets $195M from federal government to build a quantum computer factory in Toronto

By Murad Hemmadi
A ground-level shot of a tractor pulling a potato harvester that drops the potatoes into a truck driving alongside it.
Analysis

Canada’s counter-tariffs would hit the Prairies hard, trade data shows

By Joanna Smith
People stand in large room split into several aisles by banners promoting startups. A video screen on the back wall has the logo for the CDL Super Session on it.
News

The Creative Destruction Lab is using data to reveal what makes startups successful

By Murad Hemmadi

In-depth, agenda-setting reporting

Great journalism delivered straight to your inbox.

A shot across an expanse of low forest of a rocket launching into blue skies.
News

People hired to promote Canadian rocket firm didn’t actually help, company alleges in lawsuit defence

By David Reevely

Briefing

New 100% U.S. tariffs on drones take effect, hitting Canadian industry

By David Reevely   |   Sep 3, 2026

Solomon says Canada will stick with its own AI rules after U.S., tech giants push G20 not to regulate

By Murad Hemmadi   |   Sep 3, 2026

Ottawa defence supplier Allen-Vanguard put into receivership

By David Reevely   |   Sep 3, 2026

Best business newsletter in Canada

Get up to speed in minutes with insights and analysis on the most important stories of the day, every weekday.

Exclusive events

See the bigger picture with reporters and industry experts in subscriber-exclusive events.

Membership in The Logic Council

Membership provides access to our popular Slack channel, participation in subscriber surveys and invitations to exclusive events with our journalists and special guests.

Recent Popular Stories

News

Xanadu gets $195M from federal government to build a quantum computer factory in Toronto

By Murad Hemmadi   |   Aug 28, 2026
Christian Weedbrook stands in a vacant warehouse next to a Canadian flag at a podium labelled for the Strategic Response Fund.
News

Canadian investors are dumping U.S. government debt for American corporate bonds

By Chaimae Chouiekh   |   Aug 24, 2026
An image of tall buildings against a cloudy blue sky.
News

The Creative Destruction Lab is using data to reveal what makes startups successful

By Murad Hemmadi   |   Aug 27, 2026
People stand in large room split into several aisles by banners promoting startups. A video screen on the back wall has the logo for the CDL Super Session on it.
News

Canadian universities are still struggling to commercialize their research, new data shows

By Catherine McIntyre   |   Aug 25, 2026
Exterior of a University of Toronto building
Analysis

Canada’s counter-tariffs would hit the Prairies hard, trade data shows

By Joanna Smith   |   Aug 28, 2026
A ground-level shot of a tractor pulling a potato harvester that drops the potatoes into a truck driving alongside it.
News

Canada-U.K. digital trade is set to grow under new phase of Pacific Rim trade pact

By Joanna Smith   |   Sep 1, 2026

Canada's most influential executives and policymakers are reading The Logic

  • CPP Investments
  • Sun Life Financial
  • C100
  • Amazon
  • Telus
  • Mastercard
  • bdc
  • Shopify
  • Rogers
  • RBC
  • General Motors
  • MaRS
  • Government of Canada
  • Uber
  • Loblaw Companies Limited
logic-logo

Canada's Business and Tech Newsroom

100% human-crafted journalism

Newsroom

  • News Tips
  • AI Policy
  • Editorial Disclosures
  • Story Pitches

Company

  • About Us
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Statement
  • Corporate Information

Contact

  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • FAQs
  • Work at The Logic

© 2026 The Logic Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Trusted by leaders

Error

Account creation failed.

Please email us at [email protected].

Create Account

[wppb-register form_name=”cozmo-registration-form-for-modal”]

I do have an account
Login
or

[wppb-login]

I don’t have an account